Answer to Navarre, Title page – To the reader
❧Ane answer made the fourth day of septembre a thousand fyue hundreth syxtie & one, by maister Theodore de Besza minister of the holie Euangile, in the presence of the Quene mother, the King and Quene of Nauarre, the Princes of the blood royall, and of the priuie counseil, vntounto that whiche the Cardinall of Lorraine had replied against that whiche was propounded in the first iourney of their talking together, by the said de Besza in the name of the reformed Churches.
Together with an other short answer made by the said de Besza the 26 day of the said monethmonth vntounto certein articles of replie set forth by the said Cardinall.
Imprinted at Edinburgh, by Robert Lekprewik.
Cum priuilegio. 1562.
Iohn Baron to the reader. w…he… grace merciemercy and peace &c.
WHen as thies two orations of that great learned and right godlie minister of gods worde Theoder De Besza were broght vntounto me, to be trāslated out of frenche into englishe, gētle, Reader for that of certen yeres before I knew ye man to be of so great knowledge and specially so greatly fearing God, I was driuen with a great desyre to reade them, and after that I had redde them, with a more feruent desyre, was I rapt (whatsoeuer other busynes I had to do being layd asyde) to trāslate them. Not onelyonly for that they flowed from suche a notable instrument of God, but also specially because that in the name and by aduise and assent of so many excellent, and godlie learned ministeres, they were pronounced, and that in suche a famouse and moste honorable audience. The matters conteined in the same orations, be maters of oure religion & suche as at this present be in controuersie, and therefore moste nedefull to be knowen vntounto the faithfull of oure cuntrie, the faithfull I mean that be but of simple knowledge & yet be desyrous to learne. Aswell because thereby they may by vertue of gods word establish their consciences in the treuth of these maters, as also for that they may there summarelie hauehave in a redynes, oute of ye holie Scriptures, good and sufficient auctorities, to defend them selues in the same, against the malicious soldiors of Satan the Papistes and lykewise to confounde them with all their sophisticall and vnreasonable reasons: whiche hauehave not onelyonly of a long season moste craftely seduced many, but also moste crewelly suppressed and destroied many of the faithfull with the name and auctoritie of the Churche whiche they moste wrongfully and iniuriously arrogated to them selues, when as in very dede they were, and be no thing els but the horrible and filthie Synagoge of ye deuill, as by their stinking and detestable maners and theire blasphemous and moste pestilent doctrine (whiche be their frutes) may moste euidently appere vntounto all them whiche hauehave any knowledge in ye worde of God. For without any lawfull calling, by diuerse vnlefull meanes boeth against Gods law and mans law, hauehave they intruded them selues, into the Churche of God, and in stede of the liuely worde of God they hauehave taught their owne doctrine and dreames: and the holy Sacramentes, with their away taking, that whiche the Lorde Iesus instituted, and commanded, and with their to putting, many things whiche the Lorde Iesus neuer commanded, they hauehave altogether altered and contamined. So that in stede to hauehave God honored, and the people of God edified taught strengthened and cō forted, they hauehave dishonored and blasphemed the Maiestie of God and to their vtermoste discouraged and destroyed his people. But the chief maters herein contened, be thies. The Churche and what it is, the marcks of the true Churche, what aucthoritie it haeth, & whether it may erre. If it please thee gentle Reader with iudgement of a sincere heart to consider thies orations, thou shalt finde the same boeth godlie and learnedly declared to the praise of God, and edefieng of his faithfull people.