Marginalia
Nouemb. 28.
Cardinall Pooles Oration in the Parlamēt house.MY Lordes all, and you that are the Commons of thys present Parlament assembled, whiche in effect is nothyng els but the state and body of the whole realme, as þ^e cause of my repayre hether hath ben both wysely and grauely declared by my Lord Chauncellor, so before that I enter to the particularities of my Commission, I haue somewhat touching my selfe, and to geue most humble and harty thankes to the King and Queenes Maiesties, and after them to you all, which of a man exiled and banished from thys Common wealth, haue restored me to a member of þ^e same, and of a man hauing no place, neither here or elswhere within this realme, haue admitted me in place, where to speake and to be heard. This I protest vnto you all, that though I was exiled my natiue country without iust cause as God knoweth, yet the ingratitude coulde not pull from me þ^e affection and desyre that I had to profit & do you good. If the offer of my seruice myght haue ben receyued, it was neuer to seeke, and where that coulde not be taken, you neuer fayled of my prayer, nor neuer shall.

But leauyng the rehearsall thereof, and comming more neare to the matter of my Commission, I signifie vnto you all that my principall trauayle is, for the restitution of this noble realme to the auncient Nobilitie, and to declare vnto you, that the Sea Apostolicke from whence I come, MarginaliaMore for the vauntage that was hoped by it, then for any great loue.hath a speciall respect to thys Realme aboue all other, and not without cause, seyng that God himselfe, as it were by prouidēce hath geuen thys Realme, prerogatiue of Nobilitie aboue other which to make more plaine vnto you, it is to bee considered MarginaliaEngland of all Ilandes receaued first the faith of Christ.that thys Iland, fyrst of all Ilandes receyued the lyght of Christes religion. For as stories testify, it was prima prouinciarum quæ amplexa est fidem Christi.

For the Britaines beyng fyrst inhabitauntes of this Realme (notwithstandyng the subiectiō of the Emperours and Heathen Princes) dyd receyue Christes fayth from the Apostolicke Sea vniuersally, and not in partes as other Countreyes, not by one and one, as Clockes encrease theyr houres by distinction of tymes, but altogether at once, as it were in a moment. But after that their ill merites or forgetfulnes of God had deserued expulsion, and that Straungers beyng Infidels had possessed this land, yet God of hys goodnes not leauyng where he once loued, so illuminated the hartes of the Saxons beyng Heathen men, that they forsooke the darknes of Heathen errours, and embraced the light of Christes Religion. So that within small space, idolatry and heathen superstition was vtterly abandoned in this Iland.

This was a great prerogatiue of Nobilitie, whereof though the benefite be to be ascribed to God, yet the meane occasion of the same came from the *Marginalia* That the fayth of the Britaines came first from Rome, neyther doth it stand with the circumstaunce of our stories: neither if it so did yet that faith and doctrine of the Romanistes was not such then as it is now. Read afore pag. 107. Church of Rome. In the fayth of which Church, wee haue euer since continued and consented wth the rest of the worlde in vnity of religiō. And to shew further the feruent deuotiō of the inhabitaūts of this Iland towardes the church of Rome, we read that diuers princes in the Saxons tyme with great trauayle & expenses went personally to Rome, as MarginaliaOf this Offa read before pag. 131.Offa and Aldulphus, which thought it not inough to shew them selues obedient to the sayd Sea, vnlesse that in theyr own persons they had gone to that same place from whence they had receyued so great a grace and benefit.

In the tyme of Carolus Magnus who fyrst founded the Vniuersity of Paris, he sent into England for MarginaliaOf Alcuinus read before pag. 131. col. 1.Alcuinus a great learned man, whiche fyrst brought learnyng, to that Vuiuersitie. Wherby it semeth that the greatest part of the world fet the light of religion from England.

Adrian the fourth beyng an Englishmā, cōuerted Norway from infidelity, whiche Adrian afterwardes, vpō great affection and loue that he bare to this Realme, beyng his natiue country, gaue to Henry the second kyng of England, the right and segniory of the dominion of Ireland, whiche pertayned to the Sea of Rome.

I will not rehearse the manifold benefites that thys Realme hath receaued from the Apostolicke Sea, MarginaliaNay, rather what riches and treasures the Sea of Rome hath suckt out of England it is incredible.nor how ready the same hath bene to relieue vs in al our necessities. Nor I wil not rehearse the manifold miseries & calamities, that this realme hath suffered by swaruing from that vnity. And euen as in this realme, so in all other coūtryes, which refusing the vnity of the Cotholicke fayth haue followed fantasticall doctrine, the lyke plagues haue happened. Let Asia and the Empyre of Greece be a spectacle vnto the world, who by swaruing from the vnity of the Churche of Rome are brought into captiuity and *Marginalia* The cause of their subiectiō to the Turke, can not be proued to come by swaruing from the vnitie of the church of Rome, for they were neuer fully ioyned vnto it. And as touching the subiection of Asia and Grecia to the Turkes, read in the story of the Turkes before pag. 710. subiectiō of þ^e Turke. All stories bee full of lyke examples. And to come vnto the latter tyme, looke vpon our nigh neighbours of Germany, who by swaruyng from thys vnity, are miserably afflicted wyth diuersity of sectes and diuided in factions.

What shall I rehearse vnto you the tumultes & effusion of bloud, that hath happened there of late daies? Or trouble you with the rehearsall of those plagues, that haue happened synce thys innouation of religion, where you haue felt the bitternes, and I haue heard the reporte Of all whiche matters I cā say no more, but such was þ^e misery of þ^e time And see how far forth this fury went. For those that liue vnder the *Marginalia* And why then do ye more cruell then the Turke, persecute other for their conscience. Turke, may freely liue after their conscience: & so was it not lawfull here.

If men examine well vpon what groundes these innouations began, they shall wel finde that the roote of this as of many other mischiefes, was auarice, and that the luste & carnall affection of one man confounded all lawes both diuine and humaine. And notwithstanding all these deuyses, and policies practysed within this realme agaynst þ^e church of Rome, they needed not to haue loste you, but that they thought rather as frendes to reconcile you, then as enemies to infest you. For they wanted not great offers of the most mighty Potentates in all Europe to haue ayded the Church in that quarrell. Then marke the sequele: There semed by these changes to rise a great face of riches & gayne, which in proufe came to great misery and lacke. See how God then can confound the wisdome of the wise, and turne vniust policy to meere folly, and that thyng that seemed to be done for reliefe, was cause of playn ruine and decay. Yet see that goodnes of God, which at no tyme fayled vs, but most benignly offred hys grace, When it was of our partes least sought, and worst deserued.

And when all lyght of true religion semed vtterly extinct, as the churches defaced, the aulters ouerthrowen, the Ministers corrupted: euen lyke as in a lampe the light beyng couered, yet it is not quenched, euen so in a fewe remayned the confession of Christes fayth, namely in the brest of the Queenes excellency, of whom to speake without adulation, the saying of the Prophet may be verified: Ecce quasi derelicta.

And see how miraculously God of his goodnes preserued her highnes, contrary to the expectatiō of man, þ^t when numbers conspired agaynst her, and policies were deuysed to disherite her, and armed power prepared to destroy her, yet she being a virgine helples, naked and vnarmed, preuayled, and had the victory of tirantes, whch is not to bee ascribed to any *Marginalia* What policy is this, to make promise to get strength and then to breake it as the queene dyd? policy of man, but to the almighty greate goodnes and prouidence of God, to whom the honor is to be geuen. And therfore it may be sayd: Da gloriam Deo. For in mannes iudgement, on her Graces parte, was nothinge in appearaunce, but despaire.

And yet for all these practises and deuyses of ill men, here you see her Grace established in her estate, beyng your lawfull Queene and Gouernesse, borne among you, whom God hath appointed to raign ouer you for the restitution of true Religion, and extirpation of all errours and sectes. And to confirme her Grace the more strongly in thys enterprise, loe how the prouydence of God hath ioyned her in mariage with a Prince of like religion, who being a Kinge of great might, armour & force, yet vseth towards you neyther armour nor force, but seeketh you by the way of loue and amitye: in whch respect great cause you haue to geue thāks to almighty God, that hath sent you such catholick Gouernours. It shal be therfore your part agayn, to loue, obey, and serue them.

And as it was a singular fauour of God to conioyn them in maryage: so it is not to be doubted but that he shall send them *Marginalia* The Cardinall here appeareth to be a false Prophet. issue, for the comfort and surety of thys cōmon welth. Of all Princes in Europe, the Emperour hath trauayled most in the cause of Religion, as it appeareth by hys actes in Germany: yet happely by some secret iudgement of god, he hath not atchieued the end. With whom in my iorney hetherwardes I had conference touching my legation, whereof when he had vnderstanding, he shewed great appearance of most earnest ioy and gladnes, saying, that it reioyced hym no lesse of the recōcilemēt of this realme vnto christiā vnitye, thē that hys sōne was placed by mariage in the kingdome, and most glad he was of all, that the occasion therof should come by me, being an English man borne, which is (as it were) to call home our selues. MarginaliaCharles the Emperour compared to Dauid.I can well compare hym to Dauid, which though hee were a man elect of God, yet for that he was contaminate with bloud and warre, hee could not build the temple of Hierusalē, but left the finishing therof to Salomon, which was Rex pacificus. So may it bee thought that the appeasing of controuersies of religion in Christianity, is not appointed to this Emperor, but rather to his sonne, who shall perfourme the building that his Father hath begonne. Which Church cannot be perfectly builded without vniuersally in all Realmes we adhere to one heade, and doe acknowledge hym to be the Vicare of God, and to haue power from aboue. For all power is of God, according to the saying, Non est potestas nisi a Deo. And ther