ment that is prepared for all suche, as do exalte themselves against God.

66

Against God can nothing be more manifest, than that a woman shall be exalted to reigne aboue man. For the contrarie sentence hath he pronounced in these wordes: Thy will shall be subiect to thy husband, and he shall beare dominion ouer the. As God shuld say forasmuch as thou hast abused thy former condition, and because thy free will hath broght thy selfe and mankind into the bondage of Satan, I therfore will bring the in bondage to man. For where before, thy obedience shuld haue bene voluntarie, nowe it shall be by constreint and by necessitie: and that because thou hast deceived thy man, thou shalt therfore be no longar maistresse ouer thine own appetites, ouer thine owne will nor desires. For in the there is nether reason nor discretion, whiche be able to moderate thy affections, and therfore they shall be subiect to the desire of thy He shall be Lord and gouernour, not onlie ouer thy bodie, but euen ouer thy appetites and will.

man.

"This sentence, I say, did God pronounce against Heua and her daughters, as the rest of the Scriptures doth euidentlie witnesse. So that no woman can euer presume to reigne aboue man, but the same she must nedes do in despite of God, and in contempt of his punishment and malediction."—Knox, p. 15.

"For who wolde not iudge that bodie to be a monstre, where there was no head eminent aboue the rest, but that the eyes were in the handes, the tonge and mouth beneth in the belie, and the eares in the feet. Men, I say, shulde not onlie pronounce this bodie to be a monstre: but assuredlie they might conclude that such a bodie coulde not long indure. And no lesse monstruous is the bodie of that common welth, where a woman beareth empire. For ether doth it lack a laufull heade (as in very dede it doth) or els there is an idol exalted in the place of the true head. An idol I call that, which hath the forme and apparance, but lacketh the vertue and strength, which the name and proportion do resemble and promise. As images haue face, nose, eyes, mouth, handes, and feet painted, but the vse of the same, can not the craft and art of man geue them as the holy ghost by the mouth of Dauid teacheth vs, saying: they haue eyes, but they see not, mouth, but they speake not, nose, but they smell not, handes and feet, but they neither touche nor haue power to go.

"And suche, I say, is euerie realme and nation, where a woman beareth dominion. For in despite of God (he of his iust iudgement, so geuing them ouer in to a reprobat minde) may a realme, I confesse, exalt vp a woman to that monstriferous honor, to be estemed as head. But impossible it is to man and angel, to geue vnto her the properties and perfect offices of a laufull heade. For the same God that hath denied power to the hand to speake, to the bely to heare, and to the feet to see, hath denied to woman power to commande man, and hath taken away wisdome to consider, and prouidence to forsee the thinges that be profitable to the common welth: yea finallie he hath denied to her in any case to be head to man: but plainly hath pronounced that man is head to woman, euen as Christ

is heade to all man. If men in a blinde rage shulde assemble to gether, and apointe them selues an other heade then Jesus Christ, (as the papistes haue done their romishe Antichrist) shuld Christ therfore lose his owne dignitie, or shulde God geue to that counterfet head power to geve life to the bodie, to see what soeuer might endamage or hurte it, to speake in defense, and to heare the request of euerie subject? It is certein that he wold not. For that honor he hath apointed before all times to his onlie sonne: and the same will he geue to no creature besides: no more will he admit, nor accept woman to be the lauful head ouer man, although man, deuil, and angel will coniure in their fauor."-p. 27.

"For nature hath in all beastes printed a certeine marke of dominion in the male, and a certeine subiection in the female, whiche they kepe inuiolate. For no man euer sawe the lion make obedience, and stoupe before the lionesse, nether yet can it be proued, that the hinde taketh the conducting of the heard amongest the hartes. And yet (alas) man, who by the mouth of God hath dominion apointed to him ouer woman, doth not onlie to his own shame, stoupe vnder the obedience of women, but also in despit of God and of his apointed ordre, reioyseth, and mainteineth that monstruouse authoritie, as a thing lauful and iust."―p. 30.

"Albeit I haue thus (talkinge with my God in the anguishe of my harte) some what digressed: yet haue I not vtterlie forgotten my former proposition, to witt, that it is a thing repugnant to the ordre of nature, that any woman be exalted to rule ouer men. For God hath denied vnto her the office of a head. And in the intreating of this parte, I remembre that I haue made the nobilitie both of England and Scotland inferior to brute beastes for what they do to women, which no male amongest the common sorte of beastes can be proued to do to their females: that is, they reuerence them, and qwake at their presence, they obey their commandementes, and that against God. Wherfore I iudge them not onelie subiectes to women, but sclaues of Satan, and seruantes of iniquitie. If any man thinke these my wordes sharpe or vehement, let him consider that the offense is more haynous, then can be expressed by wordes. For where all thinges, be expressedly concluded against the glorie and honor of God, and where the blood of the saintes of God is commanded to be shed, whome shall we iudge, God or the deuil, to be president of that counsel?"-p. 32.

The hint thus given to the Queen's Council must not be passed over without remark. It is, of course, highly important to notice it in an inquiry which turns so much on the question how far the proceedings of the government at home was influenced by the conduct of parties abroad. The idea is elsewhere repeated and amplified by Knox ;

"For that woman reigneth aboue man, she hath obteined it by treason and conspiracie committed against God. Howe can it be

then, that she being criminall and giltie of treason against God committed, can apointe any officer pleasing in his sight? It is a thing impossible. Wherefore let men that receive of women authoritie, honor or office, be most assuredly persuaded, that in so mainteining that vsurped power, they declare themselues ennemies to God. If any thinke, that because the realme and estates therof, haue geuen their consentes to a woman, and haue established her, and her authoritie that therfore it is laufull and acceptable before God: let the same men remember what I haue said before, to wit, that God can not approve the doing nor consent of any multitude, concluding any thing against his worde and ordinance, and therfore they must haue a more assured defense against the wrath of God, then the approbation and consent of a blinded multitude, or elles they shall not be able to stand in the presence of the consuming fier: that is, they must acknowledge that the regiment of a woman is a thing most odious in the presence of God. They must refuse to be her officers, because she is a traitoresse and rebell against God. And finallie they must studie to represse her inordinate pride and tyrannie to the uttermost of their power.

"The same is the dutie of the nobilitie and estates, by whose blindnes a woman is promoted. First in so farre, as they haue most haynouslie offended against God, placing in authoritie suche as God by his worde hath remoued frome the same, vnfeinedly they oght to call for mercie, and being admonished of their error and damnable fact, in signe and token of true repentance, with common consent they oght to retreate that, which vnaduisedlie and by ignorance they haue pronounced, and oght without further delay to remove from authority all such persones, as by vsurpation, violence, or tyrannie, do possesse the same.

"For so did Israel and Iuda after they reuolted from Dauid, and Iuda alone in the dayes of Athalia. For after that she by murthering her sonnes children, had obteined the empire ouer the land, and had most vnhappelie reigned in Iuda six years, Iehoiada the high priest called together the capitaines and chief rulers of the people, and shewing to them the kinges sonne Ioas, did binde them by an othe to depose that wicked woman, and to promote the king to his royall seat, whiche they faithfullie did, killinge at his commandement not onlie that cruel and mischeuous woman, but also the people did destroie the temple of Baal, break his altars and images, and kill Mathan Baales high priest before his altars.

"The same is the dutie as well of the estates, as of the people that hath bene blinded.

"First they oght to remove frome honor and authoritie, that monstre in nature (so call I a woman clad in the habit of man, yea a woman against nature reigning aboue man).

"Secondarilie if any presume to defende that impietie, they oght not to feare, first to pronounce, and then after to execute against them the sentence of deathe. If any man be affraid to violat the oth of obedience, which they haue made to suche monstres, let them be most assuredly persuaded, that as the beginning of their othes, proceding from ignorance was sinne, so is the obstinate purpose to kepe the same, nothinge but plaine rebellion against God. But of this

mater in the second blast, God willing, we shall speake more at large."-p. 52.

"Cursed Iesabel of England, with the pestilent and detestable generation of papistes, make no litle bragge and boast, that they haue triumphed not only against Wyet, but also against all such as haue entreprised any thing against them or their procedinges. But let her and them consider, that yet they haue not preuailed against god, his throne is more high, then that the length of their hornes be able to reache. And let them further consider, that in the beginning of this their bloodie reigne, the haruest of their iniquitie was not comen to full maturitie and ripenes. No, it was so grene, so secret I meane, so couered, and so hid with hypocrisie, that some men (euen the seruantes of God) thoght it not impossible, but that wolues might be changed in to lambes, and also that the vipere might remoue her natural venom. But God, who doth reuele in his time apointed, the secretes of hartes, and that will haue his iudgemetes iustified euen by the verie wicked, hath now geuen open testimonie of her and their beastlie crueltie. For man and woman, learned and vnlearned, nobles and men of baser sorte, aged fathers and tendre damiselles, and finailie the bones of the dead, aswell women as men haue tasted of their tyrannie, so that now not onlie the blood of father Latimer, of the milde man of God the bishop of Cantorburie, of learned and discrete Ridley, of innocent ladie Iane dudley, and many godly and worthie preachers, that cannot be forgotten, such as fier hath consumed, and the sworde of tyrannie most vniustlie hath shed, doth call for vengeance in the eares of the Lord God of hostes but also the sobbes and teares of the poore oppressed, the groninges of the angeles, the watchmen of the Lord, ea and euerie earthlie creature abused by their tyrannie do continuallie crie and call for the hastie execution of the same. I feare not to say, that the day of vengeance, whiche shall apprehend that horrible monstre Iesabel of England, and suche as maintein her monstruous crueltie, is alredie apointed in the counsel of the Eternall: and I verelie beleue that it is so nigh, that she shall not reigne so long in tyrannie, as hitherto she hath done, when God shall declare himselfe to be her ennemie, when he shall poure furth contempt vpon her, according to her crueltie, and shal kindle the hartes of such, as somtimes did fauor her with deadly hatred against her, that they may execute his iudgementes. And therfore let such as assist her, take hede what they do."p. 55.

On this point, too, Goodman and Traheron were equally explicit ;

"The counsellers, whose office is to brydle the affections of their Princes and Gouuernours, in geuing such counsele as might promote the glorie of God, and the welthe of their contrie by this persuasion of obedience, haue hitherto sought, and yet apearinglie do, how to accomplishe and satisfie the vngodly lustes of their vngodlie and vnlawful Gouernesse, wicked IESABEL: who for our synnes, contrarie to nature and the many feste worde of God, is suffred to raigne ouer vs in Goddes furie, and haue therby moste wickedlie betrayed

Christe, their countrie, and themselues (so muche as lieth in them) to become slaues to a strange and foren nation, the prowde Spaniards."- Goodman, p. 33.

"Turne thyne eyes now to thy counsel England, how fierce tygres, how cruel wolues, how rauening beares, how lecherous goates, how wilie foxes, or to speake plainly without figure, what periured traitors to god, and to the, what murderers, what oppressors of the poore, what voluptuous Sardanapales, what adulterers, how vile flatterers shalt thou finde amonge them? It were a smal faulte, and a verie peccadulia in them to dissemble the truth of religion. Thei raile vpon it, they tosse it with scoffes and mockes, they bloodely, and tyrannously persequute it. It might be wincked at, if thei toke bribes, only to oppresse the cause of a few poore men, thei take bribes to betraie the hole realme. It might be passed ouer with silence if thei had murdered but one man a peece, the blood of innumerable sainctes crieth vp to heauen against them and the groninges of manie thousandes oppressed ar heard euerie where. It might perchaunce be perdoned, if they spent but some weekes in pleasures, they wallow continually in vile voluptuousnes, and wanton daliance, and waste al their vnhappie daies in beastlie delites, nether can chaunge of women, nor women only satisfie their filthie abominable desires. Breifely there be no vices in the world whereof you maie not see great buddes, or rather great bounnies, and bunches in them. Here I maie not lette scape the pristes of Calece, a foule broode of thy henne. Papistes they were," &c.-Traheron's Warning to England, (see before p. 84.)

To return, however, to what is more precisely our present subject the treatment which the Queen herself met with from these parties-perhaps enough has been given from Knox, and it may be time to enforce his doctrine by one or two extracts from his friend Goodman.

"The nexte rule to be obserued is, that he shulde be one of their brethern, meaninge of the Israelits: partlie to exclude the oppression and idolatrie, whiche commeth in by strangers, as our contrie now is an example: and partlye, for that strangers cannot beare such a natural zeale to straunge realmes and peoples, as becomethe brethern but chieflie to auoyde that monster in nature, and disordre amongest men, whiche is the Empire and gouernement of a woman, sayinge expreslie: From the myddle of thy brethren shalt thou chose thee a kinge, and not amongist thy sisters. For God is not contrairie to himselfe, whiche at the begynninge appoynted the woman to be in subiection to her housbande, and the man to be head of the woman (as saithe the Apostle) who wil not permitte so muche to the woman, as to speake in the Assemblie of men, muche lesse to be Ruler of a Realme or nation. Yf women be not permitted by Ciuile policies to rule in inferior offices, to be Counsellours, Pears of a realme, Iustices, Shireffs, Baylieus and such like: I make your selues iudges, whither it be mete for them to gouerne whole Realmes and nations?