be true, that king Henry might do with it without consent of the parliament: how is the Ladi mari Quene? why might not king Edwarde his sonne (a prince borne in laufull matrimonie, and right heire to the Crowne) bequeathe the Crowne wher he wolde, and as he did? Take hede what thou doest. If the king and Quene geue thee a thousaunt perdones, yet shalt thou be founde a ranke Traitour to the Realme of Englande. For albeit the king or Quene of a realme haue the Crowne neuer [so] iustly, yet maye they not dispose of the Crowne or realme, as it pleaseth them. They haue the Crowne to minister iustice, but the Realme being a bodi of freemen and not of bondemen, he nor she can not geue or sell them as slaues and bondemen. No, they can not gene or sell awaye the holdes and fortes (as Calese and Barwike, or such like) without the consent of the Commones: for it was purchaced with their blood and moneie. Yea and thine owne popes lawes (wherby thou measurest all thinges to be laufull or not laufull) saie, that if a king or gouernour of any realme goo about to diminishe the regalities and rightes of his crowne, he ought to be deposed. Thus did Pope Honorius the thrid commaunde tharchebishop of Collossa and his suffraganes to depriue a king of Vngarie, which went about to waste, sell and geue awaye the Regalities and rightes of his crowne, onles in tyme he ceassed and called backe that he hade done. It is so plaine, thou canst not denie it.

"But I see, Boner, I haue chafed thee to muche: thi chekes blushe and swell for very angre. M. D. Cheadsei, M. D. Pendleton, M. Cosins, or som of you chaplaines, get my lorde a cup of secke, to comfort his spirites. My lorde and I agree almost like belles: we iarre somwhat but not muche, his lordship meaneth that men ought to be alwaies but not at all tymes honest. But I saie, thei must be honest alwaies and at al tymes. His lordeship wolde fayne haue a placarde or prouiso for him and his, that they might somtimes (tha is from the beginning to the ende of the weke) plaie their partes. But I saie, albeit his lordship haue such a priuilege, yet maie no honest man at any tyme doo that is not honest, iuste, and laufull, bi kaisers, kinges, Quenes no, neither his commaundement."-Ponet, Sig. E. ij.

The same writer had before laid down this doctrine in a highly characteristic passage ;

"Whan Pharao the tyranne commaunded the mydwyues of the Egipcianes, to kill all the male children that should be borne of the Israelites wyues: thinke ye, he did only commaunde them? No without doubt. Ye maye be sure, he commaunded not only vpon threatned paynes, but also promised them largely and perchaunce as largely as those doo, that being desirous of children, procure the mydwyues to saye, they be with childe, whan their bely is puffed vp with the dropsie or molle, and hauing bleared the common peoples eies with processioning, Te deum singing, and bonfire banketting, vse all ceremonies and cryeing out, whilest an other birdes egge is layed in the nest. But these good mydwiues fearing God (the high power) who hadde commaunded them, not to kill, wold not obeye this tyranne Pharaoes commaundement, but lefte it vndone.

"Whan the Ioilye quene Iesabel commaunded, that the prophetes of God should be destroyed, that none should be lefte to speake against her idoles, but that all men should folowe her procedinges: did Abdias the chief officer to the king her husbande saye, 'Your grace dothe very well to ridde the worlde of them for those that worship the true liuing God, cannot be but traitours to my souerayne lorde and maistre the king your husbande, and to your grace: and it is these heretikes, that bewitche and coniure you, that your grace cannot be delyuered of your childe, nor slepe quietly in your bedde: let me alone, I will finde the meanes to despeche them all, only haue your grace a good opinion of me, and thinke I am your owne?' No. Abdias (a man fearing God, and knowing this commaundement to be a wicked womans will) did cleane contrary to her commaundement, and hidde and preserued an hundred of the prophetes vnder the earthe in caues. Whan the wicked king Saul commaunded his howne householde wayters and familiar seruauntes to kill the priest Ahimelech and his children for hatred to Dauid: did those his owne nerest wayting seruauntes flattre him forewarde, and saye, 'Your Maiestie shall neuer be in sauetie and quiet so long as this traitour and his prating children (that are alwayes in their sermones and bokes, meddling of the kinges maters) be suffred to lyve? we wil be your true obedient seruauntes, we will beleue as the king beleueth, we will doo as the king biddeth vs, according to our most bounden deutie of allegeaunce, we shall sone ease your highnesse of this grief: other of your graces chaplaynes be more mete for that rowme than this hipocrite traitour?' No. they vsed no suche court crueltie, but considering God to be the supreme power, and seing Ahimelech (by his answeres) and his householde to be giltles of suche mater in forme and intent as (by Doeges accusation) Saul charged him withal, they refused to kill any of them, or ones to laye violent handes vpon them, but playnly and vtterly (being yet the kinges true seruauntes and subiectes) denyed to obeye the kinges vnlaufull commaundement."-Ponet, Sig. D. iv.

With regard to Becon, I have not at present access to many of his original editions; and it is not to our purpose to quote those which were afterwards republished with corrections. In his Supplication, however, which I have already mentioned, he is equally plain and express as to the regiment of women. Take the following extract from the long prayer of which his book consists, and forgive me for reprinting matter offensive enough in itself, but rendered tenfold more offensive by the form in which it is presented. But it must be remembered that the author was one of Archbishop Cranmer's Chaplains, and his opinion, especially as he thought fit to give it in so emphatic and solemn a manner, must not be overlooked ;

'But alas for sorow, this most goodly & godly Impe, this moste

H

Christen kyng, this noble yonge Josias was for oure vnthankefulnes & wicked lyuing taken awaye from vs, before the tyme vnto our great sorow & vnspeakable hartes disease. Whose death was the beginning, and is now still the continuaunce of all our sorowes, griefes & miseries. For in the steade of that verteous prince, thou haste set to rule ouer vs an woman, whom nature hath formed to be in subieccion vnto man, & whom thou by thyne holy Apostle commaundest to kepe silence & not to speake in the congregacion. Ah Lord, to take away the empire from a man, and to gyue it vnto a woman, seemeth to be an euident token of thyne anger toward vs Englishmen. For by the Prophete, thou beyng displeased with thy people, threatnest to sette women to rule ouer them, as people vnworthy to haue lauful, natural, and mete gouernors to reign over them. And verely though we fynd, that women sometime bare rule among thy people, yet do we rede, that suche as ruled & were quenes, were for the moste part wicked, vngodly, supersticious, & geuen to idolatry, & to all filthy abhominacion, as we may se in the histories of quene Jesabel, quene Athalia, quene Herodias and such like. Ah Lorde God, we dare not take vpon vs to iudge anye creature, for vnto the alone are the secretes of all hartes knowne, but of this are we sure, that synce she ruled, whyther of her owne disposicion, or of the prouocacion of a certayne wylde bore, successor too Ananias that whyghtie daubed waulle, we know not, thy vineyarde is vtterly rooted vp and layde waste, thy true religion is bannished, and popishe supersticion hath preuayled, yea & that vnder the coloure of the catholicke churche." &c.-Becon, Supp., Sig. A. vii.

It is conceivable that Becon might imagine it possible that, in some sort of sense, he, and those whom he expected to use his "Supplication," might be able to say that they dared not "to judge any creature; " and this may perhaps be considered as consistent with his launching such an anathema as the following, provided it is believed that he did not mean it to have reference, or to be applied by his readers, to any particular persons ;

"Those, O Lorde, whiche are thy sworne enemyes and of a sett purpose euen ageynste their owne conscience and contrary to their knowledge persecute the gloryus Gospell of thy derely beloued sonne and the tru fauourers of the same, and wil by no meanes be reconciled, nor leane vnto the truthe, but go forthe dayly more and more to hinder the fre and ioyefull passage of thy holy wored, & to withdrawe so many as they can from beleuyng, receauyng, and embrassyng the same seyng they synne the synne vnto deathe and are not to be conuerted, O Lorde haiste the to root theme vp from the face of the Earthe that they be no more stomblyng blockes to the weake Christians. Destroie thow them O God, let them peryshe thoroughe theyr owne imaginacions. Caste them out in the multitud of their vngodlynes, for they haue rebelled ageynste the. Rayne thowe snares fyre, brimston, storme, and tempeste, vpon them, let this be their porcion to drincke. Let them be confounded and put

to shame, that seke after the lyues of the faithfull. O let them be turned backe and broughte to confusion, that imagine mischefe ageynste them. Let them be as duste befor the wynd, and the Angel of the Lord scattering them. Let their way be dark and slippery, and let thy Angel O Lord persecut them. Yea let soden distruccion com vpon them vnwares, and the netes that they haue layde preuely, cathe [sic] themselues, that they maye faull into theyr own mycheff. Let the swerdes that they drawe out go thorowe their owne heartes, and the bowes that they haue bended slea them selues."-Becon, Sig. E. ij.

Who were "Those"? Let the question be honestly answered. Was it altogether improbable that such an anathema should be applied in a way not very likely to conciliate the Queen, the Council, and the ecclesiastical rulers? The Queen was supposed to be too much in the hands of the bishops, and the anonymous author of the "Supplicacyon to the Quenes Maiestie" thought fit to caution her on this head in no very equivocal terms;

"We read also in the 18. chapter off the third booke off the kings, affter that allmighty god at the praier off the prophet Elias, had shut the heauens that it rainid not in thre yeres and six monithes, and king Achab meting with the prophet Elias, he sayd to him thou art be that troblest all Israel' (like as steuen gardener bisshop off winchester and his feloues, saith to the pour preachers and professors of Christes gospell now a days) but Elias words shall answere hym, wherwith he answerid king Achab. It is he and hys complices, that haue forsaken the liuing god, and do go a whoring after strang gods, as the matter shall plainly appere when god will, like as it did appere by Elias, with the 400. false prophets, which false prophetts had seduced the quene Iesabell, and cawsid her to sley and distroy all gods holy prophetts (like as our false and cruell bisshopps intendith to do) so that the prophet Elias was fain to fly in to the wildernes, to saue his liff, wher god appointid A Rauen to feed hym: but what was the ende both of the quene and of all those false prophetts? Read the text, and you shal plainly perceiue that the quene was cast down out of a window wher she brake her necke and was eaten vp of dogs, as the prophet of god had before said, and all here false prophetts and preastes were vtterly distroied.

"Let this greuous example moue your grace do beware the tymes of your false bysshopps and clergye, specyally of steuen gardener bysshop of wynchester."-Supp. to the Queen, Sig. A. iv. b.

It is hardly necessary to ask the reader to consider what the Queen and the government of England must have thought of those persons abroad who sent over, and those in this country who circulated, such books as I have quoted from, and how they must have felt disposed, not to say com

pelled, to treat them? The question at present is not how far the matter was right or wrong, or what we may think of it in itself, but what did the Queen and her Council think of it? I do not say what did the King and his Spaniards think of it, for they had enough to think of in other matter more particularly and pointedly addressed to themselves, and of which I hope to give some specimens presently.

ESSAY VIII.

PURITAN POLITICS. No. IV.

THE SPANIARDS.

6

"I AM Come vnto you"-said Queen Mary, to the citizens of London, in the speech which she made to them on occasion of Wyatt's rebellion-"I am come vnto you, in mine own 'person to tel you that which already you see & know, that 'is, how traiterously and rebelleously, a number of Kentishmen haue assembled themselves against both vs & you. Their pretence (as they said at first) was for a mariage 'determined for vs, to the which, and to all the articles 'thereof ye haue bin made priuy. But sithens we have 'caused certaine of our priuy Counsaile to go againe vnto 'them and to demand the cause of this their rebellion, and 'it appeared then vnto our said counsel, that the matter of 'the mariage seemed to bee but as a Spanish cloak to couer 'their pretensed purpose against our religion; so that they 'arrogantly and traiterously demanded to haue the gouer'nance of our person, the keeping of the Tower, and the ' placing of our Counsailers."

"Now louing subiects," continued the Queen, "what I 'am ye right wel know. I am your Queen, to whom at my 'coronation, when I was wedded to the Realme and lawes of 'the same (the spousall ring whereof I haue on my finger,