Confutation of the Popes Bull, Preface
¶To the most reuerend, godly, and vigilant Bishops of the noble Realme of England, L. Edmund Grindall Archb. of Yorke, L. Richard Coxe Bishop of Elye, and L. Iohn Iewell Bishop of Salisbury, my right honourable Lordes and most deare brethren in Christ, the Praeface of Henry Bullinger, Elder.
RIght reuerend fathers in Christ, my right honorable lords and most deare brethren, I acknowledge my self greatly bound vntounto your goodnesse, that wheras we be set so farre a sunder, you dwelling beyond the sea in England, and I liuing here in Swicerland not farre from the Alpes: yet neuerthelesse you of your goodnes do by your often writing earnestly maintaine, preserue, yea and by daily increasing, more and more aduaunce the frendship and brotherhood long agoe begonne betwixt vsus. In respect wherof I ought of right to shew my selfe by all meanes thankfull & seruiceable vntounto you. And wheras now of late, by sending to me the Bull of Pius the fifth, bishop of Rome (which I had not seen nor heard of afore) you hauehave ministred occasiō vntounto me, to do, or at least wise to attempt somwhat for the glory of Christ our onelyonly redemer, and for the welfare of his Church which is among you in Englād, against the Romish Antichrist: behold, I dedicate vntounto your Lordships this confutation of mine set against the Bull: submitting the same to your most exact iudgements, wholy to stand or fall according to your good pleasure. Neuerthelesse I beseech you to accept in good worth this indeuour and good will of mine, most desirous both to further so good a case, and also to pleasure your Lordships. Otherwise I freely confesse mine own abilitie to be very small, and your learning to be right great, so as ye could hauehave handled this matter farre better than I, if it had pleased you. Notwithstāding forasmuch as I hauehave perceaued, that by this my simple trauell I shall pleasure your Lordships: I would not that you should finde any want in me. Christ our Lord graunt that my treating therof may be abundātly frutefull vntounto many. I beseech you vouchsaue to salute my right reuerend Lords & most deare beloued brethrē L. Rob. Horne Bishop of Winchester: L. Edwin Sandes Bish. of London: L. Iohn Parkhurst Bish. of Norwich: L. Iames Pilckinton Bish. of Durham: and also M. Iohn Aelmer, M. Sampson, M. Humfrey, M. Leuer, M. Foxe, and the residue, somtime cō panions of your exile in Swicerland and Germany: to the prayers of all whom I cōmend my selfe. And all the Ministers and brethren that be here, wish all prosperitie to you all, in our Lord Iesus Christ. The Lord Iesus blisse the Ministerie of your good Lordships, and preserue you from all euill.
From Zuricke in the monethmonth of February, the yeare of our saluation. 1571.
¶The summe of the Romish Bull published against the most vertuous Queene of England, and the whole noble Realme of England.
FIrst and formest it séemeth requisite to heare the very effect of the Romish Bull. For the Bull it selfe is not worthy to be recited at large, and in forme of words as they terme it. Wherin notwithstanding we will ouerslip nothing that is to any purpose, and which may séeme worth the confuting. In the enterance of it, the Pope in most ample wordes blazeth and boasteth that vnmeasurable power of his, which he termeth the fulnesse of power, receiued (as he would beare men in hand) from the gouernour of all thinges our Lord Iesu Christ, which committed the catholicke and Apostolicke Church to one alone vponupon earth, euen to Peter the prince of the Apostles, and to Peters successor the Bishop of Rome, with fulnesse of power to gouerne it, ordeining him alone to be souerein ouer all nations and all kingdomes, to plucke vp, throw downe, disperse and destroy: and againe to plant, and build vp, that he might hold the Christian people together in vnitie of the spirite, and yelde them vp safe and sound to their Sauiour.
Out of this fulnesse of power, mounting vp into his high throne, which he termeth the souerein seate of iustice: and taking vponupon him to be both iudge and accuser, he thunderingly readeth forth from thence the articles of his accusation which he hath to alledge against the most vertuous Quéene of England, whom euen at the first chop with a slaūderous mouth (vtterly proper to him self) he termeth a bondslaue of most hainous euil doings, which hath brought backe into miserable destruction, the Realme of England, sometime turned away from the Church of Rome by that prince of blessed memory Henry the 8. (whom the Bull termeth a reuolted runneaway) and now of late brought againe to the Catholicke faith by Quéene Mary: and to be short, he sayth she is become the refuge of all runnegates and naughtipackes: who also willeth her selfe to be taken for onelyonly souerein Lady in all cases both temporall and spirituall, monstruously vsurping the place of supreme head: and finally which hath presumed to dispose of Bishops, parsons of Churches, and other Catholicke priestes, and to determine of ecclesiasticall cases, deposing and oppressing the catholicke Bishops, and aduauncing and putting in their roomes leawd preachers, and ministers of vngodlinesse. Moreouer (sayth the Bull) she hath abolished the sacrifice of the Masse, prayers, fasting, choice of meates, single life, and all catholicke rites, and commaunded bookes that conteine open heresie, to be set forth to the whole Realme, and wicked mysteries and ordinances receiued and obserued by her selfe according to the appointment of Caluine, to be also obserued of her subiectes. She hath forbidden the Clergie and laitie to acknowledge the Romane Church, or to obey the commaundementes therof: yea and she hath compelled them to renounce by othe the authoritie and obedience of the Bishop of Rome: She hath layd penalties and punishmentes vponupon such as shall disobey, and hath executed the same vponupon such as hauehave continued in the vnitie of faith and obedience aforesayd: and therwithall also she hath cast the catholicke bishops in prison, where they hauehave ended their daies miserably, pyned in much and long languishing and dayly sorow. All which thinges are so notorious, as there is no roome left for any excuse, defence, or shift to serue in the matter.
Wherfore rising now out of ye throne of his with sword drawen, and pronouncing the extremest sentence against the most vertuous Quéene, yea and against all her complices through the whole Realme: he denounceth and declareth her an hereticke, and a fauourer of heretickes, and therfore most proudly determineth her to be strickē through with his curse, and cut of from the vnitie of Christes body, and moreouer to be depriued of her kingdome, and of all right of her crowne, & of all maner of other preheminence, dignitie, and priuiledge. And not content with this, he procéedeth yet further, and geueth charge to all and singular the Quéenes Nobilitie, and other her subiectes, that vnderunder paine of the sayd curse they obey not hereafter the lawes and commaundementes of their pretensed or supposed Quéene, as he termeth her. Yea and in what sort soeuer they were sworne vntounto the Quéene, he assoileth them all of such othe, and vtterly dischargeth them of all duetie of subiection, fealtie, and allegeance.
Upon all which thinges it followeth most manifestly, that by setting that most vertuous Quéene and the noble Realme of England and other nations at oddes among thē selues, he doth most cruelly and wickedly put her in hazard both of her foes, and of her frendes: yea and (which is horrible to be heard) of her owne subiectes to be trayterously torne in péeces through ciuill warres and most outragious seditions, if there were any so mad, and so voyde of all godlinesse and manhood, as to suffer such (that is to wit, so deuilishe and hellish) furie to be so inspired into them by the inchauntmentes of this venemous beast.
Hitherto I hauehave declared what thinges are conteined and set forth in that wicked, slaunderous, seditious, and bloudy Bull. Of which thinges, if any man be desirous to hauehave a more compendious abridgment, and yet neuerthelesse as fully presumptuous and shamelesse as that which hath béen shewed already: let him heare what maner of title the Bull hath set before it to the face of the world. The sentence declaratorie of our most holy father Pope Pius the fifth, against Elizabeth the pretensed Queene of England, and the heretickes that cleaue vntounto her. Wherby also all her subiectes are declared assoiled of their othe of allegeance, and of all other duties whatsoeuer, and those that obey her heerafter are wrapped in the same curse.