An Expostulation Against the Blasphemies of a Frantic Papist

D Aniel the mā of desires, & Johan Boauerges or the son of though̄dre, bringeth me to remembrance of a mouth that uttered blasphemies.

Thys mouthe (saith Daniel) spake presūptuouse things. And his horn (which is y ^e power that maynteyneth him) made battle against the saints, yea, and gote the vyctory of them, till such time as they had the kingdom in possessyon. Dan. vii. To the Beast (saith .S. Johan) was given a mouthe, that spake great things and blasphemies. And he opened that mouthe in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and thē y ^t dwell in heaven. And power was given him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Apoca. xiii. Not only is this to be verified upon the Romish Antichrist & his synneful synagoge of spiritual calcars but also upon such pratlynge papists as are his daily maynteyners. For consequently it followeth in the same reuelacyon of. S Johan. And I saw (saith he) three unclean spirits, like frogs come out of y ^e mouthe of the dragon, and out of the mouthe of the beast, and out of the mouthe of the false prophet, and they are spirits of deuels. Apo. xvi. Lo sir, the false prophet, which is the wicked papist, is so well touched here, as is either the Beast or the Dragon.

Now to this frantyck papist thā, which on the .xxix. day of Decembre last past, in the house of a gentylman of his affynyte within Hamshire, being in the full heat of his frenesye, brast out into this irreverent, blasphemous▪ and cōteptuouse talk of the Kings Majesty and of his most godly proceedings. Alas poor child (said he) unknown is it to him, what acts are made now a days. But whan he cometh ones of age, he will se another rule, and hange up an hundred of such heretic knaves. Meanynge the preachers of our time, and their maynteyners by like. For at the same season he had most spyghtfully railed of one of thē, being absent, which never in his life ded him dysple assure, nether in deed nor in word, that he was able to burden him with. The first part of this blasphemous clause toucheth the kings highness, the second his honorable Coūsell, & the third, the true ministers of God's word. By the first is God's name blasphemed, by the second is his tabernacle ill spoken of, and by the third are they that dwell in heaven contempned. But this pernycyouse poison have this wicked papist sucked out of the vngraciouse paps of his mother the sinful synagoge of Rome, whose deuylyshe nature hath it always been, to despise those kings y ^t are not her mainteyners, to cōdēpne those magistrates y ^t will not become her slaves, & to kill those preachers that impugn her Idolatryes.

Concernyng the first. In that this frantycke papist with polluted mouthe, reporteth the kings majesty to be a poor Child, he blasphemeth the name of God. For there is no power (S. Paul saith) but it is of God. And who so ever abuseth the power, abuseth the ordinance of God to his dāpnacion, Rom. xiii. Bear no wicked heart to thy king (saith Solomon) neither report any evil of the governors in thy malycyouse anger. For if thou do, the birds of the air will discover thy wickedness, Eccls. x Double is the blasphemy of this furiouse papist against the kings highness, in that he hath disdainously called him both poor and a Child, in contempt of his most christen proceedings. Poor is as much to say as contēptuouse, abject, wretched, forsaken miserable, or of such birth as is nothing esteemed. And so is it taken in diverse places of the scriptures, which all are far vnsemyng the majesty of a king. And well is it known to all the world, that neither nature for her parte, nor yet fortune for her part, hath so left him, his highness being the natural son of so noble a king as his father was. Neither is he destitute, but on every side most habundauntlye replenyshed with the most graciouse gifts of god, specially with all kinds of good learning far above all his progenytours, kings of this imperial regyon.

Childishnes in a king, is reproved by y ^e mouth of God, & given many times of him to y ^e people as a curse, plage, or scourge for their unfaithful nes. I shall give you childrē (saith the Lord) to be your princes, & babes shall have rule over you. Esa. iii. That is, ye shall have for your disobedience in neglectīg my laws & commandments, mē to your governors, that are dyssolute, rash, wanton, and careless, yea men unexpert and vnexercysed in pryncely affairs, and men which will not regard your comē wealth but follow their own lusts. Woe be to such a land (saith Solomon) as hath so chyldysh rulers, and whose princes are early at their bankettes. Eccls. x, These be those rulars whose lives are wanton, acts lycencyouse and judgments babyshe, whereby their common wealths in the end, are brought to confusyon. Yea, S. Jerome saith, y ^t these are such worldly governors, as neglectynge God's holy precepts, do set up the vain traditions of men sinful. And though all these chyldysh ways be detestable in a king yet is not the chyldehode of youth in him to be reproved. For so might king Josiah have been reproved, which began to reign in the .viii. year of his age iiii, Regum, xxii. and king David discommended, for being the youngest of his brethrē i. Reg, xvii, whose praises are nevertheless habundaunt in the scriptures, Joash being but .vii. years old was a king also, and for the time of his youth pleased God, what though in his age he ded otherwise.

In England here, king Henry the, vi, was but .viii. years old, king Henry the third, ix, years old, and king Edward the third scarce, xv. years of age, when they were crowned kings, yet was there never chronicle writer, nor yet honest, faithful, and obedient subject, that ever called them poor children. But with reverence and honor, even from the first day of their reigns, toke them always for whole and persyght kings, like as the sacred Bible holdeth of the afore named kings, Joash & godly Josiah, in the .vii. and .viii, years of their ages, iiii, Re. xi, et. ii. Pa. xxxiiii. What should this franctyck papist here mean than, so blasphemously to report our most noble & wurthie king Edward y ^e .vi. in the, xv. year of his age, and, v, year of his reign, w ^t out all honor and reverence, but that he hath done on y ^e unshamefast face of his whorysh mother, the monstruouse madame of Rome which is full of the names of basphemye, Apo. xvii. Hym hath our eternal God most graciously givē unto us in the latter age of his noble father, not without euydent miracle, and will preserve him, no doubt, to his own glory and wealth of this realm, in spyght of all his popish enemies, if we be not vnthākefull. Hys wurthie educaciō in liberal letters & godly virtues, & his natural aptenesse in retaynyug the same, plēteously declareth him to be no pore child, but a manifest Salomō in princely wisdō. Hys sober admonicions, & open examples of godliness, at this day showeth him, mindfully to prefer y ^t wealth of his comēs, as well gostly as bodily, above all forē▪ matters. Mark what his majesty hath done already in religiō, in abolishing the most shameful idolatries of Antichrist, besides his other acts for publyque affairs, & ye shall find at this day, no christen prince like to him.

Now followeth the second part of the blasphemous sentence of this frātick papist, which is, y ^t the acts put fourth now a days, are unknown to the king, & y ^t he will change them whan he cometh of age. Thys not only toucheth y ^e kings wurthie majesty, which is gods high minister, in iudginge him chyldysh, mutable, & inconstaūt, but also it pierceth his most honorable counsel, which are under him, as was Joseph in Egypt, y ^e stays of his people. Ecc .xlix. as cōsentinge to y ^e same, So is God's tabernacle by him blasphemed. For if y ^t tabernacle of God be w ^t mean men, as, S, Iohā saith, it is. Apo, xxi. Moch more with the council of a christē king, which is gods high magestrate, & thei his assistētes. They y ^t despise y ^t rulers (saith the Apostle Jude) & speak evil of thē which are in autoryte, shall suffer y ^t vengaūce of eternal fire. Whan Michael y ^t archangell strove against the devil, & disputed about the body of Moses, he durst give no railing sētense, but said. The Lord rebuke the, But such (as is here this pratlynge papist) speak evil of those things which they know not. And what things they know naturally, as beasts which are w ^t out reasō they corrupt in thē selves. Woe be unto thē, for they have followed y ^e way of Cain, & are utterly givē to y ^e error of Balaā for lucres sake, and shall perish in the treason of Core.

If Christ be in the middes, whē .ii. or, iii. private men be collected in his name, as he saith, he is, Mat. xviii. much more among y ^e faithful counsel of so virtuous & Christian a king, Who cā thā deny them to be the tabernacle of God? specially whā they with all endeuer possyble, have sought and yet daily seeketh, clerly to bānysh out of this christen realm, the manifold abhomynacyons of Antichrist, or idolatryes without number. Which he by his smoky locusts, y ^e monks and shaven priests, hath craftily planted here, continually from time to time, ever sense the days of that wicked Emproure Phocas. Who can deny them (I say yet ones again) to be y ^t said tabernacle or chosen mansyon of God, either that cōgregaciō among whom he dwelleth by promise. Luke, x, et. John. xiiii, Whan they so earnestly labor, to place here in England, the true relygyō again, and to set up his true worshippings, as in the primative church of the faithful Bryttayues, first planted by them ihat were hither sent by Christ's Apostles, and fashyoned after the perfight rules of the .vii. churches in Asia, the filthy corrupcions of those Romish Idolators, in the power of his word taken from us. If God doth not dwell with them, that thus daily seeketh his glory, with whom doth he dwell? Than hath this arrogaunt papist with polluted mouthe, blasphemed the tabernacle of God, iu reportyng them, now to make acts without the kings knowledge, concerning religion, or else at this day to build that hereafter they will break. And this that enemy hath done to bring them in hate of the common people, as though not regardynge his Maiestye, they now went about not to establysh thē, but deceive them in the same. Suche is the mad frenesy of so brutysh a beast.

But unworthy are such reprobate vessels of so godly Magistrates. Of this are we certain & sure, so many as have God's knowledge, roar those raging railers what them lusteth to the contrary, with lies after their lewd lykynges, that had it not been in the fear of God & their kings true obedience against the wicked Antichrist, they could never have propounded so godly laws. And having God presently assistent unto thē, as all they have which seeketh his only glory, they cannot be so far to his heavenly will contrariouse, as their vile report is, in the quarrel of that horrible monster. No, they are no such wauerynge reeds, as for a Christian common wealth, are this year of one mind, and the next year will be of another. No truly, it standeth not so with the unchangeable wisdom of Christ's spirit, wherein they have earnestly wrought, for time of the prosperouse reign of our present Josiah. Theyr foūdaciō have they set vpō so sure a rock, even upon God's word, that neither wind nor water, stormy tempest, nor wether, can overthrow it, Math. vii, Neither shall the great gates of hell, nor yet the strong power of Satan, ever prevail against it. Math, xvi, Neither yet the devils unholy vycar at Rome, with all his curssynges & cuniurynges, calkynges and coblynges, brawlynges and bablinges, massinges and mutterynges, Images and Idolles, pardons and purgatory, with the devil and all of his other sorceryes, which these graceless papists cōtynually gapeth for yet ones again, as the hongry hownde for the carreine, & the full fed sow for her puddel. But as Baldad the Suhyte said unto pacyent Job. The hypocrites hope shall come to naught, Hys confydence shall be destroyed for he trusteth in a spyders web. Job. viii The sober abydynge of the ryghtouse (saith Salomou) shall turn him to much gladness, but y ^e hope of y ^t ungodly shall perish. pro, x.

The third or last part of that most wicked sentence, which this malygnaunt papist with blasphemous mouthe hath uttered, is this, that when the king cometh to age, he will hang up an hundred of such here tyke knaves, meaning the true preachers of our time. As well in reproach of men godly, obseruynge the Gospel, as in contempt of y ^e true ministers of God's word, have this furyouse enemy & son of Beli aloute vometed that poison, which hath longe time lain boylynge in his papistical stomach. Neither hath he abashed in y ^e heat of that frenesye and forgetfulness of reason, to abuse the christen modesty of our godly and innocent king, in judging him acompanyon hereafter, with the most cruel tyrants of the world, Antiochus, Herod, Caiaphas, Nero, Domycyane, Traiane, & his bloudthurstie father of Rome, which in their wicked times, malycyously murdered up the true witnesses of God And thus are they which dwell in heaven, most spitefully of this brutish babbler blasphemed, as is touched in the text of .S. Johan. Apoca. xiii. In many places of the holy scripture, is the congregatyon of the faithful called heaven, or the kingdom of heaven, chefely in the prophecies and y ^e parables of Christ, for so much as God is inuysybly the inhabytour, ouersear, and governor thereof, Math. xiii. et. xxv. Who then can deny the true preachers, which are the dystributers of God's mysteries, to be dwellers in the same.

Saint Paul is not all behind, in boasting himself to be one of them, which also was a preacher, Our cōuersaciō (saith he) where so ever we remain, is in heavē, frō whens we loke for y ^e savior. Phil. iii, If ye be risen again with Christ, seek the things which are above, where he sytteth on y ^e right hand of god, Set your affectyō on things y ^t are in heavē, & not on tryfles which are here on y ^e earth. Col, iii. These are they, which in the household of god, are y ^e profitable buylders the fyshers of men, the feaders of the flock, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the clouds full of moisture, the stars, lanternes, and candelstyckes, y ^t stewards, searchers, and releuers, the kepers of the vyneyearde, planters, tyllers, sowers, and repers of the Lord's harvest, yea the helpers of Christ, & upholders of his church. All these names & offices do the holy ghost give them, and a great sort more in the scriptures, reportynge them also wurthie of double honor, whan they labor in the word i. Timoth .v. In spirit and verity teach thei our heavenly father to be wurshipped. John iiii. and not in the beggerlye shadows of men's traditions. They have the holy angels for their fellow servants and brethreue, for having the noble testimony of Jesus in their mouths. Apoc. xix. These are no heretic knaves than, neither yet wurthie to be hanged, as this Popysh scismatyck do both judge them and wish them, in the hasty spirit of his hot stomacked mother. So hath he them blasphemed y ^t dwelle in heaven, which is the cōgregaciō of god.

If they were hanged for teaching the truth of God and impugnyng false religion, they should have the same reward for well doing that their maistre Jesus Christ had afore them, For he for that verytees sake, was most spyghtfully, shamefully, and contemptuously hanged up betwyn, ii, thieves, in the common place of their executyons, as though he had been a great malefactor, so hot was the malice of the holy clergy than against him, Diuerse of his Apostles for maynteynyuge his doctrine, come to the same high promocyon of hanging, specyally Peter, Andrew, Bartylmew, Philyp, and Simon, as the historyanes of them hath written, because they should seme no better then was Christ their master. Amonge their disciples the number so excedeth of them that were hanged for y ^e testimony of Jesus, that it would axe to much time to rehearce them. And this vile kind of hanging, was no dishonoure to them. How should it now then become a dyshonour to these, in the same just quarrel? As the cause made that contēptuouse death in thē glorious, so should it also do now in these men, in the sight of the Lord & his electes, Psal. Cxv, But this sight is not given to such reprobate vessels, as is this furiouse papist, whose malice hath vtterli made him blind. Sap. ii. Yea, so frantyckly and beastly blyude, that he shameth not to attrybute unto our most godly and virtuous king, that kind of tyranny, which is of all other the most wicked & blasphemous. But far other is the gentle nature of our religious Josiah▪ which hath already overthrown the hill altars, brokē in pieces the Idolles, destroyed the relygyouse buggery, restored the boke of the Lord, set up his true wurshppyynges, and kept such a passover to y ^t Lord as never was afore, iiii. Reg. xxiii, et ii. Paral, xxxiiii. Of God is he appointed to turn y ^e people again, & to take away all the abhominaciōs of the ungodly. Ec. xlix.

Breuely to conclude the matter. These iii. blasphemies, which this malycyouse papist in one wicked sentence here uttered are those .iii. unclean spirits, y ^e like frogs came out of the monthe of y ^e false Prophet, Apoca, xvi. And they are not all unlike to the wild fire, smoke, & brimstone, which the terrible horses, or fat pampered up locusts of Antichrist e •• me • ed, Apo. ix, for fierce, noyfull, and stinking are they, yea furyouse, erronyouse, and full of infamy, according to the sygnifycatyons of wild fire, smoke, and brimstone. Not only hath it spronge of the doctrine of devils, so blasphemously to abuse the majesty and power of a king, the estate of his honorable counsel, and the godly office of his preachers, in iudgynge them chyldyshe, inconstaunte, and heretycall, but also it hath risen of error in the hipocresie of y ^t Romish Bishop Whan the just man Simeon both beheld & wurshypped the majesty of God's son in y ^e little babe Jesus, he called not him a poor child, but the saver of the world, y ^e sight of the gētyles, & the glory of Israel, Luc, ii, A faithful true subject will reverently respect in a king, not what he is of nature, but rather what he is of gods election and ordinance. Rom, xiii, Neither is he for his tendre youth to be contēpned, having gods knowledge, as he hath in woēdrefull habundaūce. Christ Jesus gave thankes to his heavenly father, because he had hidden godly wisdom from the wise and prudent, & given it unto babes. Math. xi. whan Prophecye (saith Solomon) is in the lips of a king, his mouthe shall not go wrong in judgment. Prover. xvi.

He is proved a Papist.

T Hat it may appear to y ^e reader, y ^t this maliciouse fellow is not here called a papist without just cause, I will declare what a Papyst is, and by what fruits he is chefelye known. A Papyst is he that in life and doctrine maynteyneth the Romish Popes dyuelish tradycyōs, contempnynge the pure testament and Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we say in the vnyuersyte, that he is a Platonyst, Ciceronyst, Scotyst, or Thomyst, that defendeth the doctrine of Plato, Cicero, Scotus, or Thomas against them that holdeth not the same. Thys frantyck fellow is of the same kind of doing Ergo he is a wicked and an obstynate papist. Wycked, for so much as he dishonoreth god, and obstynate, because he dysobeyeth his king. The Minor, which is the seconde part of this argument, is proved true by his cursed fruits. For a false Prophet, or popish hypocryte whether ye will is always known by his wicked fruits Christ saith. Math, vii, et Luce. vi. In, ii. specyall points shall ye know a rank papist, which he hath first of his father the great Antichrist of Rome, and than of his mother his malignaunt synagoge. For the natural child followeth father & mother. And these are they breuely, as afore is touched, He blasphemeth God, and contempneth the christen magistrates. Of this are euydent examples, in the Chronicles of our christen nacyons, yea, innumerable, specyally of this realm of England.

Daniel ones prophesied of that vnshāfast faced usurper, that he arrogantly should stand up against the Prince of Prynces, (which is God in his Christ) and yet in y ^e ende should be destroyed without hand, Dan, viii, Saint Paul calleth him God's great adversary, the wicked one, the man of sin, and the son of perdycyon, reportynge of him, that he should exalte his fylthie seat here iu earth above god, and his dongyshe decrees above God's set ordinance, to the utter dampnacyon of thousands, for not believing the truth, ii. Thes ii. Saint Johan in his reuelatyon, calleth the church of that adversary, great Babylon the mother of all whoredom and abhomynacyons done upon the earth, yea such a fylthie whore, as hath both subdued to her obedience the kings of the earth, and also made them drunk with the wyne of her fornycacyon, Apo, xvii. If yefynde in this frantyck fellow, these natural condicyōs, naturally planted, what else cā ye judge him but a natural child of that father and mother, and so an obstynate papist? The propyrtie which he hath of that vnhappye father and mother, is to blaspheme God, and in that he hath shown himself plenteouse First by a chaplain which popyshly mynystred in his hired benefyce. Secondly by conueyaunce of certain images in hope of a change; And thirdlye in judging it a fowl heresy to write any thing in reproach of the Bishop of Rome.

Concernynge the first, Upon the, xx, day of September last past, I was (as he well knoweth) at service there, to behold the workemanly conueyaunce of him and that popish chaplayn of his, and to know what wholesome fruits I should find after that time, of their .ii. plantinges. Such another ape of Antichrist as that pressed was, never saw. I afore in my life, for he could not read a Psalm, neither yet speak English, being an allyen, an Armoricall or frenche Britain. And to excuse his most beastly ignorance, his own self was compel led, I being there present, to slauer out y ^e .ii. lessons of y ^e Bible, with no small stutting & stāberyng, turning his arse to the people after the old popish manner, to help forward the kings most godly proceedings. More apysh toys & gawdysh feats, could never a dysarde in England have played (I think) than that apysh pressed shown there at the cōmunyon. He turned and tossed, lurked and lowted, snored and smirted, gaped and gasped, kneled and knocked, looked and lycked, with both his thombes at his ears & other tryckes more, that he made me, xx, times to remember will Somer, Yet of them both, that pressed seemed y ^t more fool a great deal And to amende the matter, he had than a new shaven crown, which I rebuked him for, By this I prove his maistre, a mocker of God, a deceyuer of the people, and a contempner of the kings just proceedings.

Concernyng the second, which is y ^e crafty conueyaunce of certain images in hope of a change. In that point hath he also notable followed both father and mother, to be proved a natural papist. For God hath he blasphemed in seeking to uphold ydolatry, and the king hath he contempned in so derydyng his most godly ordinance. The king hath commanded, and that by act of his parlement, that all yma es should, not only be removed out of the churches of England and Ireland, but also that they should be defaced, mangled, and utterly de destroyed for their abhomynacyons. How is this wurthie commauudement obeyed, whan they are so subtylly conveyed, and so craftily retained aloft in the belfreye or steple, and neither deformed nor yet altered? Parauenture he will say, that he was never of counsel in that proper point of conueyaunce. Wherein he doth lie most falsely For who is more of counsel in a noughtie matter, thā he that knoweth it, and yet wynketh at the doing thereof? The abolyshyng of ydolles, is a church matter, and chefely pertaineth to religyon. If it had touched either offerings or tithes, I doubt it not, but he would have stand fourth for the chief head of the parryshe, and no man so hardie to have meddled afore him therein. Why was he not then of counsel in this reckenynge. He remained as maistre and head of that church, by the space of more thā, ii. years after. Wolde not his sight serve him to se so fowl a blot, in so long time space? Well sir, whan this matter came ones to a trial afore the iustyces at wynchestre sessyons, a man that had been dead more thā, ii, years afore, was able to discharge him of that horrible contempt of God's word, and his kings procedinges. So workemanly doth one hounde of y ^t race lycke another in this age.

Concerninge the third, that it is a great heresy, to write ought in reporche of the Bishopp of Rome, In the week afore Christmas last past, as he chanced to be in y ^e house of the forseyd gentylmau af his own affynyte, where he might always be bold to do his lewd feats, his accustomed frenesie came suddenly upon him. In y ^t heat whereof, he most shamefully reuyled a servant of that house calling him heretic and knave, because he had begun to study a parte in such a Comedy, as myghtely rebuked the abhomynacyons and fowl fylthie occupienges of the Bishopp of Rome, Moreover he required him, in his own stought name to do a lewd massage, which was to call the compiler of that Comedy, both heretic and knave, concludynge that it was a boke of most perniciouse heresy, That boke was imprynted about .vi. years a go, and hath been abroad ever sense, to be both seen and judged of men, what it cōtayneth. And this is the name thereof. A Comedy concerning. iii. laws, of nature, Moses, & Christ. etc, Therin is it largely declared, how y ^t faith less Antichrist of Rome with his clergy, hath been a blemysher, darkener, confounder, and poysener, of all wholesome laws. And that with ydolatricall Sodometrie he hath defiled nature, by ambytyouse Avarice he hath made God's commandments of non effect, and with hypocrytycall doctrine perverted Christ's moste holy Gospel. Thys is well known to all men. How cometh than an heresy, thus to report or write? By like this fond fellaw, hath learned of Lanfrancus and friar Walden, that he is only an heretic, which in doctrine dyssenteth from the synagoge of Rome, Or else of friar Guido in his boke De heresibus, that he is a most perniciouse heretic, which saith, that the Romish pope is not head of the christen church, neither may make laws for the christyanyte, But he never yet marked the wurdes of Athanasius, that they are the most wicked sort of heretykes, which persecuteth Christ's true servants.

Other arguments are there else, to prove this wicked fellawe, a natural child of that father & mother, & so a most spyghtfull Papyst. In the time that stought Stephen Gardyner was Bishop of Winchester, and made havoc of Christ's poor stock, no mā was so mad as this mad fellawe, to search and to seek, to accuse, to reuyle to shame, and to bring men in danger of death, for their Christian beleues sake. No where was any sessyons within Hamshire, but he was always there against them, conducted by y ^t priests, pratynge and scoldynge, stuttinge and stam berynge, with frothe yssuynge out on both sydes of his mouthe for anger. The supersticyouse Nuns of Winchester, dysobeyenge both the Bishop and his chaunceller concerning their apparel, and utterly contempning the preachings that are now had their daily resortes to him, and became as flickering culuers about his house. The preachers of God's word there, were nothing else with him, as he fat on the ale beenches, but heretykes & knaves, vagaboūdes, traiters, apostataes, & runnegates, w ^t blood and soul, that he would lay his dagger on their faces. No mā knoweth this to be more true then I do, upon whom he not only bestowed these vncomelye names, and that a great sort of times, but also in y ^t opē streate at Winchester, coming suddenly out of an house of purpose upon me, he set his one hand upon my Bearde and bosom, and his other hand sometime on his Dagger and sometime bent it over my head, as though he would have buffeted me on the face, with such mad exclamacions as I never heard of man of Bedlem, besides the unreasonable spoil that he had made afore that of my house, Yet never in my life ded I offend him, to my knowledge, neither in my deed nor my word.

Not thus yet satled in all this raging fury, he procured the clarke of my parish of bishops Stoke a man y ^t knoweth not his A. B. C. & .ii. more as unlearned and popish as he was, to indyghte me at Winchester sessions, for not hallowing the funte at the baptyme of a Child, with candle light, salt, oil, cream, and wax droppinges, as in the popish time, notwythstandyng the kings inhybycion concerning all such papistical beggeryes. He caused them to report there, to the rediculouse wondermēt of all men learned, that I should have said than, that the word of God was hallowed enough already, But that God's word at any time should be profane and need hallowyng, or else that it hath been hallowed, it is their blasphemous and beastly opinion, and not mine. I think a more folysh & unlearned a sentence, was never uttered of any man. Se how depely the Lord hath permytted these papists to spew fourth their own rydyculouse shame. Yet was it not so doltish and brutish, but it toke place there, and was well allowed. They that could do nothing in matters of truth for the king at the sessyons afore, could in the popes secrete quarrel at that sessions, for falshehode find me wurthy an indightment, & wurkmanly made it out. And it wanted no circūstaunce that might be deuysed to aggravate the matter. For there was I called an obstynate person, a sedycyouse fellow, a trobler of this whole realm, a profaner of of the sacraments, a deprauer of the kings boke, a slanderer of his procedinges, an abhominable example gyuer, & a contēpner of the king and his crown. Al the papists of England, had never at that bench so much laid against thē, And all for pretermyttynge y ^t one point of old papistry If this conueyaunce be not sūwhat wurth I report me. Well, he hath made his boast, that for doing of such feats, he can lack no living. Twētie priests within Hāshire, (he saithe) will rather give me up their personages and profyghtes, upon a small pensyon, than I should be without a dwellinge house. And he y ^t shall seek him at this day shall find him tabernacled in one of their personages, what though he hath protested by oath, that he will be no longer a papist.

Thus have I set out this frantyck papist in his own lively colors, agreynge to his most maliciouse fruits, to make him known to others, and to cause his other companyons to be a shamed of his lewd lunitick ways. If he be not a papist, which with polluted mouth, in defense of papistry blasphemeth the kings Majesty, his honorable counsel, & the preachers of gods word, signified by God's name, God's tabernacle, and thē that dwell in heavē, who is a wicked papist? If he be not a false prophet, that euometeth such .iii. filthy frogs at ones, as this busy babbler hath done here in one blasphemous sētense, who is a false prophet? If he be not a malignaunt menbre of Antichrist, that so malicyously and madlye defendeth his noughtye quarrel, with pratlynges and scoldynges, stuttynges and stamberynges, supportynge supersticiouse Noōnes and other Idolaters in their open Idolatries, conteptuouslye reuylynge the preachers with dagger in hand or fyst on their faces, besides indightmentes, I would fain know who were a member of Antichist? Thau shall it be no slaundre to this frātyck fellow, to be called a papist, a false prophet, and a malycyouse lymme of Antichrist, but a most manifest truth, considering he hath played all those frantic partes at times so stoutlye. None other is the tree that bringeth sour crabbes, than a crabbe tree, neither yet the ill man that wurketh wickedness, but a wicked fellawe. The eternal God change the hateful hearts of such papistical enemies, as this is one, and send them more gentle minds in obeying his heavenly truth, that they may at the latter become of so headye and malycyouse Saul's, moste gentle and patient Paul's, to the glory of his most holy name, Amen.