The Apologie, Cap. 1. Diuision. 2.
Wherein thei doo mutche like to the Coniurers, & Sorcerers now a daies, whiche woorkinge with Diuels, vse to saie, they haue theire Bookes, and al theire Holy, and hid Mysteries from Athanasius, Cyprian, Moses, Abel, Adam, and from the Archangel Raphael: to the ende, that their conninge being thought to comme from sutche Patrones and Founders, might be iudged the more high and Holy. After the same manner these menne, bicause they woulde haue theire owne Religion, whiche they themselues, and that not longe sithence, haue brought foorth into the world, to be the more easily, and rather accepted of foolishe personnes, or of sutche, as cast little, whereabout they or others doo goe, they are woonte to saie, they had it from Augustine, Hierome, Chrysostome, from the Apostles, and from Christe him selfe. Ful wel knowe they, that nothinge is more in the peoples fauoure, or better liketh the common sorte, then these names.
M. Hardinge.
Nay Sirs, your selues maie with more reason be likened to Enchaunters, Necromancers, and VVitches. For as they saie, that they haue their Bookes, and their mysteries from those Doctours, and firste Fathers, and from Raphael the Archangel, but cannot shewe the deliuery thereof by any succession from hand to hande, as for example, who receiued the same from Raphael, from Adam, from Abel, &c. and who kept them from time to time: so ye saie also, that ye haue your Gospel, and euery part of your Doctrine from the Apostles, from Christe, from the Prophetes, from the Patriarkes, from heauen, from Gods owne bosome,* 1.1 who is Father of lightes. But ye cannot shewes vs your lauful succession, by whom, and by whose preachinge, as by handes, it came downe alonge from Christe and his Apostles vnto you.‡ 1.2 VVhere laie your sacramentary Doctrine hidden bitwene the time of your Prophete Zuinglius, and your Patriarke Berengarius? Howe, and by what deliuery from hande to hand continewed the same those fiue hundred yeeres? She we vs your succession. VVhere be your Bishops, where be your Churches?
The Doctrine, whiche the Catholikes of our Countrie holde, and professe,* 1.3 as wel touchinge the blessed sacramente, as al other pointes of our faithe, they haue receiued it of theire Bishops, and they of their Predecessours, by order vntil they reache to S. Augustine: S. Augustine receiued it of S. Gregorie: * he of others before him: * and they al one of an other by continual aescente vnto S. Peter: who recei∣ued it of Christe: Christ of God his Father. * And this Doctrine we finde taught and plainely set forth in the bookes that‡ 1.4 S. Augustine, Hierome, Chrysostome, Ambrose, Basile, Cyprian, Dionyse, and the other holy Fathers haue leafte to the Posteritie. And so they be witnesses of the truth of the Doctrine which our Bishops haue taught vs.
Preache ye, and crie ye out neuer so mutche, make so many Lawes in your Parlamentes, as ye liste, imbrue your swordes in the Bloude of the Catholike Christians, as ye crie for it in your pulpites, yet shal that rocke, whereon we staie, be too harde for you. Neither shal ye euer be able to ouerthrowe the Catholike Churche builded thereupon. For certaine we are, that neither al your power, nor Hel gates shal preuaile againste it.* 1.5
The B. of Sarisburie.
Marcus Varro was woonte to saie, Vtile est Ciuitatibus, vt se viri fortes, etiamsi