TO THE RIGHT VERTVOVS, MOST EXCELLENT, AND NOBLE PRINCESSE QVEENE ELIZABETH, OVR DREAD LADY, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, Queene of England, France, and Ireland, defen∣der of the faith, &c.

WHen we call to minde (most gracious and dread Soueraigne) the manifold blessings, which the Lord by your Highnes hand hath reached forth to this Realme & Church of England, the long flourishing peace, which the land vnder your prosperous gouernmēt hath these many yeares enioyed, the like whereof neither our forefa∣thers haue seene, nor other countries knowne: The notable reformatiō also of the church, & purging of the house of God, which daies the holy Martyrs and seruants of God long sighed for, and desired to see, but saw them not: When we doe consider these things, we nothing doubt to say, that the prophecie of Esay is fulfil∣led in these our daies, who saith concerning the Church: Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and Queenes thy nursing mothers:* as it is also prophecied in the Psalmes,*In stead of thy fathers thou shalt haue chil∣dren, whom thou mayest make Princes in all lands. For now who see∣eth not, that many Christian Princes in the worlde are become the children of the Church?

Your Maiesties renowmed father king Henry the eight, and your Highnesse brother of blessed memory king Edward the sixt, did but begin the foundation of the Temple, and lay the plot, and with Dauid prepared gold, siluer, brasse,* iron and all thinges needfull for the buil∣ding: but it was his good pleasure, that you with peaceable Salomon should finish the building, and with Zorobabel should prosper with the stone of tinne in your hand. The Lord hath made you a wall and a hedge to his vineyard to keepe out the wilde boare:* a goodly tree to Page  [unnumbered] giue shade to the beasts of the field, & succour to the •oules of the aire, a nurse to the people of God,* to carry them in your bosome, as the nurse beareth the sucking child. The Lord Christ would once againe hang vpon the breasts of a Virgin:* God hath raised you vp a Deborah to iudge Israel, an Esther to deliuer the Church: the Lord hath made you as that vertuous matrone that doth cloath her family with double rayment:* your Realme flourisheth with true religion, and abundance of peace▪ this is our double apparell. Now seuen women shal no more take hold of one man,* saying, Come let vs be called by thy name: but thousands of men make sute to one woman, as all Israel went vp to be iudged of Deborah.*

What though the Papists fret and storme, and cut your Maiestie very short,* saying, that the Prince ought neither to giue voice in coū∣sell for matters of religion, nor make Ecclesiastical lawes, and would as Zedechiah his eyes were put out, & Adonibesech his fingers cut off, so both take away the eye of your iudgement, and your right hand of power in Ecclesiasticall matters? What though another foule mou∣thed Iesuite doth most impudently slaunder your Maiestie, saying in great contempt, I am reipsa Caluinistis in Anglia, mulier quaedam sum∣mus Pontifex est?* As for them, let them wander and run vp and down in the Citie, barking and snarling like hungrie dogges, seeking meat▪ and shall not be satisfied, as the Psalme saith, yet shal the building pros∣per vnder your hand: the people of God doe cry out with shoutings▪ Grace grace vnto it; the whole Church of God from all partes of the world saluteth you,* saying: We haue blessed you out of the house of God, & do encourage you to go forward, gird thy sword to thy thigh prosper thou with thine honor, ride on, because of the word of truth God hath giuen into your hand a two edged sword: with one edge i• defendeth the Church from false religion; with the other, the cōmon wealth from oppression:* as an anciēt father saith, Tunc iustitia dicitu• gladius ex vtraque parte acutus, quia hominis defendit corpus ab exte∣rioribus iniurijs, & animā à spiritualibus molestijs. To Kings & Prin∣ces it is especially said, Thou shalt walke vpon the Lyon and Aspe, the young Lyon and Dragon thou shalt tread vnder thy feete.* The Lyon is the open enemy, the Aspe & dragon is the close hypocrite that peruer∣teth religion. The good lawes of Princes are as the pitch of Noahs arke,* it was pitched within and without: so good Princes are to pro∣uide, both for the safetie of the land from forraine enemies abroad, and Page  [unnumbered] to preserue the soundnes of religion, from corruption of heresie at home. How lawfull your Maiesties gouernement is, and how well pleasing before God, the sequele and effect doth abundantly shew. Sa∣lomon asked wisedome, and he receiued both riches and honor with∣all: none of all these hath God denyed to you: the Lord loueth you, his left hand is vnder your head, his right hand doth embrace you, as the wiseman saith, At his right hand is length of daies, at his left, riches & honor: all these hath the Lord graunted vnto you:* and thus the Lord honoreth those that honor him. And as your Maiestie doth proceede and continue in aduauncing the Lords honour: so he is able yet to do greater things for you.

Now then, seeing your Highnes is our Zorobabel, the chiefe buil∣der of Gods house, and the rest of your faithfull subiects are the hel∣pers and workemen, some as labourers vnder you: I your humble and meanest subiect, as a poore labourer, fit but to carry rubbish & stones, and to serue other builders, haue forced my selfe to do somewhat to∣wards the building of Gods house: I haue therfore (may it please your Maiestie) in this worke set downe the bodie and summe of all Popish opinions whatsoeuer, wherein we dissent from them, and they from the truth, and haue endeuoured to lay open their nakednes, that euery man may see their great brags, and small abilitie: words, but no matter: great promises, yet little performed: and why, as Augustine saith,*Ostē∣dere hoc non possunt, non quia ingenium deest, sed quia bona causa.

This labour of mine was thought to be very expedient for these times, and not before enterprised by any, that men not learned, might in one volume finde all the controuersies of religion, which their lei∣sure would not suffer them to collect them selues. Many of our lear∣ned countrimen haue in some choise & principal controuersies, as the Lords valiant champions, maintained the truth strongly against the common aduersarie: but this small labour, as it pleased the Lord, was left for me: they haue borne the heate of the day, the coole euenings worke is cast vpon me. They haue built with hewen stones,* the brick-worke is my lot; they haue squared the tall cedar trees, the wilde figge trees must be hewen out by my hand.

This simple worke I haue presumed to present to your Maiestie, as a token of my dutie and seruice, a poore scholers gift, as a signe of my thankfulnes to God and your Maiestie, by whom we haue both lei∣sure and maintenance to follow our studies: for as the Poet saith, Deus Page  [unnumbered] nobis haecotia fecit, God through you hath wrought vs this peace. And I was emboldened the rather to offer this simple labor to your High∣nesse, remembring your Princely & gracious disposition, which hath bene wont to accept with great fauour and regard, the meanest gifts of your subiects, yea hath not refused to receiue posies and nosegaies at their hands: With the same Princely countenance, I beseech your grace to receiue this posie of mine,*Non florum, sed foliorum. A prince∣ly minde your Highnesse knoweth, is as well seene in accepting of small giftes, as giuing of great: as Alexander said to a souldier, vpon whom he bestowed a citie: Si tu non es dignus tanta recipere, ego ta∣men dignus tanta donare: so the speech somewhat altered, me thin∣keth I heare your Maiestie thus saying to me: Licet non tu dignus tantula donare, ego tamen digna tantula accipere: though it be not fit for thee to offer so small a gift, yet it standeth with my Princely na∣ture to receiue it.

And now (O noble Queene, our dread Soueraigne) the mother of Israel, a nurse to the people of God, be strong and feare not, the Lord fighteth for you: it is the truth, the ancient Catholike Apostolike faith, which we vnder your leading and protection do professe. As for your enemies,* they shal be as the dust before the wind, and as the clay in the streetes, but your crowne shal flourish, your horne shalbe exal∣ted. In you is that saying verified as it was somtime in Dauid, The stone which the builders refused,*is become the headstone of the corner. You were somtime black with sorow, and the sunne of affliction hath loo∣ked vpon you: but now the Lord hath made you comely, beautifull as the morning,* faire as the moone, giuing his Church vnder; on abun∣dance of blessings: so that we may now all say, This is the day which the Lord hath made, let vs reioyce and be glad in it: yea we will not cease still to pray with the Church of God, O Lord saue now, send vs now prosperitie.* That the Lord would in mercy yet lengthen out these good daies, and so replenish your roiall hart with his grace, that you may still bring forth fruit in your age: that what worke the Lord hath yet to bring to passe in his Church,* it may be finished by your hand: that both this your Realme of England may still be strōgly fen∣ced and hedged about with all temporall blessings,* as also the watch∣tower and watchmen of the Church may thriue and prosper in their spirituall businesse.* And as the Temple of God is now built & set vp aloft, so the riuer of God may flow, and the streames therof make glad Page  [unnumbered] the people of God: that all the land may be filled with knowledge, as the waters couer the sea: and as Aarons siluer bels in the Temple, so the voice of the Gospell may be heard ouer the whole land.* And thus shall the Lord graunt you your harts desire: your sacrifice shall not only be bound to the hornes of the altar, but euen turned to ashes: that is, the Lord will not onely encline his eare to your praier, but graunt your request to the full. That at length your Maiestie shall not doubt to say with the kingly Prophet Dauid,*Mine eye shall see my desire against mine enemies, and mine eare shall heare my wish against the wic∣ked that rise vp against me. And let all the people of God say Amen: euen so be it O Lord, Amen.