A reproufe, written by Alexander Nowell, of a booke entituled, A proufe of certayne articles in religion denied by M. Iuell, set furth by Thomas Dorman, Bachiler of Diuinitie: and imprinted at Antvverpe by Iohn Latius. Anno. 1564. Set foorth and allowed, according to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions

Dorman. fol. 14

Aske of them vvith vvhat face they coulde so many yeres together, call king Henry the eight supreame head of the churche of England immediatly vnder God, and novv our gracious soueraigne lady his daughter, supreme gouernour in all ecclesiastical thinges and causes ouer the same (vvhiche hovv so euer they please themselues vvith fine fetches and coloured deuises, is vvith the other title in effect al one) if this reason of theirs vvere good: Christ is head of the churche, therefore there is no other head therof vnder him? And hovve vvas king Henry then? If they saye that their meaning is, that no man can, be∣cause Christ is head of the vniuersall churche, be vnder him head of the vvhole, but may vvell be of some parti∣culer churche, as king Henry vvas, and the Quenes ma∣iestie novve is: Then demaunde of them vvhat reason they haue to leade them to say, that a particuler membre of the churche (as the churche of Englande can bee no

more maie haue an other head beside Christe, and the whole bodie maie not? and whye one member maie haue twoo heades, more then one bodie?

Nowell.

Now after his long digressions, and declamations against the Suenkfeldians, against the Arrians, and Anabaptistes, and against the conferēce of scriptures, the manne remembryng hymself, retourneth sodainlie to his matter by a question. And in deede he taketh on with his Herotemata, and other rollyng Rhetoricall figures exceadynglie, now that he draweth towarde a conclusion. Flie those, sticke to those, (saieth M. Dor∣man) Shrinke not from those: Tell those you are at a poincte with them: Saie to them, as saincte Hierome saied: Tell them bouldlie, with sainct Augustine: Aske of them with what face, then demaunde of them a∣gaine, with what reason: with many other Rhetoricall floures, wherewith he hath geuen a faire floorishe to his finall conclusion: Magno conatu magnas nugas a∣gens, as thei saie, makyng greate adooe aboute greate trifles, as I doubte not but all wise menne will iudge. Aske of them (saieth maister Dorman) with what face thei could call Kyng Henrie the eight so many yeres supreame heade of the Churche of Englande? &c. As though the man had so proued the contrarie, that none durste shewe his face to gainesaie hym, whereas all he hath saied is not woorthe one rushe. Aske of them [{quod} he] with what face. Naie aske of your forsworne fa∣thers the old Papistes (for some of them are yet liuyng who gaue hym that title firste] with what face thei did geue it hym, did sweare it to hym, and so long tyme cō∣tinued so callyng hym: if thei did not so thinke, as thei saied, and had sworne, but dissembled deepelie, aske of them with what face thei plaied so false dissemblyng

hypocrites (to saie but soberlie) with so noble a prince, their soueraigne Lorde? Aske of them what maner of subiectes thei were all that while, feignyng in face, in countenaunce, in woorde, and writyng also, yea and takyng a solemne othe to be with their prince therein, and beyng in harte, and déede, on the Pope, his sworne enemie, his side? Whiche passeth hauyng of twoo fa∣ces vnder one hoode. But if thei thought in deede, as thei pretended in woordes, then aske of thē with what face thei did chaunge their copie, & forsweare the same, and themselues with all so easilie afterwarde: yea and compelled al other to be forsworne with them for com∣panie? If it will please you to resorte to the recordes of the .xxij. and .xxiiij. yeres of king Henry the eight, there shall you finde who thei were, that first offered this ti∣tle to the saied kyng: there shall you finde that all Ab∣bottes, and other religious, all the Bishops, Deanes, Archedeacons, and Cleargie of bothe the houses of the Conuocation, then liuyng, gaue hym that title. Emō∣gest whom if you finde one protestante, I can for hym finde one score of papistes (to speake with the least) and peraduenture one hundreth too. And those protestan∣tes, who gaue hym that title, dealed simplie and plain∣ly with their Prince, as becomed true subiectes, as the sequele declared. But there shall you finde an huge number of Papistes, who by their writyng, not onelie saiyng: by their othe, not woorde onely, reiected all that false vsurped supremacie of the Pope (whiche you and thei, as many of them as yet bee liuyng, without all face, or with a shamelesse face, dooe now maintaine) there shall you finde who gaue to Kyng Henrie the su∣premacie ouer the cleargie, as well as the laitie, with∣in his owne dominions: there shall you finde who thei were that so falsely dissembled, and that so many yeres

together with their soueraigne lorde. There shall you finde who thei were that chaunged their copie and tur∣ned with the wind, as the wethercocke: there shall you finde, who thei were, that so falsely sware, resware, triesware, forsware themselues, and not content there∣with, did so cruelly by all moste terrible tormentes and dreadfull deathes, compell others to periurie with thē. S••ing therefore thus standeth the case, with what face soeuer M. Dorman moueth suche demaundes, and ve∣xeth vs with suche leude questions, to bee enquired o∣therwhere, surelie he dooeth it without all forehead, or shamefastnesse. Now to the matter: by what right wée geue the Quéenes maiestie the title of the supreme go∣uernour in Ecclesiasticall matters, as well as tempo∣rall, and with what face we so call her, is to be answe∣red in the second parte of M. Dormans diuision (where he affirmeth that priestes onely, and not princes ought to haue the gouernemēt of the churche) wherin I doubt nothyng to aduouche, and that shortly, the princes due authoritie in the churche of God within their own do∣minions, with better face, authoritie, reason, and con∣science, then you haue dooen, or shalbée able to dooe in the mainteinaunce of the Popes foraine false vsurped supremacie. Where M. Dorman requireth a reason, why a particuler church maie haue one head gouernor vnder Christ in earth, and the whole church maie not: why one member maie, and the whole bodie maie not haue any head: I truste the reason is not to seeke in the good readers memorie, seyng it hath been so ofte decla∣red before. Yet will I answere M. Dormā his question by an other questiō. Why maie one kingdom haue one head in earth vnder God (as daily experiēce teacheth) & the whole worlde can not haue one onely head in earth vnder God: (that Monarchie being reserued to himself

alone) and why in this case the member maie haue an earthly heade besides God, and the whole bodie maie not? If M. Dorman saie, the questions bee not like, I aske with what face he can so saie: seing that in the be∣ginnyng of this his treatie, he brought the example of * 1.1 ciuill gouernemente, in the whiche euery kyngdome hath his Kyng, euery countrey, citie, and companie, haue their seuerall gouernours &c. to prooue that the churche ought likewise to haue one head? But I wotte what maister Dorman and other Papistes would saie to my question, if the tymes serued them. Thei would quickelie aunswere, that the whole worlde hath, and ought to haue one onely head in earth vnder God, and therefore the Churche in like wise oughte to haue one onely head in earth vnder Christe. And if thei were de∣maunded, who is, or should be that head? If the tyme, I saie, were for it, thei would plainelie saie, the Pope * 1.2 is Lorde and Monarche of the whole worlde, and head of the whole Churche too: For so it is recorded in the booke of his Canon lawe, and that he hath as muche righte to all the Kyngdomes of the worlde, as onelie Monarche, as he hath to the whole Churche dispersed throughout all the worlde, as the onelie head: and in so saiyng, maister Dorman might saie more truely, then he is ware of: For he hath like righte to bothe, that is, none at all to any of bothe. But in all his behauiour, riches, pompe, power, Castelles, souldiours, armour, gunnes, and other artillarie of warre, he shewith hym self more like a worldlie prince, then in any one poincte like a godlie bishop, or a bishop at all, whereof he hath no token, nor signe at all. Wherefore he mighte with better reason, plead for his Monarchie of the worlde, as partlie in possession thereof, then for his bishoprike of the world, beyng cleane out of al possessiō of any bi∣shoprike,

and without all showe of any bishop. And as when the tyme serued hym, in Kyng Ihons daies, he made as greate title to the croune, as to the Churche of * 1.3 Englande: and named the prince his vassall, aswell as the Priestes his subiectes: so hath this Foxe chaunged his heare, but not his maners. And I praie God that he, beeyng in deede but a false Romishe Foxe, neuer haue oportunitie nor power, so to plaie the Lyon, or Beare rather, againe in our countrey.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Folio. 4. b.
• * 1.2

  Sex. Decr. li. 3. tit. 16. cap. pe∣riculoso. folio 115. col. 4. li∣tera. k. Papa toti{us} or∣bis tenet prin∣cipatū. & Sert. Decret. lib. 5. tit. 9. de poe∣nis, cap. Foeli∣cis. Romanus pō∣tifex totius ocbis est epis.
• * 1.3

  Math. Parifi∣ensis in vita Iohān. Regis versus finem.