Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

A copie of the kinges Maiesties letter to the Ladie Marie. 24. Ian. 1550.

RIght deare. &c. We haue seene by letters of our Coun∣saile, sent to you of late, and by your aunsweare there∣unto, touching the cause of certaine your Chaplaines, ha∣uing offended our lawes in saying of Masse, their good and conuenient aduises, and your frutelesse and indirect mista∣king of the same, which thing mooueth vs to wryte at this time, that where good counsell from oure Counsaile hathe not preuailed, yet the like from our selfe maye haue due re∣garde. The whole matter we perceiue resteth in thys, that you being oure next sister, in whome aboue all other oure subiectes, nature shoulde place the moste estimation of vs, would wittingly and purposely, not onely breake our la∣wes your selfe, but also haue others maintained to doe the same. Truely howe soeuer the matter may haue other ter∣mes, other sense it hath not: and although by your letter it seemeth you chalenge a promise made, that so you myghte do: yet surely we know the promise had no such meaning, neither to maintaine, ne to continue your fault. You muste knowe this sister, you were at the first time when the law was made, borne with all, not because you shoulde diso∣bey the lawe, but y^t by our lenitie and loue shewed you mi∣ght learne to obey it. Wee made a difference of you from our other subiectes, not for that all other should folow our lawes, & you only against and them, but that you might be

brought as far forward by loue, as others were by duety. The error wherein you would rest is double, & euery part so great, that neither for the loue of God, we can wel suffer it vnredressed. neither for the loue of you we can but wish it amēded. First you retaine a fashion in honoring of God, who in dede therby is dishonored, & therin erre you in zeal for lacke of science, & hauing science offered you, you refuse it, not because it is science (we trust, for then should we dis∣paire of you) but because you thinke it is none. And surely in this we can best reprehende you, learning daily in oure schoole, that therefore we learne things, because we knowe thē not, & are not alowed to say we know not these things, or we thinke they be not good, & therfore we wil not learne them. Sister, you must thinke nothing can commende you more then reason, according to the which you haue bene hi∣therto vsed, & nowe for very loue we will offer you reason our selfe. If you are perswaded in conscience to the contra∣rye, of our lawes, you or your perswaders shall freely be suffered to say what you or they can, so that you will heare what shalbe said againe.

In this poynt you see I pretermit my estate, and talke with you as your brother, rather then your supreme Lord and king. Thus should you, being as wel content to heare of your opinions, as you are content to holde them, in the end thanke vs as much for bringing you to light, as nowe before you learne, you are loth to see it. And it thus muche reason with our natural loue shal not mooue you, whereof we would be sorie, then must we consider the other part of your fault, which is the offence of our lawes. For though hitherto it hath bene suffered in hope of amendement, yet now, if hope be none, how shall there be sufferaunce? Our charge is to haue the same care ouer euery mannes estate, that euery man ought to haue ouer his owne. And in your owne house, as you would be lothe openly to suffer one of your seruauntes being next you, most manifestly to breake your orders, so must you thinke in our state it shal miscon∣tent vs to permit you so great a subiecte, not to keepe oure lawes. Your nearnes to vs in bloud, your greatnesse in e∣state, the condition of this time maketh your fault y^e grea∣ter. The example is vnnatural, that our sister shuld do lesse for vs, then our other subiects. The case is sclanderous for so great a personage to forsake our maiestie.

Finally, it is too dangerous in a troublesome common wealth, to make y^e people to mistrust a faction. We be yōg, you thinke in yeeres to consider this. Truely sister, it trou∣bleth vs somwhat the more, for it may be, this euil suffered in you, is greater then we can discerne, & so we be as much troubled, because we doubt whether we see the whole pea∣ril, as we be, for that we see. In deede we will presume no further then our yeres geueth vs, y^t is, in doubtfull things not to trust our own wits, but in euidēt things we thinke there is no differēce. If you shuld not do as other subiects do, were it not euident, that therin you shuld not be a good subiect? Were it not plaine in that case, that you should vse vs not as your soueraigne Lord? Againe, if you shoulde be suffred to breake our lawes manifestly, were it not a com∣fort for others so to do? and if our lawes be broken, & con∣temned, where is our estate? These things be so plaine, as we could almost haue iudged them sixe yeares past. And in deede it greeueth vs not a little, that you whych shoulde be our most comfort in our yong yeres, should alone geue vs occasion of discomfort. Thinke you not but it must needes trouble vs, and if you can so thinke, you oughte sister to a∣mend it. Our natural loue towards you without doubt is great, & therfore diminish it not your self. If you wil be lo∣ued by vs, shewe some token of loue towardes vs, that we say not with the Psalme. Mala pro bonis mihi reddiderunt. If you will be beleeued, when by wryting you confesse vs to be your soueraigne Lord, heare that which in other things is often alleaged: Ostende mihi fidem tuam ex factis tuis. In the answere of your letter to our counsaile, we remember you sticke only vpon one reason deuided into two partes. The first is, that in matters of religion, your faith is none other, but as all Christendome doth confesse. The next is, you wil assent to no alteration, but wish things to stād as they did at our fathers death. If you meane in the firste to rule your faith, by that you call Christendome, and not by this Church of England, wherein you are a member, you shal err in many poynts, such as our fathers & yours wold not haue suffered, whatsoeuer you saye of the standing still of thinges, as they were leaft by him. The matter is too plaine to write, what may be gathered, and too perillous to be concluded against you. For the other part, if you like no alteration by our authoritie, of things not altered by oure father, you should doe vs too great an iniurie. We take our self for the administration of this our common wealthe, to haue the same authoritye which our father had diminished in no part, neither by example of scripture, nor by vniuer∣sal lawes. The stories of Scripture be so plenteous, as al∣most y^e best ordered church of the Israelites was by kings, yonger then we be. Well sister, we will not in these things interprete your wrytings to the worste: loue and charitie shall expound them. But yet you must not therby be bolde to offend in that, whereunto you see your wrytings might be wrested. To conclude, we exhort you to do your duetie, and if any impediment be thereof, not of purpose, you shall finde a brotherly affection in vs to remedy the same. To teache you and instruct you, we wil geue order, and so pro∣cure you to doe your duetie wil••ingly, that you shall per∣ceiue you are not vsed meerely as a subiect, and onely com∣maunded, but as a daughter, a scholler, and a sister, taught, instructed, and perswaded. For the which cause, when you haue considered this our letter, we pray you that wee may shortly heare from you.