onely all the promises of God (touchyng saluation) bee annexed: beyond whiche promises we must not goe, for the worde must be our rule. He that presumeth beyond the promises in the word expressed, goeth not, but wandereth, he can not tell whether. Neither must we appoynt God, how to saue the worlde, but must take that waye which he hath appointed. Let vs not set our God to schoole, nor comprehēd his holy spirit within our sculles. He that made vs without our counsaile, did also redeme vs as pleased him. If he be mercifull, let vs be thankefull. And if his mercies surmoūt our capacitie, let vs therfore not resiste, but search his word, and thereunto apply our will: which if we will doe, all our contentions wyll soone be at a poynt. Let vs therfore search the wyll of our God in hys worde, and if he will his saluation to stand free to all nations, why do we make marchaundise therof?MarginaliaGratis venum dati estis, gratis [illegible text]. 52. If he haue graciously offred his waters to vs, without money or money worth, let not vs hedge in the plētuous springes of his grace geuen vs.MarginaliaOmnes sicientes venite ad aquas, emite absq̀; argento et commutatione. Esai. 55. And finally, if God haue determined his owne sonne onely to stand alone, let not vs presume to admixte with his maiestie, any of our trumperie. He þ^t bringeth S. George or S. Denise as patrons, to þ^e field to fight against þ^e turke, leaueth Christ (no doubt) at home. Nowe how we haue fought these many yeares agaynst the Turke, thoughe storyes keepe silence, yet the successe declareth. We fight agaynst a persecutour, beyng no lesse persecutours our selues. Wee wrastle agaynst a bloudy tyraunt, and our handes be as full of bloud as his. He kylleth Christes people with the sword: and we burne them with fire. He obseruyng the workes of the law, seeketh his iustice by the same: the like also do we. But neither he nor we seke our iustification as we should, that is, by fayth onely in the sonne of God.

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And what meruell thē, if our doctrine beyng as corrupte almost, as his, and our conuersation worse, if Christ fight not with vs, fighting against þ^e Turke? The Turke hath preuailed so mightely, not because þ^t Christ is weake, but because that Christians be wicked, and their doctrine impure. Our temples with Images, our hartes with idolatrie are polluted: Our priestes stinke before God for adultery, being restrayned from lawfull matrimonie. The name of God is in our mouthes, but hys feare is not in our hartes. We warre agaynst the Turke with our workes, masses, traditions and ceremonies: but we fight not agaynst hym with Christ and with the power of his glorye: which if we did, the fielde were wonne.

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MarginaliaReformatiõ of religion requisite before we fight with the turkes. Wherfore briefly to conclude, saying my iudgement in this behalfe, what I suppose: this hope I haue, & do beleue, that when the Churche of Christ with the Sacramentes therof, shalbe so reformed, that Christ alone shall be receaued to be our iustifier, all other religions, merites, traditions, images, patrons and aduocates set a part:MarginaliaFaith getteth victory. the sword of the Christians, with the strength of Christ, shall soone vanquishe the Turkes pryde and fury. But of this more largely in the processe of this story.

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MarginaliaThe sixte cause. The sixte and last cause, why I thinke the knowledge of the Turkes history, requisite to be considered, is this: because that many there be, which for þ^t they be farther from þ^e Turkes, and thinke therfore them selues to be out of daūger, take litle care and study, what happeneth to their other brethren. Wherefore to the entent to excite their zeale and prayer to almighty God, in this so lamentable ruine of Christes Churche:MarginaliaEarnest inuocation necessary in the Church of Christ. I thought it requisite by order of history, to geue this our nation also somethyng to vnderstand, what hath bene done in other nations by these cruell Turkes, and what detrimente hath bene and is like more to happen by them, to the Churche of Christ, except we make our earnest inuocation to almighty God, in the name of his sonne, to stop the course of the deuill by these Turkes, and to stay thys defection of Christians falling daylye vnto them, and to reduce them agayne to his fayth, whiche are fallen from him. Whiche the Lorde Iesus of his grace, graunte with speade. Amen.

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Before we enter into this story of the Turkes & Saracenes  

, first let vs call to remembraunce the Prophecie and forewarning of S. Paul writing to the Thess. in his. 2. Epistle   , in these wordes:Marginalia2. Thes. 2. Be not moued nor troubled in your myndes, either by preachyng, or by writing, or by letter from vs, as though the day of the Lorde were at hand: for the Lorde wyll not come excepte there come a defection first, and the wycked person be reuealed. &c.MarginaliaThe place of S. Paule expounded 2. Thess. 2. speaking of the defection to come. Of thys defection sondry myndes there be, of sondry expositoures: some thinkyng this defection to meane a fallyng away from the empire of Rome: some, frõ the obedience of the pope. But as S. Paul little passed vpon the outward glory of þ^e Romain Empire: so lesse he passed vpon the proude obedience of the Pope. What Saint Paule ment by this defection, the rea dyng of these Turkishe stories, and the miserable fallyng awaye of those Churches by hym before planted, wyll soone declare   .

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MarginaliaThe number of the Apocalips cap. 13 expoūded. An other mysterye there is in the Reuelations, Apoc. 3.  

where the number of the beast is counted. 666. Whereby may seme by all euidences, to be signified the first origine and springyng of these beastly Saracens, as by sequele hereof may appeare by the first rising vp of thys diuelish sect of Mahumete.

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MarginaliaAn other place, Apocal. 16.
Et sextus Angelus effudit phialam suam, &c. Moreouer, an other place there is, cap. 16. Apocal.  

where we read that by powryng out of the Phiall of gods wrath, of the sixt Aungell, the great floud Euphrates was dryed vp, to let in the kynges of the East: the openyng of whiche Prophecy, may also more euidently appeare, in consideryng the order and maner of the commyng in of these Turkes into Europe.

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Some also apply to the Turkes certayne Prophecies of Daniell, Ezechiell and other places of the old Testament mo, which here I omit, for so much as the Prophecies of the old Testament, if they be taken in theyr proper & natiue sense, after my iudgement, do extend no further, then to the death of our Sauior, and the ende of the Iewes kyngdome. Albeit herein I do not preiudicate to any mans opinion, but that euery man may abound in hys owne sense.

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MarginaliaThe time of Mahumete the false prophet expounded. As touchyng the yeare and tyme when this pestiferous sect of Mahumet first began, histories do not fully consent: Some affirmyng that it began, an. 621. and in the x. yeare of Heraclius Emperour of Constantinople: in which mynde is Ioannes Lucidus  

. As Munsterus counteth, it was in the yere of our Lord. 622   . Martin Luther, and Iohn Carion referreth it to the 18. yeare of the raigne of Heraclius, which is the yere of our Lord. 630   .MarginaliaThe number of the beast in the Apoc. cap. 13. Vnto the which number the computation of the Beast signified in the Apocal. doth not farre disagree, which numbreth the name of the Beast, with three Greeke letters. xxx which Greeke letters after the supputation of the Grecians, make the number of 666.

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In thys all wryters agree  

, that thys damnable Mahumet was borne in the countrey of Arabia, borderyng on the East part of Iewry. His father was a Syrian, or a Persian,MarginaliaMahumet of the stocke of the Ismaelites dwelling in Arabia. His mother was an Ismaelite, which Ismaelites being a people of Arabia, were called then Agerens: which terme Mahumet afterward turned to the name of Saracens. Of thys wretched Mahumete mention was made before, pag. 125. where we shewed, how he makyng hymselfe the hyghest Prophet of all other, yet denyeth not Christ to be an holy Prophet and next to hym, and Moses also to be an other. Moreouer he denyeth not Mary the mother of Christ to be a virgin, and to haue conceyued Christ by the holy Ghost: affirmyng further that Christ in hys owne persone was not crucified, but an other called Iudas for him. He greatly cõmendeth also Iohn the sonne of Zachary for a virgin: when he hymself permitteth a man to haue 4. wyues, and as many concubines as he is able to fynde: and sayth that where as Christ and other Prophets had the gift geuen thē to worke myracles, he was sent by force of sworde to compell men to hys religiõ.MarginaliaThe prodigious lyes and blasphemies of Mahumetes Alchoran. The prodigious vanities, lyes, and blasphemies conteyned in hys law called Alchoran   , are rather to be laught at, then to be recited.

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It is thought that Sergius a Nestorian, was a great doer wyth Mahumet, in contriuyng of this lying Alchoran and so it doth well appeare by the scope and pretence thereof, which especially tendeth to thys end, to take the diuinity frõ the person of Christ, whom he graunteth notwithstandyng to be a most holy man, and also that he is receyued vp to god and shall come agayne to kyll Antichrist, &c.

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MarginaliaMahumetes Alchoran mingled with diuers lawes. Moreouer this ridiculous Alchoran is so blaunched and poudered with so diuers mixtures of the Christians, Iewes and Gentiles lawes, geuyng suche liberty to all wantonnesse of flesh, settyng vp circumcision, absteynyng from swynes fleshe and Iudaicall lotions, and so much standeth vpon father Abraham, that it is supposed of some, this filthy Alcoran, not to be set out in the dayes of Mahumet, but that certayne Iewes had some handlyng also in thys matter, and put it out after hys death: and so semeth first to take hys force about the number of yeres limited in the Apocal. as is aforesayd, where thus it is written:MarginaliaThe numeratiõ of the Apoc. 666. He that hath intelligence, let him counte the number of the beast: For it is the number of a man, and hys number is sixe hundred, sixe score and vj.

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After thys diuelish Mahumet had thus seduced the people, teachyng thē that he came not by myracles, but by force of sword, to geue hys law, & that they which wyl not obey it must eyther be put to death or els pay tribute (for so be the wordes of hys Alchoran) and after that he had gathered