Answer to the Proud Challenge of a Counterset Catholic, Answer · Answer · Article 10
The 10. article conteyneth in effect but 2. demandes.
1 Moreouer I aſke whether for all theſe many hundreth of yeares or euer els before there was any temporall Prince or Potentate, that offered to be vnderunder God a miniſter of Iuſtice and an executor of Chriſtian lawes in the right of your Congregation, that euer maintained by lawes Ciuill or other, your Faith and Congregation, and I recant.
BEfore ye general defection, it is an eaſy matter, to name you the Emperours and Princes which both offered, to be miniſters of Iuſtice in the right of our church, and alſo mainteyned our faith and Congregation, by Ciuill lawes, as Conſtantine the greate, Iouinianus, Valentinianus, Theodoſius, Archadius, Honorius, Marcianus, Iuſtinianus, Mauricius, and diuers other. But when the kinges of the earth had committed fornication with the great whore of Babylon (as the holy Ghoſt foreſheweth Apoc. 17. and 18.) it is no preiudice to our cauſe if we can not ſhew, any of them that hauehave mainteined our Religion. Yet becauſe you make ſo gentle an offer vponupon the triall of ſuch a matter, which is of ſmall force either to the hurt of our cauſe or the maintenance of yours, I will let you vnderſtande what I hauehave reade for this purpoſe. Not doubting but other which hauehave reade much more, and ſeene more auncient hiſtories than I, can ſhew you a great deale more. I paſſe ouer as to well knowen, how many of the Grecian Emperors reſiſted the ſetting vp of Images, in ſo much that in the Greeke church to this daye they can abide none in their temples, likewiſe I paſſe ouer Charles the great, who wrote a booke againſt Images, which is in printe, who alſo declared, that he liked not the hereſie of the reall preſence and tranſubſtantiation, which in his time was in forging, in that he called Bertrame, to declare his minde of that matter, as appeareth by his booke, which is alſo in printe. I will not rehearſe thoſe princes, that contrary to the Popes lawes, defended their prieſtes, that were maried: For although theſe and ſuch like defended ſome parte of the trueth, which we holde againſt you, yet leſt you ſhould obiect, it was but in ſome one or two pointes, I paſſe them ouer with ſilence. But VVickleue, I wene, you will not deny, but he was of our Church and Religion. And I reade that king Edward the third, both in his Parliament holden Anno Domini, 1371. and at other times with diuers other noble men defended his cauſe: in ſo much that ſo long as he liued, all the popiſh byſhops, coulde do him no harme, yet did he openly inueigh againſt the Pope, calling him Antichriſt, and all popiſh doctrine without any couller or diſſimulatiō both in the vniuerſitie of Oxeford, where he was reader, and alſo in his ſermons abroade, as appeareth by his bookes and Engliſh homilies, which yet are cōmon to be ſeene, we vnleſſe he had bene ſupported, and maintained by the kinge and other potentates, coulde neuer hauehave continued ſo long as he did. Further, hauehave you not hearde of Ziſca, and Procopius, two mighty Capitaines, which defended the Bohemians from the tyrannie both of the Emperour, the Pope, and almoſt all the Princes of Germanie? For what cauſe did Paule the ſecond Anno Domini, 1466. condemne George, a noble and a worthy Prince, king of Bohemia for an heretike? and depriued him of his kingdome? was it not for defending the Proteſtantes in his dominion? Thus you ſee that ſome Princes and Potentates hauehave not onelyonly offered but hauehave in deed, taken in hand to defend our church, which you thought vnable to be ſhewed, wherfore I chalenge your promiſe, you muſt recante.