The Antipathy of the English Lordly Prelacy, Dedication 2 – Part 2
TO THE HIGH AND HONORABLE COVRT OF PARLIAMENT NOW ASSEMBLED.
RIght Honourable Worthies, what the Prince of Latine Poets long since observed in generall — *Virg. Georg. l. 2.Ali…ur vitium crescitque tegendo; That maladies are nourished and augmented by concealing them; is in a more especiall manner verified in our Lordly Prelates, (one of the greatest maladies in our Church and State) who have beene fostered and suffered to grow great among us, onelyonly through the conc…alement, palliating, or ignorance of their disloyalties, and other Episcopall vices.
The consideration whereof hath induced me to compile and publish, The second Part of this Antipathie; wherein I have (according to my weake abilities) anatomized some of their Traiterous, Seditious, Rebellious Contumacious, Oppressive, extravagant Practises, in ancient and moderne times, laying them open unto publique view: and withall discovered the frivolousnes of those grounds, the insufficiency of those Reasons alledged for the pretended Divinity, Antiquity, and perpetuating of their Lordly Prelacy among us; *Mat. 15.3.A Plant (I dare say) which our Heavenly Father never planted in our Church; and therefore certaine to be rooted out in his due time; which in all probability is now neare at hand. If these my endeavours (which I humbly prostrate at your Honours Feete, recommending them to your Noble Patronage, as I did the former part) may contribute any thing to this much desired, long expected good worke, I shall thinke my labour happily bestowed. In the meane time, I shall be a daily Oratour to the Throne of Grace, for a superabundant blessing upon your Honorable Persons and publique Consultations, till you have cleansed both our Church and State from all Corruptions which infest them, and *Psal… 100.8.Cut off all wicked doers from the City of our God.
Your Honours devoted, and eternally obliged Redeemed one, WILL. PRYNNE.
TO THE COVRTEOVS READER.
HAving now according to promise (kinde Reader) with all convenient expedition finished this Second Part of the Antipathy of the English Lordly Prelacy to Regall Monarchy & Civill Unity, I humbly submit it to thy favourable Censure, and charitable Interpretation, which I must implore.
The rather, because some uncharitable Lordly Prelates, and their malitious Instruments, have not spared to traduce my loyall intentions, and to mis-conster my innocent words even to the King my Soveraigne, endeavouring to make me and others guilty of no lesse than High Treason, for discovering our Prelates notorious Treasons, Conspiracies, and Rebellions to the world. For finding this passage in my Prologue to the first Part: If then we consider the paucity of our Arch-bishops, and Lord Bishops, &c. on the one side, and then on the other hand, compare the multitude of the Prelates no…orious Treasons, &c. we must necessarily conclude, their NO BISHOP, NO KING, to be a notorious Bull, and NO KING UNLESSE NO BISHOP, to be a more probable and *Some Coppies have most for more, through the Printer… mistake.more true position. They contrary to the whole designe and scope of my Antipathy, yea, of this very passage, (as hee that Reades it at large may at first discerne) most injuriously su…ected to his Majesty, that the meaning of my, No King unlesse no Bishop, was, that I and the Commons intended to depose his Majestie, and to have no King at all unlesse his Majesty would put downe Bishops. Hereupon his Majestie to satisfie himsel…e in a point of such high and neare concernment, calling for the booke, perused the passage, and concluded, there was no such meaning couched in it as was suggested, but the quite contrary; namely, That he could not be an absolute King unlesse the Bishops (who had still beene Rebellious, d…sloyall and opposite to their Soveraignes, so farre as to uncrowne or make them no Kings in a manner) were suppressed; which was all I intended in this passage, as is evident by its opposition to their no Bishop, no King, by the speech of King John, who hearing of Hubert Archbishop of Canterbury his death, sayd *See Part. 1. p. 31.I was never a King till now; by reason of Huberts presumptuous daring to crosse and frustrate his royall resolutions; from whence I borrowed this mis-interpreted clause; by Mr William Tyndals passages here cited to the same eff…ct, Part. 2. p. 366.369. which I alluded to, and by the whole scope of the Antipathy to this effect.
By this malicious false suggestion, with others of like nature heretofore, (the sole cause of al my former sufferings) the world may easily judge what malicious calumniators, what impudent false informers our Lordly Prelates are, and how much I have beene beholding to them for their malicious misinterpretations of my words, and misrepresentations of my sincere intentions to his Majestie, whom they ever laboured to incense against me by these most sinister meanes; and not content therewith, since his Majestie hath beene satisfied touching this fore-cited passage, some of them have not spared to report abroade to others; That there were such passages in my Prologue, for which my life might be questioned; and I beleeve it true, were they to be both my accusers and Iudges: but blessed be God, this ever hath beene and shall be my consolation, that they can onelyonly slander, not convict me of any disloyalty or misdemeanor. And if they will still calumniate me for well doing (as hitherto they have done) that golden Apothegme of Alexander the great, will be a sufficien… Antidote against the poyson of their tongues and pens; *Plutarchi Apoph.Regium est malè audire, cùm benè facias.
Now lest they should chance to slander me for any false quotations by reason of the variety of the Impressions and Pages of some of our Historians, I have frequently quoted; to prevent this inconvenience, I shall advertise them and thee (kind Reader) what Editions I have used. Malmesbury, Huntindon and Hoveden here quoted, were Printed at Francfort by Wich…lus, Anno, 1601. Matthew Paris, Tiguri. 1589. Matthew Westm. Londini. 1570. Walsingham, Londini, 1574. by Iohn Day. Speed, London. 1623. Holinshed, the last Edition. Of Godwins Catalogue of Bishops there are two Editions; the first Printed by Geo…ge Bishop 1600. the latter with a Discou…se of the Conversion of Britaine, and some Additions, Printed for Thomas Adams. London 1615. both these Editions I have quoted for the most part promiscuously, and sometimes with distinction; if the pages vary in one Edition, peruse the other, and these Editions of the Historians which I follow, and then every page and quotation will prove true and punctuall, if examined.
And now (Reader) having given thee this advertisement, I shall desire God to Sanctifie this Treatise to thy private information, and the publick Reformation of all corruption in our Church. Farewell.
A COMPLEATE TABLE OF THE SEVERALL CHAPTERS of this Second Part of the Antipathy, which may serve in steede of an Index.
Chap. IV.
COmprising the Treasons, Conspiracies, Seditions, Contumacies, Disloyalties, &c. of the Bishops of Ely, Exeter, Worcester and Hereford.
Chap. V.
Containing the Treasons, Conspiracies, Seditions, Contumacies, Disloyalties, &c. of the Bishops of Chichester, Carlile, Norwich, Chester, Coventry and Lichfield.
Chap. VI.
Comprising the Treasons, Conspiracies, Seditions, Contumacies, Disloyalties, &c. of the Bishops of Rochester, S. Davids, Landaffe, Bangor, Asaph, Bath and Wels; with a short touch of the Bishop of Oxford, Bristow, Peterborough, and Glocester; and of our Bishops in generall.
Chap. VII.
Containing the severall Treasons, Rebellions, Seditions, Schismes, Contumacies, Warres, and disloyalties of the Bishops of France, Normandy, Scotland, and Ireland, in reference to our Kingdome and Kings of England.
Chap. VIII.
Containing certaine Conclusions, deduced from the Premises, with the judgements and resolutions of divers of our ancient Writers, Martyrs, and some of our learnedest Bishops and Authors in Queene Elizabeths Reigne, touching the pretended Divine Institution and Iurisdiction of Bishops, their Treasons, Rebellions, Temporalties, large possessions, intermedling with secular affaires; the taking away of their Temporalties not to be sacriledge; and the uselessenesse, unprofitablenesse, and mischievousnesse, of Lordly Bishops, and their government in our Church.
Chap. IX.
Comprising an answere to the principall Objections alleaged by the Prelates in defence of the pretended divine Institution, and for the continuance of their Episcopacy in our Church.
Kind Reader I pray correct these subsequent Errors which have escaped the Presse in some Coppies, in my absence.
ERRATA.
IN the booke p. 200. l. 18. or read for. p. 203. l. 12. insolently, 207. l. 2. him to … him. To. p. 235. l. 12. mony. p. 238. Manwaring, p. 242. l. 2. than. l. 6. henries, Stephens. p. 250, l. 10. forced. p. 251. l. 36.11000. p. 255. l. 1…. Eiic…rent. p. 322. l. 2. not. p. 328. l. 1. after, averre. p. 322. l. 34. Churches, Churchmen. p. 342. l, 7. our, your. p. 356. l. 10. Cefenas. p. 393. l. 11. It is. p. 404. l. 11. and destruction. p. 405. l. 18. that p. 411. l. 8. perceive. p. 417. l. 19… Fisher, Fish. p. 419. l. 11. be, both. p. 424 l. 3. dele in. p. 430. l. 21. can, cannot, l. 22. In Master. p. 434. l. 23. fol. l. 24.32.22. l. 37. or spirituall. p. 435. l. 6. dele greate p. 446. l. 5. Pastures. p. 440. l. 3. he thus writes; And l. 10. where, which, p. 453. l. 5. understand, l. 15. Erasmus. p. 481. l. 31. Angelorum l. 33. this booke. p. 482. l. 16. never, ever l. 31. of, and. p. 484. l. 32. men. p. 486. l. 6. by Paul. p. 490. l. 27. deny, deem l. 35. it, them. p. 499. l. 23. habetur. p. 501. l. 13. dele, together. p. 503. l. 11. dele other. p. 510. l. 6. dele ad. l. 31. whole.
In the Margin. p. 208. l. 2. Fordham. p. 357. Ioan Baleus. Scrip. Brit. Cent. 3. c. 61. omitted, p. 253.254. are omitted p. 365. l. 9, Common, Canon. p. 487. l. 2. Timotheum. l. 5. Romanorum. p. 499, l. 12. H. 8. p. 500, l. 14. Finan. p. 513. l. 25. Ingulph.