And that ye may yet know further for the more conuincing these Libellers of wilfull malice , who impudently affirme , That this Oath of Allegiance was deuised for deceiuing and intrapping of Papists in points of conscience ; The truth is , that the Lower house of Parliament at the first framing of this Oath , made it to containe , That the Pope had no power to excommunicate me ; which I caused them to reforme ; onely making it to conclude , That no excommunication of the Popes can warrant my Subiects to practise against my Person or State ; denying the deposition of Kings to be in the Popes lawfull power , as indeed I take any such temporall violence to bee farre without the limits of such a Spirituall censure as excommunication is . So carefull was I that nothing should be contained in this Oath , except the profession of natural Allegiance , & ciuill and temporall obedience , with a prom●se to resist to all contrary vnciuill violence .

This Oath now grounded vpon so great and iust an occasion , set forth in so reasonable termes , and ordeined onely for making of a true distinction betweene Papists of quiet disposition , and in all other things good Subiects , and such other Papists as in their hearts maintained the like violent bloody Maximes , that the Powder-traitors did : This Oath , I say , being published and put in practise , bred such euill blood in the Popes head and his Cleargie , as Breue after Breue commeth forth , vt vndam vnda sequitur ; prohibiting all Catholiques from taking the same , as a thing cleane contrary to the Catholicke faith ; and that the taking thereof cannot stand with the saluation of their soules .

There commeth likewise a letter of Cardinall Bellarmines to Blackwell to the same purpose ; but discoursing more at length vpon the sayd Oath . Whereupon , after I had entred in consideration of their vniust impugning that so iust and lawfull an Oath ; and fearing that by their vntrue calumnies and Sophistrie the hearts of a number of the most simple and ignorant of my people should be mis-led , vnder that faire and deceitfull cloake of conscience ; I thought good to set foorth an Apologie for the said Oath : wherin I proued , that as this Oath contained nothing but matter of ciuill and temporall Obedience , due by Subiects to their Soueraigne Prince : so this quarrelling therewith was nothing but a late vsurpation of Popes ( against the warrant of all Scriptures , ancient Counsels and Fathers ) vpon the temporall power of Kings , where with onely my Apologie doth meddle . But the publishing of this Booke of mine hath brought such two Answerers , or rather Raylers vpon me , as all the world may wonder at . For my Booke beeing first written in English , an English Oath beeing the subiect thereof , and the vse of it properly belonging to my subiects of England ; and immediatly thereafter being translated into Latine , vpon a desire that some had of further publishing it abroad it commeth home vnto me now answered in both the Languages . And , I thinke , if it had beene set forth in all the tongues that were at the confusion of Babel , it would haue beene returned answered in them all againe . Thus may a man see how busie a Bishop the Deuill is , and how he omitteth no diligence for venting of his poisoned wares . But herein their malice doth cleerely appeare , that they pay me so quickly with a double answere ; and yet haue neuer answered their owne Arch-priest , who hath written a booke for the maintenance of the same Oath , and of the temporall authoritie of Kings , alledging a cloud of their owne Scoolemen against them .

As for the English Answerer , my vnnaturall and fugitiue Subiect ; I will neither defile my pen , nor your sacred eies or eares with the describing of him , who ashames , nay , abhorres not to rayle , nay , to rage and spewe forth blasphemies against the late Queene of famous memorie . A Subiect to raile against his naturall Soueraigne by birth ; A man to rayle against a Lady by sexe ; A holy man ( in outward profession ) to insult vpon the dead ; nay , to take Radamanthus office ouer his head , and to sit downe and play the Iudge in hell ; And all his quarrell is , that either her Successour , or any of her Seruants should speake honourably of her . Cursed be he that curseth the Anointed of God : and destroyed mought he be with the destruction of Korah , that hath sinned in the contradiction of Korah . Without mought such dogs and swine be , cast forth , I say , out of the spirituall Ierusalem .

As for my Latine Answerer , I haue nothing to say to his person ; he is not my Subiect ; he standeth or falleth vnto his owne Lord : But sure I am , they two haue casten lots vpon my Booke , since they could not diuide it : the one of them , my fugitiue , to rayle vpon my late Predecessor , ( but a rope is the fittest answere for such an Historian ; ) the other , a stranger , thinketh he may be boldest both to pay my person and my booke , as indeed hee doth ; which how iustly either in matter or maner , we are now to examine .

But first , who should be the true Authour of this booke , I can but guesse . He calleth himselfe Matthaeus Tortus , Cardinal Bellarmins Chaplain . A a a Being a proper word to expresse the true meaning of Tortus . throwen Euangelist indeed , full of throward Diuinitie ; an obscure Authour , vtterly vnknowen to me , being yet little knowen to the world for any other of his works : and therefore must be a very desperate fellow in beginning his apprentisage , not only to refute , but to raile vppon a King . But who will consider the cariage of the whole booke , shall find that hee writeth with such authoritie , or at the least tam elato stylo , so little sparing either Kings in generall , or my person in particular ; and with such a greatnesse , b b P. 46. Habemus enim exemplaria Breuium illorum in manibus , and c c P. 63. Decernimus : as it shall appeare , or at least be very probable , that it is the Masters , and not the mans labour ; especially in one place , where he quarrelleth mee for casting vp his moralis certitudo and piè credi vnto him ; hee there grossely forgetting himselfe , saith , malâ fide nobiscum agit , Pag. 69. thereby making this Authour to be one person with Bellarmine . But let it bee the worke of a Tortus indeed , and not of a personated Cardinall ; yet must it be the Cardinals deede , since Master Tortus is the Cardinals man , and doeth it in his masters defence . The errand then being the Cardinals , and done by his owne man it cannot but be accounted as his owne deed ; especially since the English Answerer doeth foure times promise , that Bellarmine , or one by his appointment , shall sufficiently answere it .

And now to come to his matter and manner of Answere : Surely if there were no more but his vnmannerly manner , it is enough to disgrace the whole matter thereof . For first , to shew his pride , in his Printers preface of the Po●itan edition of this elegans libellus , he must equall the Cardinals greatnesse with mine in euery thing . For though he confesseth this Master Tortus to bee an obscure man ; yet being the Cardinals Chaplaine , he is sufficient enough forsooth to answere an English booke , that lacketh the name of an Authour : as if a personated obscure name for Auhour of a Cardinals booke , were a meet match for answering a Kings booke , that lacketh the name of an Authour ; and a Cardinals Chaplaine to meete with the Deane of the Kings Chappell , whome Parsons with the Cardinall haue ( as it seemeth ) agreed vpon to intitle to bee the Authour of my Apologie . And not onely in the Preface , but also through the whole Booke doeth he keepe this comparatiue greatnesse . He must bee as short in his answere , as I am in my booke , he must refute all that I haue said against the Popes second Breue , with equall breuity , and vpon one page almost , as I haue done mine : and because I haue set downe the substance of the Oath in 14. Articles in iust as many Articles must he set downe that Acte of Parliament of mine , wherein the Oath is contained : And yet , had hee contented himselfe with his owne pride , by the demonstration of his owne greatnesse , without further wronging of me , it had bene the more tol●rable . But what cause gaue I him to farce his whole booke with iniuries , both against my person and booke ? For whereas in all my Apologie I haue neuer giuen him a foule word , and especially neuer gaue him the Lye : he by the contrary giueth me nine times the Lye in expresse termes , and seuen times chargeth mee with a falshood , which phrase is equiualent with a Lye . And as for all other words of reproch ; as nugae , conuitia , temeritas , vanitas , impudentia , blasphemiae , sermonis barbaries , cum eadem foelicitate scribendi , cauillationes , applicatio inepta , fingere historias , audacia que in hominem sanae mentis cadere non potest , vel sensu communi caret , imperitia & leuitas , omnem omnino pudorem & conscientiam exuisse , malâ fide nobiscum agit vt lectoribus per fas & nefas imponat : of such like reproches , I say , I doubt if there be a page in all his booke free , except where he idlely sets down the Popes Breues and his owne Letter . And in case this might onely seeme to touch the vnknowen Authour of the booke , whom notwithstanding he knew well enough , as I shew before ; he spareth not my Person with my owne name : P. 47. sometimes saying , that Pope Clement thought me to be inclined to their Religion : P. 98. sometimes , that I was a Puritane in Scotland , and a persecutor of Protestants . In one place he concludeth , P. 87. Quia Iacobus non est Catholicus , hoc ipso Haereticus est . In another place , P. 98. Ex Christiano Caluinistam fecerunt . In another place hee saith , Ibid. Neque omnino verum est , Iacobum nunquam deseruisse Religionem quam primò susceperat . And in another place , after that hee hath compared and ranked me with Iulian the Apostate , he concludeth , Cum Catholicus non sit , P. 97. neque Christianus est . If this now be mannerly dealing with a King , I leaue it to you to iudge , who cannot but resent such indignities done to one of your quality .

And as for the matter of his booke , it well fits indeed the manner thereof : for he neuer answereth directly to the maine question in my booke . For whereas my Apologie handleth onely two points , as I told you before ; One , to proue that the Oath of Allegiance doeth onely meddle with the ciuil and temporal obedience , due by Subiects to their naturall Soueraignes ; The other , that this late vsurpation of Popes ouer the temporall power of Princes , is against the rule of all Scriptures , ancient Councels and Fathers : hee neuer improoues the first , but by a false inference ; that the Oath denieth the Popes power of excommunication directly , since it denyeth his authoritie in deposing of Kings . And for the second point , he bringeth no proofe to the contrary , but , Pasce oues meas : and , Tibi dabo claues regni coelorum : and , That no Catholike euer doubted of it . So as I may truely say of him , that he either vnderstandeth not , or at least will not seeme to vnderstand my Booke , in neuer directly answering the maine question , as I haue already sayd ; and so may I iustly turne ouer vpon himselfe that doome of ignorance , which in the beginning of his Booke he rashly pronounceth vpon me , saying that I neither vnderstand the Popes Breues , his Letter , nor the Oath it selfe ; And as hee delighteth to repeat ouer and ouer , I know not how oft , and triumpheth in this wrong inference of his ; That to deny the Popes power to depose Kings , 〈◊〉 ●o deny the Popes Primacie , and his spirituall power of Excommunication : So doeth he , vpon that ground of Pasce oues meas , giue the Pope so ample a power ouer Kings , to throne or dethrone them at his pleasure ( and yet onely subiecting Christian Kings to that slauerie ) as I doubt not but in your owne Honours yee will resent you of such indignities ; the rather since it concernes so many of you as professe the Romish religion , farre more then me . For since hee accounteth me an heretike , & like Iulian the Apostate ; I am consequently extra caulam , and none of the Popes flocke , and so am in the case of Ethnicke Princes , ouer whom he confesseth the Pope hath no power . But yee are in the Popes folde ; and you , that great Pastour may leade as sheepe to the slaughter , when it shall please him . And as the asses eares must be hornes , if the Lion list so to interpret it ; so must ye be remoued as scabbed sheepe from the flocke , if so be the Pope thinke you to be , though your skinne be indeed neuer so sound .

Thus hath hee set such a new goodly interpretation vpon the words of CHRIST , Pasce oues meas , as if it were as much to say , as depose Christian Kings ; and that Quodcunque solueris gaue the Pope power to dispense with all sorts of Othes , Vowes , Penalties , Censurers & Lawes , euen with the naturall obedience of Subiects to their Souereigne Lords ; much like to that new coined glosse that his brother a a Senten . Card. Baron , super excom: Venet. Baronius made vpon the words in S. Peters vision , Surge Petre , occide & manduca ; That is , ( said hee to the Pope ) Goe kill and confound the Venetians .

And because I haue in my Booke ( by citing a place in his controuersies ) discouered him to be a small friend to Kings , hee is much commoued . For whereas in his said Controuersies , speaking de Clericis , Lib. de Cler. cap. 28. hee is so bold as to affirme , that Church-men are exempted from the power of earthly Kings ; and that they ought them no subiection euen in temporall matters , but onely virationis and in their owne discretion , for the preseruation of peace and good order ; because , I say , citing this place of his in my Booke , I tell with admiration , that he freeth all Church-men from any subiection to Kings , euen those that are their borne-Subiects : hee is angry with this phrase , and sayth it is an addition for breeding enuie vnto him , and raising of hatred against him . For saith hee , although Bellarmine affirmed generally , that Church-men were not subiect to earthly Kings ; yet did he not insert that particular clause [ though they were borne and dwelling in their dominions ] as if the words of Church-men and earthly Kings in generall imported not as much : for Layicks as well as Church-men are subiect to none but to their naturall Soueraigne . And yet doeth he not sticke to confesse that he meant it , though it was not fit ( he saith ) to be expressed .

And thus quarrels hee me for reuealing his Printed secret . But whose hatred did he feare in this ? was it not yours ? Who haue interest , but KINGS , in the withdrawing of true Subiection from Kings ? And when the greatest Monarchs amongst you will remember , that almost the third part of your Subiects and of your Territories , is Church-men and Church-liuings ; I hope , yee will then consider and weigh , what a feather hee puls out of your wings , when he denudeth you of so many Subiects and their possessions , in the Popes fauour : nay , what bryers and thornes are left within the heart of your Dominions , when so populous and potent a partie shall haue their birth , education and liuelyhood in your Countries , and yet owe you no Subiection , nor acknowledge you for their SOVERAIGNES ? So as where the Church-men of old were content with their tythe of euery mans goods ; the Pope now will haue little lesse then the third part of euery Kings Subiects and Dominions . And as in this place so throughout all the rest of his booke , hee doeth nothing but amplifie the Popes power ouer Kings , and exaggerate my vnreasonable rigour for pressing this Oath ; which he will needes haue to bee nothing but a renewed Oath of Supremacie in more subtill and craftie termes onely to robbe the Pope of his Primacie and spirituall power : making his temporall power and authoritie ouer Princes , to bee one of the chiefe ARTICLES of the Catholike faith .

But that it may the better appeare vnto you , that all my labour and intention in this errand , was onely to meddle with that due temporall Obedience which my Subiects owe vnto mee ; and not to entrap nor inthrall their Consciences , as he most falsly affirmes : Ye shall first see how farre other Godly and Christian Emperours and Kings were from acknowledging the Popes temporall Supremacie ouer them ; nay , haue created , controlled and deposed Popes : and next , what a number of my Predecessors in this Kingdome haue at al occasions , euen in the times of the greatest Greatnesse of Popes , resisted and plainely withstood them in this part .