An ansvvere to a certen libel intituled, An admonition to the Parliament, by Iohn VVhitgifte, D. of Diuinitie

A Letter of master Gualter, writ∣ten of late to the R. Reuerende father in Christ, the bishop of Ely.

S. ACCEPI (Reuerende in Christo pater) litteras tuas, quibus ad eas respondes, quas ego ante sexennium, anno nimirum. 1566. ad D. Parkhurstum amicum veterem dederā. Vt autem ego vehementia quadam in scri∣bendo vsus fui, ita tu quo{que} mea non minus grauiter diluis. Sed libertate tua adeò me non offendi scias, vt potius summi beneficij loco ducam tuam illam admonitionem, siue, correptionem malis dicere. Nā ex ea amari me abs te in∣telligo, quem ego prius, licet facie ignotum, venerari solebam, propter pietatis ac eruditionis testimonium, quod piae memoriae vir, Petrus Martyr, tibi saepius apud me tulit, et cuius argu∣mentum euidens nunc in tuis literis conspicio. Pietatis enim esse scio causam publicam contra quosuis tueri, amoris autem indiciū est libera admonitio, qua fratris ab alijs decepti error arguitur, vt rectius sentire discat. Quod vtrum{que} cum tu non minus eruditè, quam verè facias, tuam pietatem merito exoscu∣lor, & spero offensionem istam quae inter nos exorta fuit, ami∣citiae indissolubilis nobis causam fore. De tua enim humanita∣te mihi polliceor, quod culpam hanc mihi facile condonatura sit, si quo tempore, & quibus de causis, & ad quem ista scripse∣rim, consideret. Fuit tempus illud exulceratissimum, & diuersae in singulos fere dies ad nos literae perferebantur, cum infoelix illa de vestibus controuersia apud vos ageretur. Monuimus iunt aduersarios vestros, ne propter rem nullius momentilites mouerent in ecclesia, & putabamus rem benè esse sopitam. Sed ecce praeter omnem expectationem, Geneua adueniunt Angli duo, qui à D. Beza, cuius aures criminibus & calumnijs op∣pleuerant, litteras afferunt piae quaerimoniae plenas, quibus v•• rebus Angliae afflictissimis opem ferremus rogabat, & vt ego ad vos profectionem instituerem hortabatur. Accessit duo∣rum istorum relatio, qui eadem nobis narrabant, quae prius Ge∣neue

nin•• profuderant, id{que} tanta cum confidentia, & pietatis si∣mulatione, vt scripto quo{que} consignatos exhiberent errores, & abusus multos, at{que} nimium superstitiosos, quosiam in Anglia defendi dicebant, & ab Ecclesiae ministerio deijci cos omnes qui illis consentire nollent. Addebant hoc ipsis acerbissimum ac∣cedere, quod pleri{que} Episcoporum se executores praeberent corū, quae in A••la ab hominibus superstitioni, & ambitioni deditis indies conderentur. Quis vero aliquos tam impudentos esse suspicaretur, qui tanta cum fiducia auderent mentiri in causa publica, cuius cognitio non poterat diu latere? Nos certè isto∣rum narratio vehementer perturbauit, & fateor me extempore epistolium illud effudisse, & ad D. Parkhurstum, quocū mihi licere putabam liberius agere, propter veterē amicitiā, quae ante annos triginta quin{que} Oxonij, in••hoata postea domi meae, qua∣tuor annorū hospitio ita confirmatae fu••t, vt & illi in me ius esse velim, & vicissim mihi de illo quiduis polliceatur. Nihil minus mihi in mentem veniebat, quàm vt meas literas ille latius spar∣gere••. Nam ipsius potius sententiam audire cupiebam, qui tamen de hac causa nihil vnquam scripsit. Quod me non multum mouebat, eo quod non multum post D. Abelus, vir optimus & amicus communis noster, de hac re ad nos scri∣beret, vos{que} omnes hac culpa liberaret. Nihil ergo porro soli∣citus eram de meis illis literis, quas soli Parkhursto meo scrip••eram, de cuius in me studio dubitare, neque possum, neque debeo. At quia eas latius sparsas fuisse nunc demum inte••••igo, id certè mihi vehementer dole••, & tuae amplitudini (mi pater reuerende) me gratias ingentes debere fateor, qui vel sero tandem de eo me feceris certiorem. Et quia te de animi mei candore & affectu syncero non dubiture scribis, tuam hu∣manitatem rogo reuerenter, vt me apud alios etiam excuset, ad quorum manus mea illa Epistola peruenit. Nobis certè ab eo tempore cum vanis istis rixatoribus nihil res fuit, qui ne{que} ad nos vnquam scripserunt, ne{que} aliquid à nobis profectum iacture poterunt. Nam non multo post euidentius apparuit quid mo∣lirentur, quando in Palatinatu sub disciplinae ecclesiastica prae∣textu, cuius illi caput & summam in excommunicatione con∣stituunt, mutationis primi author•• fuerunt, quae Ecclesias illas

vehementer concussit. Rurfus ergo tuam amplitudinem rog•• reuerende in Christo pater, ne de Gualtero, Anglici nominis studiosissimo, aliquid finistrum suspiceris. Faxo enim, sic vo∣lente deo, vt publicum quo{que} extet meae de vobis omnibus qui illic Christo seruitis existimationis testimonium. Et sane nisi de nostro consensu mihi nihil non pollicerer, nunquam certè filiū meum, qui mihi vnicus est ex Zuinglia mea, cuius defunctae me∣moria mihi praetiosissima est, in Angliam misissem. Quem si tuae amplitudini à me hucus{que} commendat••m esse miraris, non alia de causa id abs me neglectum putabis, quam quod nullum ante hac inter nos fuit literarum commertium, me vero pude∣ret, tibi tanto viro & mihi non nisi ex nomine noto priuatam ob causam aliquid negotij exhibere. Quae apud nos ferunter, ex domino Sando Londinensi Episcopo rescire poteris, eadem hic repetere propter nuntij qui mihi praeter expectationem ob∣tigit festinationem, non licet. Christus Iesus tuam amplitu∣dinem seruet, suo{que} spiritu regat. Amen. Tiguri. 9. Iunij. Anno. 1572.

Amplitudinis tuae obseruantissimus. RODOLPHVS GVALTERVS.

The same in Englishe.

S. I haue receyued your letters (Reuerende father in Christe) vvherein you do ansvvere vnto those, vvhich I sent vnto mine olde friende, D. Parkhurst, aboue sixe yeres since, euen in the yere. 1566. And as I vsed a certayne kinde of vehemencie, so do you also vvith no lesse grauitie, put avvay my assertions. But assure your selfe; that I am so farre off from beeing offended vvith this your li∣bertie, that I rather esteeme of that your admonition or reprehension (if it please you so to terme it) as of an espe∣ciall and singuler benefite. For by it I perceiue that I am beloued of you, vvhom before (although by face vnkno∣vven) I vvas vvont to reuerence, for the testimonie of godlinesse and learning, vvhich Peter Martyr ( a man of godly memorie) dyd oftentimes giue of you vnto me, and vvherof I novve see an euident proofe in these your let∣ters. For I knovve, that to defende the common cause agaynst any man, is a poynt of pietie: but a free admoni∣tion, vvherby the errour of thy brother (beeing deceyued by other men) is reproued, to the intent that he mighte learne to iudge better, is as a token of loue. Bothe the vvhich, seeing that you haue no lesse learnedly, than true∣ly performed, I haue iust cause to embrace your holinesse, trusting, that this displeasure vvhich hath arisen betvvixte vs, shall be a cause of perpetuall amitie. For thus muche I dare presume of your curtesie, that I shall easily obtayne pardon for this offence, if you vvould but consider at vvhat time, vpon vvhat occasion, and vnto vvhom I vvrote these things. The tyme vvas moste corrupt and troublesome, and diuers letters vvere brought vnto vs euery day, vvhen that vnhappie controuersie about apparell vvas broched amongst you. VVe then admonished your aduersaries, that they should not moue any contention in the Church, for a matter of so small importance: and vve thought the matter had beene vvelnigh buried. But beholde, contrary to all mens expectation, there commeth tvvo English men

from Geneua, vvho brings from master Beza, (vvhose eares they had before filled vvith crymes & forged accusations) letters full of godly complaynts, vvherin he desired that we vvould helpe the most afflicted state of Englande, and coū∣celled me, to make a iorney vnto you. Herevnto vvas ad∣ioyned the reporte of those tvvo, vvho declared vnto vs the same things, vvhich before they had vttred at Geneua, and that vvith so great confidence, and shevv of holinesse, that they set dovvne in vvriting errors, and many superstitious abuses, vvhich they sayde vvere novv defended in England, and that al those vvere put frō the ministerie of the church, vvhich vvould not consent thervnto. They sayd moreouer, that this vvas their greatest greese, that many of the By∣shops shevved them selues to be the executors of those things, vvhich vvere dayly coyned of superstitious and am∣bitious Courtiers. But vvho (I pray you) vvould suspecte, that any vvould so boldly make a lye in a common cause, the knovvledge vvherof could not long be hid? surely their talke moued vs very much, and I confesse I vvrote that Epi∣stle vpon a soden vnto. D.P. vvith vvhō I thought I might be bolde, for the olde friendship, vvhich beeing begon at Oxeforde, aboue .35. yeres agoe, hath bene so confirmed since, by his soiorning at my house the space of foure yeres, that bothe I am vvilling to be at his commaundement, and agayne also may assure my selfe of his good vvill, in any respect. Notvvithstāding, I thought nothing lesse, than that he vvould publish my letters abroad, for I onely desired to heare his aduise: vvho (for all that) neuer vvrote of this matter: vvhich thing moued me not much, bicause a singu∣ler honest man, and our common friende, D.A. vvrote ther∣of vnto vs, and deliuered you all from blame. Therefore I tooke no care at all for those my letters, vvhich I had vvrittē onely vnto my P. of vvhose good vvill, I neither can nor ought to doubt. But surely I am very sory, since I vnderstand novv, that they haue ben farther published: and I think my selfe bound to giue your honor great thanks (Reuerend fa∣ther) for that at the length (though somevvhat late) you

haue aduertised me therof. And forsomuche as you vvrite, that you haue no doubte of the simplicitie of my minde, and sincere affection, I humbly beseech your gentlenesse, to make my excuse vnto others, also to vvhose hands, that my Epistle hath come. Verily since that time, vve haue had no∣thing to do vvith those vayne bravvlers, vvho neither haue vvritten to vs at any tyme, neither yet can bragge of any thing that hath come from vs. For not long after, it more playnly appeared vvhat they vvēt about, vvhen as vnder the pretence of Ecclesiasticall discipline (the head and chiefest poynt vvherof they vvould haue to consist in excōmunica∣tion) they vvere the chiefe authors of an alteration vvithin the seigniorie of the countie Palatine, vvhich maruellously troubled and disquieted those Churches. VVherfore once agayne (Reuerende father in Christ) I beseeche your ho∣nor, that you vvould not conceiue any sinister opinion of Gualter, vvho beareth a singuler affection to the Englishe nation: for (God vvilling) I vvill set foorth a publike testi∣monie, hovv muche I esteeme of you al, vvhich serue Christ in that place: and certenly I vvould neuer haue sent my sonne into Englande, vvhome onely I haue of my vvife Zvvinglia (the memorie of vvhose death is most leefe and deare to me) except I had throughly persuaded my selfe of our consent and agreement. If you maruell that I haue not hitherto vvritten to your honor in his behalfe, you shall vnderstand, that I haue neglected it, for no other cause, thā this, that before this time, there hath bene no entercourse of letters betvvixt vs, and I should haue bene ashamed to trouble you, so vvorthy a mā, & altogither (except by name only) vnto me vnknovvne, for a priuate matter. You may vnderstande by D.S. Byshop of L. all our affayres in these quarters, vvhich I could not here repeate, for the hast of the messanger, vvhich happened to me vnlooked for. Christ Ie∣sus preserue and guide your honor vvith his spirite. Amen. From Tigure, the .9. of Iune. 1572.

Your Honours most ready at commaun∣dement, Rodolph Gualter.