Defense of the Watch-Word Against the Ward-Word, Title page – To the reader
AN APOLOGIE OR DEFENCE OF THE WATCH-VVORD, AGAINST THE VIRVLENT AND SEDITIOVS WARD-VVORD published by an English-Spaniard, lurking vnderunder the title of N.D.
DEVIDED INTO EIGHT SEVERALL Resistances according to his so many Encounters, written by Sir FRANCIS HASTINGS Knight.
PSALM. 122. O pray for the peace of Ierusalem, let them prosper that louelove thee.
PSALM. 109. Though they curse, yet thou wilt blesse; they shall rise vp and be confounded, but thy seruant shall reioyce.
LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON, for Ralph Iacson. 1600.
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
I HaueHave obserued (gentle Reader) from the words and writings of the learned, that it is a Maxime or Rule in Philosophie; Finis est primus in intentione, The end aymed at is first setled in the intention of man: And finding this Romanist to boast and brag much of his learning, it is not vnlike, that like a cunning Clerke (whatsoeuer his learning be) the ende of this his worke was the first ground of his writing.
He proclaimeth Temperance in his title, he pursueth the Art of Rayling in the whole processe following, and in the end of all, he perswadeth ruine both to Church and Common-wealth: In the first dissimulation, in the second scurrilitie, and the third trecherie is contained; for he shakes handes with Temperance at the verie first, and leaueth her to rest and remaine with his title, and the leafe being turned he plungeth presently into his vaine of rayling, which (if he had affected Temperance) he would neuer hauehave done, and the end sheweth his intention to be to bring in either a tolleration or flat alteration of Religion.
But wilt thou know (Christian Reader) what forced this fellow to become so suddenly distempred? My Watch-word presented vntounto thee to prepare thee with a couragious heart, and readie hand, to resist forraine malice, and home treason, plotted and purposed by Rome and Spayne, against our Soueraigne and Countrie, hath wakened him before his time, and out of the lightnesse of his braine (through ouer-watching of himselfe to deuise and worke mischiefe) he tearmeth this my booke (in the beginning of his Preface) an iniurious Pamphlet and a biting Libell: my labours therein he calleth a base exercise of calumniation and rayling, and in the matter thereof it pleaseth him to say; I spare neither God nor man, So farre forth as they concerne the Catholike cause, or the cause of them, and for this I must receiue my checke and refutation at his pleasure.
The iniurie he chargeth me to hauehave done is to his Catholikes, of whose doctrine and dealing I confesse (in my former booke) I warne thee to beware: as for the tearme of a byting Libell, thou wilt say (gentle Reader) when thou hast perused him and me both ouer, that it is a more fit addition to the title of his temperate Ward-word which is byting, because it is full of rayling, and is a Libell, because it is slaunderous against her Maiestie, and the seat of her Iustice, and is thrust out without name: as for the basenes of the exercise imputed to me for writing and publishing that booke, and the cause thereof, indeed it is a verie base thing to calumniate, and rayle as he doth; but to lay before Subiects the doctrine and deeds of disloyaltie, and to warne them to take heed thereof, as I hauehave endeuoured therein to doe, will proue neither calumniation nor rayling.
If any simple seduced Catholike stand free from subscribing to the disloyal doctrine of Rome, & from doing that it directeth and teacheth, he is not touched by me; therefore this Champion that draweth all Catholikes within the compasse of my words wrongeth them more then I doe: but he might hauehave spared to name the God of heauen, as a partie in his Catholike cause, till he can proue the cause warranted from God, and his truth, which he shall neuer do; yet I must receiue this worthie Gentlemans checke for my labour, but he shall find it is farre from a mate, and that his Bishops are too weake to bring it to that.
The Gentleman saith he is verie loath to be ouer eager and sharpe with me in his Encounters, not onelyonly in his owne worshipfull disposition, but also for the reuerent respect he carrieth to the house and family I come of, and the particuler affection he feeleth towards some of my name and linage; but this is no sooner vttered then that he breaketh out presently into these words: Who will not confesse but that lying, forging, and falsifying, ignorant vaunting, odious scoffing, malicious calumniations, seditious interpretations, bloudie exaggerations, barbarous insultations, ouer them that alreadie are in affliction and calamitie, ought to be farre from the nature, pen and tongue of a Knight or Gentleman? And who would hauehave thought that so temperate a title could hauehave afforded so vntemperate a stile? Againe, who would hauehave expected such raging and rayling Rhetoricke against me from one of so milde a disposition, as he professeth to be of, and that caried so reuerend a respect to the family whereof I am a braunch, and such a feeling affection to some of my name as he would perswade? But he hath cut the throate of his temperate title, and procl…imeth intemperance in his whole booke, and I doubt … breake the strength of his chiefe wards (for all his fencing skill if he meane to play the fencer) and to leaue him altogether to his hanging-ward, which proueth alwaies a dangerous ward if it be sharpely followed by the assaylant, but for his reuerent respect to my family and his affection to some of them (which surely I thinke it verie slender and scunt sounde to any of them) I would aduise him not to lie so open, but to betake him to a stronger and sounder ward least be catch a double venue for his labour.
But he is prouoked by me to breake out into choler for that I not onelyonly (saith he) Touch the honours, states, and liuings of home-borne subiects, and bring them into question, vniustly being no waie tollerable, but rush further to the open assault of forraine Monarchies, also their honours, fame and reputations which is lesse tollerable, and consequently hath neede of some more sharpe and forcible reiection. The former persons meant by him are made apparant before, and therefore of them I onelyonly say this in this place, I wish them all from my heart, that as they are home-borne, so they may be home-hearted Subiects, that their Soueraigne and countrie may enioye them sound English Subiects indeed: as for his Monarches of Rome and Spayne hee hath no cause to carpe at me, but to blame themselues, for it is they, and not I that hauehave teinted their honours, fame, and reputations, the first of them hauing long sought to depose her Maiestie from her regall and supreame right within her owne Dominions, the other hauing made attempts to inuade and make a conquest of her land, and both of them hauing conspired the death of her Maiestie by setting on both bastard borne, English and b…h strangers to depriue her of life, this I confesse I lai… … in my former booke, and for this am I fiercely assaulted by this f…ous Romanist in his vntemperate Ward-word; but w…e… in discouering, or he in defending deserue more blame, I leaue (gentle Reader) to thy wise and indifferent iudgement.
The violence of the Puritane spirit is added by him for a reason why he is prouoked by me, by which words (for all his difference made betweene Protestant and Puritane) both of them are apparantly knowne to professe Christ Iesus crucified in religion, and in true Christian pollicie to condemne Subiects that shall denie or breake their oath of fealtie; and alleageance to their Soueraigne, for the pleasing of any earthly power or Potentate whatsoeuer, and not to fauour eyther Prince or Pope that shall vsurpingly challenge our Soueraignes princely titles from her, or ambitiously seeke by inuasion to dispossesse her of her kingdome, or trecherously practise by violence or any waies else to depriue her of life; so that though he disioyne vsus in tearmes and names, yet he shall assuredlie finde wee all ioyne in condemning disloyaltie in subiects, ambition in forraine Princes and Potentates, and trecherie, and treason in any of them all against the State and person of the Lords annoynted: and of this number that carrie this minde, I professe my selfe most willingly and gladly to be one.
This Encounterer seemeth to glorie that the yeares of her Maiestie growe on fast, but the God of merciemercy I trust will prolong her daies to the holding out stil of the Popes vsurped authoritie, and superstitious doctrine, to the suppressing of traitours, and treasons, and to the daunting and ouerthrow of any, that shall attempt by fraud or force to bring in or maintaine either; for from these onelyonly come the garboyles by which our State hath beene disquieted, and our Soueraigne endangered, and from these …gers the Lord of might and merciemercy preserue her still. …fore (gentle Reader) you may see that neither Sir Francis nor any Protestant nor Puritane are fit subiects for this seditious fellow to worke vponupon, to set on foote his desired garboyles, as this Machiuilian witted Romanist seemeth propound (but most iniuriously) to put his owne, and his adherents traiterous practises out of memory, which are so plentifull in number, and so manifest in fact as they can neuer be forgotten.
After all this he layeth extreame flatterie to my charge, both of the State, and her Maiesties person in particular, which extreame charge of his (for he is all in his extreames) because it is redoubled vponupon me, giuegive me leaue to referre thee (gentle Reader) to my answere thereunto, in my resistance to his first Encounter, only where he termeth this flattery by him supposed against me) to be a fit bait for such hooks as angle after popular fauour for a further fetch: my popularity onelyonly consisteth in this, to hauehave loyalty, stand sound and vpright, and all trechery and treason suppressed. But if it please thee (Christian Reader) to obserue well this Gentlemans smooth Remitter to the Lords after his thundring Encounters against me, with his fawning perswasion of peace, and crouching sute for tolleration or alteration of Religion (which before I affirme to be the first matter in his intention, and iustly call the ruine of our Church and Common-wealth) thou wilt easely perceiue what baytes he hookes withall, and what good he angles after vnderunder the sugred and sweet names of peace, & vnity, wheras the good of our peace standeth vponupon a good peace, & vnlesse our peace may be free from present and plaine danger, it can promise little present or future good: and for his vnitie if it be vnity in veritie (as his is not) …eligious Christian man can, or will refuse it; but praise … for it, and (if our vnthankfulnes bereaue vsus not of it) we enioy that already by and vnderunder her Maiestie with great comfort, and both of her and it would this masked Romanist most gladly see vsus depriued: Notwithstanding all his fawning and crouching to the Honourable Lords in his Remitter, their wisedomes (I doubt not) will easely finde out this subtile Synons intention, who shameth not with a brasen face to seeke to bring in his brasen horse, loaden with armed calamities for Englands ruine. I hauehave vndertaken this Popish Champion not with any purpose to follow him in his vaine of rayling, for therein I finde him not matchable, nor hauing a disposition or desire to be stirring in matter of this nature, being more fit to be dealt in by men qualified with farre greater giftes of learning and art then I am, but being called as it were into the field by him, I hauehave aduentured vponupon the height of his swelling pride, and hauehave shaped him a plaine and sound answere to all the materiall points culled out of my former booke & excepted against by him, in which (how vainegloriously soeuer this proud Encounterer promiseth to himselfe victorie) I hope (Christian Reader) thou shalt find me fully cleared and freed from the force and fury of his false imputations, and byting blowes, and him directly proued a blind superstitious Papist in Religion, a false hearted subiect to his Soueraigne, and a man wholy degenerate from the honest affection of a true Englishman. And this being performed and finished, (which I held my selfe bound in duty to doe, for thy satisfying and mine owne credit) my full resolution is not to toyle any more by contending with such rayling and wrangling spirits. And so (returning all his vniust imputations against me, with his tearmes of fictions and calumniations set downe in the end of his Epistle to himselfe, from whom they came) I leaue the scope and ende of vsus both to be found out by thy Christian wisedome, and the carriage of vsus both to be censured as in the vprightnesse of thy iudgemen…, thou shalt finde we deserue. To our good God I commend thee, and will now hasten to ioyne the combate with this proud Romanist touching his Encounters seuerally, and as shortly as possibly I can.
By him that wisheth your blessed proceeding in the profession of Christ his truth and Gospell, FRANCIS HASTINGS.