Confutation of the Popes Bull, Part 26
¶That the Byshop of Rome can not discharge them of their othe which are sworne to the Queene For the trothe that is once plighted must be kept both to good and bad.
MOreouer, looke how many soeuer within the noble Realme of Englād hauehave in any wise sworne to the Quéenes maiestie, the Bishop of Rome vtterly dischargeth them from such othe, and from all dewtie of subiection, fealtie, & obedience. But we aske him againe, from whence he hath that power, and what God or rather what féend hath giuen him commission to release those of their othe once made, & of all dewtie, and of all their rightfull obedience, whom the true God himselfe in his owne true word openly and streitly bindeth to kéepe their promise? he is not able to alledge so much as one litle word out of Gods booke, for this power of his which he leawdly surmiseth, worthely therefore is this trayterous ambition and rashnesse of his spitted at: and the faithfull know that they must obey their gracious Quéene by the commaundement of God.
Promises must be broken in euill cases.For wheras the Bishops soothers alledge certein things in maintenaunce of their trecherie, out of Gratian 22. Quaest. 4. and chiefly this saying of Isidore: In euill promises go backe from thy word: and such other thinges, which the Lombard gathereth together about the end of the third booke of his sentences: & that Iehu the king of Israell called all the Priestes of Ball to make sacrifice, and whē they were at their businesse brake promise with them and slew them eueryevery mothers sonne: and also that the Coū cell of Constance were of opinion that there was no promise to be kept with heretikes: They make nothing at all for the beawtifying of their most rightlesse case. For by sound iudgement we willingly admit the examples of Dauid and Herode, and the sentences of Ambrose, Isidore, and Bede, which are alledged by the Maister of the Sentences. But we say further, that the othe which the nobilitie and commons hauehave made to the Quéene of England, is not to be accounted among euill promises, and vnaduised vowes or othes: but among such promises and othes as are promised and confirmed with swearing, by the commaundement and allowance of God. Wherefore I say, that those othes must in any wise be performed, and in no wise reuersed. And who soeuer teacheth that they are to be reuersed, he prouoketh Gods wrath agaynst himselfe, and putteth them that obey him, in daunger of Gods greuous iudgement.
Certesse as for Iehus déede in sleaing the Priestes of Baal,Iehu the kyng of Israell sleaing of Baals Priestes. God disallowed it not, for he said openly that he had done the thing that was rightous in Gods sight, & the thing that was in Gods hart. But this was a singular or peculiar déede, like as certein of Sampsons doinges were, and of certeine other noble men, which are not setforth in the Scriptures for eueryevery man to folow, being not rightly called therunto by God. For we know we must liue according to lawes, and not according to custome nor after the example of particular déedes. But the law commaundeth that we should not lye, or deceiue any man by couin or craft, and much lesse then may wee defile our selues with periurie. The thinges are knowen well inough which Austen hath discoursed to Cōsentius against lying. We may adde hereunto, that king Iehu bound not himselfe by any solemne othe to the Priestes of Baal: but onelyonly allured them by putting them in hope that he would offer a right great and sumptous sacrifice: & that the Priestes being blinded with their owne naughtinesse and their ouereager desire of Idolatrie, came flocking by heapes, & therfore suffered iust punishment in Gods behalfe, for their owne sturdy wickednesse and their vnappeasable hatred towardes the true Religion and true Ministers of God. Neither is this to be ouerpassed here, that Iehu commaunded diligent search to be made in the tēple least there might be any of the Lordes Prophetes among the wicked Priestes of Baal: meaning therby, that the true seruauntes and worshippers of God, must not be punished or put to death with the offenders & Idolaters that be hated of God. Which thing doth strongly assault and battre the purpose and indeuer of the Romane Bishop, whose gréedy gaping is for nothing els but the destruction of the true seruauntes and worshippers of God. His desire is to aduaunce and mainteine Idolaters, and to oppresse and destroy the true seruauntes and worshippers of God. And to bring this to passe, he is not ashamed at all to pretend, and dissemble, to lye, to deceiue, and to deale craftely, to lay wayt, to forsweare, yea and in the end to murther cruelly.
Whether promise be not to be kept with heretikes.But admit we should graunt, that promise is not to be kept with heretikes and infidels that be enemies of our faith: yet ought it to be first proued, that the Quéene of England is an heretike and such a one as promise is not to be kept vntounto. But that the Quéene of England is of a right opinion, Catholike, and no heretike, I hauehave already abundantly, euidently and clearely inough declared. Therfore promise ought to be kept with her: and they that be sworne vntounto her, can not be released of their oth by any law of God or man.The Councell of Constance. As for the Councell of Constance, it hath in many other thinges (and specially in the Decrée of the xiij. Session,) set forth Decrées openly against Christ the Lord and against his most holy Gospell. And therfore it is of no authoritie among godly and well minded men. For not euen S. Austen him self would hauehave any Councels (of what sort so euer they be or hauehave ben) to be had in any estimation, if they disagrée with reason, right, and Scripture.
Hereby thou mayst learne what it is to breake promise euen with infidelles.And truly about a xxvj. yeares after the holding of the Coūcell of Constance, those holy fathers, according to their owne rule, That promise ought not to be kept with heretikes and infidels, executed that power of theirs in discharging Ladislaus king of Hungarie and Pooleland from the othe which he had lawfully made of Amurathes the Emperour of Turky. For Iulianus Caesarinus the Legate of Eugenie the iiij. the Bishop of Rome made a very long oration in the presence of King Ladislay, and the Nobilitie of his realme: the onelyonly drift whereof was, to make the King and hys noble men beleue, that the league which they had made with the king of the Turkes being an Infidell, was to be broken, and the promise made vntounto him to be reuersed, but in any wise to kéep league with the bishop, who representeth the person of God vppon earth. Which thing if ye do not (sayth he) I feare me lest euen as Iudas betrayed Christ, so you will séeme to betray Christes vicar: and so lest you finde God your vtter enemy herafter, whom ye hauehave alwayes hetherto found helpfull and fauourable in your affayres.
But harken (I pray you) how helpfull and fauourable the king and nobilitie found God toward them, according as the fals prophet Cesarinus bare them in hand, after they had concluded to breake promise with the Turke, and to make horrible warre vponupon him, when he looked for no such thing. Truely at the battell of Waray which was the greatest of all others,The 10. of Nouember. 1444▪ when it was likely that all should hauehave gone to wracke on both sides, Amurathes plucking out of his bosome the booke of the league that was concluded, and solemnly sworne, opened it, and looking earnestly vp into heauen, sayd: These euen these, O Iesu Christ, are the couenauntes which thy Christians hauehave made with me: they hauehave sworne solemnly by thy Goohead, and broken theyr promise made in thy name, and like fals forsworne persons hauehave denied their God. Now Christ if thou be God (as they say, and we be borne in hand) I pray thée reuenge here the wronges and mine, and shew the punishment of promise-breaking to such as know not yet thy holy name▪ He had scarce sayd these wordes, but the battell which had bene vncertaine and doubtfull a long while, began to encline (like as we read also how it came to pas after the same sort long afore that in ye time of Clodeway the first king of France, by reason of his calling vponupon Christ, in a battell against the Almanes) & fortune turned agaynst the Christians, so as being wéeryed and tyred with fighting all the day long, they turned theyr backes, and were miserably slayne. In that battell the King himselfe was slaine, who otherwyse was a very good prince, and woorthy of commendation, and with him were slayne the chiefe of hys nobilitie, and stoutest men of war: also there was slayne the soothsayer of Tolumne, Cesarinus. Scarce the third part of the kinges army returned. Platina in the life of Eugenye the fourthe, numbreth aboue thirtie thousande Christians that were slaine, and layeth all the blame of this misfortune vppon Eugenie the pope. He that desireth to know the whole story, (which is vndoubtedly both notable and terrible) shall find it set out at large in Antonie Bonfine, in the sixt booke of hys third Decade of the matters of Hungarie. Also the same author geuth warning aduisedly, that God did iustly reuenge the breach of promise vponupon the Christians. By all which thinges it appeareth manifestly, how well God lyketh the decrée of the counsell of Constance, That promise is not to be kept with heretikes & infidelles.
The promise that is made lawfully▪ must be kept alwaies & to all persons.Doubtlesse the catholike truth teacheth men expresly, to kéep theyr lawfull promise, assurance, or oth at al times, aswell to the bad as to the good, that is to wit, both to beeleuers, and vnbeleuers or infidelles. For our Lord in his law commaundeth all and eueryevery person,Exod. 20. Leuit. 22. Ephes. 4. that they lye not, ne commit periury by breaking theyr promise. But indéed he lyeth, which vttereth an vntruth with a purpose to deceiue: for commonly men say that to lye, is nothing els, but to speake against a mans owne knowledge, for lyers speake one thing & thinke an other. And Gelasius in the decréees, Lib. 22. Quest. 4. which beginneth with, S. Paule: &c. That man lyeth in committing periurie, which knoweth the thing to be vntrue which he sweareth: for (as Saint Austen sayth) a lye is an vntrue vtterance of the voyce wt a purpose to beguyle. As for example, When the pope promiseth safety of lymme and life to such as he estéemeth to be heretikes, (but in déed are rightheleuers and catholikes) and yet purposeth in his minde to deceiue them by opening them the gap of that hope, and so to bring them in perill of lyfe, lymme, and all worldly substance, that is to say, to destroy them cruelly, which was the thing that he purposed, when he guilefully promised them safety, and therefore promised it, to the entent he might destroy them. Thys is a shamefull lye, and a cursed and abhominable periurye. Wherof the Prophet hath spoken saying:Psalm. 5. Lord thou hatest all them that commit iniquity, and wilt destroy them that speake lyes. The Lord abhorreth a bloudthirsty and deceifull or falseharted man.
Therfore when Iosue, and the Elders of Israell had made a league of peace with the Gabaointes, who came wt a false tale, and (as yée would say) beguiled the people of God, yet they neuertheles kept promise with them vnimpeached, euen after they had found out their deceit. Wherupon Ambrose in hys booke of duties, and Austen vntounto Boniface, geue vsus to vnderstand, and that full rightly, that the promise that is once made, must be perfourmed, yea euen vntounto our enemies, and to euill men, and infidelles. Besides this, certayne hundred yeares after, the people of Israell were punished with a sore dearth, for Saules breaking of the leage that was made with ye Gabaonites, and amendes could not be made for the fault, vntill seueu men of Saulss posterity were hanged to death vnderunder the raign of Dauid, according as it is read written in the second booke of Samuell, the xxi. chapter. And like as our Lorde sayth in the Gospell. that the Niniuites, and the Quéene of Saba shall iudge the Iewes at the day of iudgemet: Euen so there is no doubt, but that Marcus Attilius Regulus, & the whole Senate of Rome, which were heathen men, shal condemne these most blessed fathers, forasmuch as they estéeme it a thing of nothing to breake the promise that is made, yea, & confirmed euē with an oth: but the Romanes kept promise that a man would wonder at it, yea euen to their enemies. The histories beare witnes of these things in many places
Ieremie reacheth that promise is to be kept euen with infidelles.The Prophet Ieremy exhorteth Gods people wt many wordes, and very earnestly to kéepe promise with Nabuchodonozor, though he were a heathen prince, and an infidell, and to obay him, and to pray to God for hys welfare. Ezechiel also speaking of the vnfaythfulnes of Zedechias towardes Nabuchodonozor,Ezech. 17. sayth: He hath set light by hys oth, and broken hys couenaunt, euen when he had geuen hys hand vponupon it. All these thinges hath he done, and therefore he shall not escape. As truely as I liue (sayth God) I will bring myne othe which he hath despysed, and my couenaunt which he hath broken, vponupon hys owne head. These sayinges are more apt and fit for our present case, than that they read to be expounded & applyed with many wordes.
The doctrine of the Apostles concerning this matter.None other thing taught Christes Apostles in the new Testament: for Peter teacheth men expresly to perfourme faythfulnes, euen to wicked maisters and rulers. Let seruauntes (sayth he) obay theyr masters, not onelyonly if they be good and gentle, but also if they be crabbed. &c. A little afore hauing spoken also of the magistrate, he commaundeth the faythful to obay them: for so is Gods will, that we may stop the mouthes of foolish men by doing well. And we knowe, that in the Apostles dayes, the Lordes and maysters were heathen men or infidelles.1. Tim. 6. Likewise S. Paule instructing seruantes sayth: As many seruantes as be vnderunder the yoke, let them estéeme theyr masters woorthy of all honor, lest the name of God, and hys doctrine be il spoken of. Which thing the Apostle speaketh of heathen and vnbeleuing maisters: for against these he macheth the beleuers saying forthwith: And they that hauehave beleuing maisters let them not despyse them, because they be brethren, but let them bee the more seruiceable to them because they be beleuers. After the same maner speaketh he in Rom. 13. and Tit. 3. and in other places, of perfourmance, of faythfulnes, and obedience to the heathen magistrate. And we also inferring vponupon these thinges after the same maner say: If the faithfull be bound to wayward and vnbeleuing maisters, how much more are the Englishmen bound by Gods commaundemēt to kéep theyr promises and othes made to their Quéene, being a faithfull, holy, and gracious Prince?
And men agrée also with God in thys behalfe: For of many things,The fourth counsell of Tolet willeth men to keep promise made vntounto princes. I will alleage but this one. About ye yeare of our Lord 630. or as other reckon 681. vnderunder Sisenand king of Spaine, at the citie of Toledo in Spayne, there was hild a competent Synode, wherin this case of performing othes sworne vntounto Princes is diligently entreated of. The sayd Synod is commonly called the fourth counsell of Toledo. Among other thinges they make a decrée in these wordes: Can. 74. The report goeth that many nations are so falseharted, that they neglect to perfourme the promise, which they hauehave made by othe vntounto theyr owne princes, and pretend to sweare with their mouthes, when they wickedlye purpose to forsweare themselues in theyr hartes. For they sweare to theyr kinges, and impeach the faithfulnes which they hauehave promised, and they are not affrayd of that booke of Gods iudgement whereby cursednes is brought vppon such as swear by the name of God lyingly. What hope thē shall such people hauehave against theyr enemies, when they be in danger? What credit is to be geuen them any more in making peace wt other contries? what leage will they not break? what assurance sworn to the enemies shal stand stable, whē they kéep not their promises sworne to their owne kinges? for who is so mad as to cut of his owne head wt his own hands? But they (as it is wel known) forgetting their own saluation, murther thēselues with theyr own hand by turning their owne force against theyr Kinges & thēselues. And whereas the Lord sayth: Touch not mine annoynted. And wheras Dauid sayth, who can lay his hand vppon the Lordes annoynted and be giltlesse: they are not affrayd to fall into periury, nor yet to destroy theyr owne kinges. For promise is made to the enemies, and not broken. Now if faythfulnes take place in war, how much more is it to be obserued in all other thinges? For it is hye treason to God, if people impeach theyr faythfulnesse promised to theyr Kinges.The pope then teacheth high treason against God, when he dischargeth mē of their othe made to the Queene. For the offence is committed not onelyonly agaynst them, but also agaynst God, in whose name the promise is plighted. Héerupon it commeth to passe, that the wrath of God hath so altered many kingdomes vponupon earth, that one of them is lozoned from another, for the wickednes of their promise breaking and euil behauior. Wherfore it behoueth vsus to take warning at such chaunces of nations, that we be not likewise stricken with swift plague, and punished with cruell punishment:Marke these thinges. for if God spared not the Angels that transgressed against him, but thrust them out of their heauenly habitation for their disobedience: wheruppon also he sayth by Esay:Esay. 34. My sword hath bene bathed in heauen: how much more must we feare the losse of our saluation, lest we perish for our vnfaythfulnes through the vengeance of the same sword of God? But if we will eschew Gods displeasure, and be desirous that he should turne his rigour into mercy.A very godly saying. Let vsus kéepe the reuerence of religion, and feare towardes God, and performe the faithfulnes and allegiance, that we promise to our Princes. Let there not be in vsus, as there is in some nations, wicked wilynes of vnfaithful dealing, nor truthles trechery of deceitfull meaning, nor villany of false forswearing, nor trayterous practising of conspiracie. Let no man among vsus vsurp the kingdome through presumptuousnes, let no man set his contrymen together by the eares, let no man imagine the destruction of Kings: but when a prince is departed in peace: Let the noblemen and cleargy of the whole realme dispose the succession of the kingdome by common aduice, that while we retayne the vnitie of concord, no man may practise the disquietnesse of his contry & realme by violence and ambition.
This is a iust curse, plaine contrary to the popish curse.But if this warning correct not our mindes, ne bringeth our hart to the regard of the common welfare: Heare our determination. Whosoeuer of vsus or of all the people of Spaine, shall by any conspiracie or practise, breake his oth which he hath made for the welfare of his countrye, and the nation of the Gothes, or for the preseruation of the kinges estate, or shall lay handes vponupon the kinges person to murther him, or depose him from his royall authoritie, or by tyrannicall presumption vsurpe the crowne: Cursed be he in the presence of God the Father, & of his Aungels, and let him becomme a forreiner from the Catholike churche, which he hath defiled with hys periurie, and a stranger to all companies of Christians, with all the partakers of hys wickednes. For it is méete that they which be wrapped in one offence, should also be subiect to one punishment. And this their definitiue sentence they double twise or thrice, still beating and harping vponupon it. Which thinges I hauehave hetherto rehearced, and many other of the same sort coulde I alleage, but that I know that these are enough to such as vse reason.
Let the pope then goe as he is woorthy,The conclusion of the place concerning the discharge of the othe. with that absolution of hys, not Apostolicall, but apostaticall and diabolicall, whereby he dischargeth the Nobilitie and Commons of England of all fealtie and obedience, shamlesly and openly teaching them to practise wicked rebellion, treason, and cursed periurie, against theyr Quéene, sette ouer them by God, which vices God (according to hys righteousnes) hath alwayes hated, and vtterly abhorred. Yea and he him selfe also is stricken with the curse euen now rehearced, & iustly pronounced against forswearers, by ye fathers in the fourth Counsell of Tolet, because he is not onelyonly forsworne himselfe, but also teacheth forswearing. Nay rather he sheweth by this as a most certaine marcke,2. Thes. 2. how he is the man of sinne of whome the Apostle speaketh. For like as he himselfe swarmeth and ouerfloweth with sinnes and wickednes, euen so doth he entice and enforce all men into sinne and wickednes, by his publications or decrées. Therefore looke to thy selfe O Englande, and beware of this man of sinne, whome God comming downe from heauen to iudge the quicke and the dead,Apoc. 19. shall shortly wype away, and (according as Iohn hath truely foretold) throw him headlong into a lake of fyre burning with brimstone, together wyth all those that hauehave more willingly obayed him, that is to say, to Antichrist, than to Christ.