An harborovve for faithfull and trevve subiectes agaynst the late blowne blaste, concerninge the gouernme[n]t of vvemen. wherin be confuted all such reasons as a straunger of late made in that behalfe, with a breife exhortation to obedience. Anno. M.D.lix.

To the right honorable and his singuler good Lordes, Francis Earle of Bedford one of the Quenes Maiesties priuie Counsell, and the Lord Robert Duddeley, master of her highnes horsse, and knight of the honorable order of the Garter. Thauth our wissheth many quiet dayes, the continuall feare of God, and earnest zeale in Chri¦stes quarrell

THE moste noble and excellēt philosopher Plu∣tark reporteth (most ho∣norable) that bulles fleshe corrupted and rotten, be ingendred Bees, of horse flesh Harnets, and of mēs serpentes. VVhereby not only appeareth the great diuersity of natures in the diuersities of kindes, but also (whiche is no small wōder) how of that which is moste made of, and estemed, is bred the worst and vilest corruption, of that, which in oure cies is the beautifullest worke of nature, springeth forth the foulest frute, that is, or can be found in nature. No creature in this world is counted more excellente than man: and no monstre in sighte more ouglie, and in nature more hurtfull than a serpent, so that we see that of the fairest, cometh the foulest, of the best loued, the most hated, of the most holsōe the most venimous, and to be short, of the sinest in our cies, the filthiest in oure iudgement. Vvherby God geueth vs to vnderstand, that mischeuous matter lieth oft hidden in fair vessels, and no litle ill, where we think to find most good. If

this poisoned venim, be in the bodye of man, to engender serpents: shall we thinke that the minde is pure? No certen∣ly. For though it bringeth not fourth (being corrupted and rotten with error) serpents, adders, and snakes: yet be the buds of that tree, either as ill, or muche vvorse. For like as a man inhabiting a stinking, filthye, and vnholsome house, situate in a corrupt and vnclean aire, can not be but subiect to that contagion: so these mindes of ours, beinge lodged in so im∣pure an harborowe, muste neades be defiled with the filthe. VVherfore the Apostle crieth oute, qui in carne sunt, deo placere non possunt, so long as we remain in this fleshe, we can not please God. The cause of this corrupcion, no chri∣stian is so vnskilful, but he knoweth it to be the dotage of our firste parentes, conucied into the vaines of their mindes first, and their bodies nexte by the venimous breath, of that subtil serpent our auncient ennemy. VVhome, while they harkned vnto, they became so charmed and bewitched: that they forgate them selues, forsoke God, and became of hys deare sonnes, his extreme enemies, of his obediente and lo∣uing seruaunts, his wilful and obstinate rebels, and confede∣rats with his sworne ennemye the deuill. Here we finde the cause, and we daily fele theffect, in that we be in al things by nature repining at the wil of God, ready to follow the will of the flesh, winsing and kicking against godlines and tru∣the, and on the other side, euer huntinge for fleshlines and lies. Out of this corrupted puddle of mas hart, or rather out of this forge and shop of Sathan, where sinne is wroughte and shapen: breaketh forth amonge the reaste of monsters, (which it bringeth out) the horrible hydras of errors, sects ād heresies wherwith the world hath fence the beginning, and to thending shalbe poisoned and infected. Hereof sprāg the curious contencions and soundry sectes of Ethnike Philoso∣phers, as Academians, Peripateticās, Stoikes, Epicures, Cy∣niks, and all that rabble. Here budded or rather flowed furth

the horrible and most hurtful heresies, hatched by the deuel, in the nest of mans mind, and vttered by the tōg and pen of busy bodies, sealed vp to serue Satan in this kind of ministe∣ry. Such wer in our ancettors dais, the Nycolaitans, the Ce∣rinthians, Arrians, Macedonians, Pelagians, Eutychians, Eu∣nomians, Nestorians and such other. And in these our latter daies, the old festred sores newly broken out, as the Anabap∣tistes, the freewillers, or rather frowardewillers, the iusticia∣ries. &c, and others that be new, as Adiaphoristes, Oseriani∣stes, Maroranistes, Papists, with infinit other swarms of gods enemies, by whom our aduersari Satan seketh to disturb the true vnitie of Christes church, to choke the good corn of late sown in gods field, and to dim that excellent lighte, whiche according to his secreate counsell and decree, he determined shuld shine to the vnspeakeable cōfort of his elect, in these our dais. Among these vgglie monsters and brodes of the de∣uils brotherhead, hath of late krept out (I cānot tel whether by wil or ignorance) certen 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which haue called into question among vs such thinges, as good subiectes be∣fore neuer doubted of, whether it wer lawful for women, in¦heritours of kingdoms, to gouern and guid the same, or no. Although this error may appeare, not to touch so neare the soule and saluacion of man, as some of the fornamed do: yet considering that the quiet of common weales is the nurse of religion and bulwark of good and faithful men: and that the apostle pronounceth against the rebellious vtter damnaciō: VVe can not think it to be a trifle to disturbe the common ordres of pollicies, to sondre the mindes of subiectes, by new inuented contrauersies, and briefly to make men to muse, of that they neuer before mistrusted. Vvherfor chaunsing vp∣on a boke, about a yere past, intitled the first blast, cōteining new broched doctrine to disproue the regiment of women: After I had red it, I wished that some notable learned man, wold haue answered it, that, like as those which be stonge of

Scorpians vse to fetch remeady of the same: so this cause be∣ing wounded, or rather a little scratted with som shewe and apparāce of learning: might be again healed with suche plai∣sters as through the truthe of the matter, true lerning mini∣streth. And for as much as I hoped of this at som mens hāds and hard of one, which is now gon to God, that he had takē it vpon him: I ment not my self for a time to medle with it, least that a good cause by il handling, shuld in the iudgmēt of som seme the worse. But whan the length of time taught me that he that mēt, it was takē frō it, ād such as could haue throughly don it, made no hast to it: I thoughte it better ra∣ther by my sclendre handling of it to shew mi good wil, thā by the common silence to seme to winke at it. And so much the rather I toke it in hand: because if no mā shuld do it: all our side shuld seme to bear with it, which I knowe to be so far of: that none that I know (I speake of the learned) be fur∣ther gilty in this poynt, than that by ther declaration they haue not shewed thē selues giltles. I know the credit, the old prouerb hath, qui tacet cōsētire videtur, he that winketh at a matter, semeth to think the same. And therfore as it was ne∣cessary that som on the behalf of al, shuld vtter the minds of the rest, so ment I, though more boldly thē wisely, yet not so rashly as necessarily, nor as I trust more rudely thē profita∣bly, to let the world vnderstād that this infectiō is not blown in by the blast to al mens breasts, yea I dare be bold to saye that al the best learned be of the same iudgemēt herein that this my simple treatise shall vtter me to be of. So that nei∣ther our sworn enemies the papists shal haue any lōger lea∣sure to belie vs, nor our half frends which are indifferēt to be leue any thing of vs, hereafter to mistrust vs, nor the highe powers thē selues in this point to feare vs. we haue lerned ād taught, we loue and like, we honor and esteme true obediēce to the high ministres of God, and on the contrarye we can no skil of seditious disturbers of wel satled policies, of rashe vnbrideled brekers of holsome and godlye lawes. Thus me thinke I may saye in the name of al, because I know the cō∣trary opinion to be in fewe or none. VVherfore let our ene¦mies

leaue of thus to charge vs, in that we deserue not, & our frindes to mistrust vs, in that they certainlye knowe not, or els they shall be reproued of loude lying, and these of to vn∣frendly misiudging. Nolite ante tempus iudicare, iudge not before the time, for hasty iudgement seldom hitteth the tru∣the. Now whan I had finished this simple answere: I coulde find none to whom I might commend these firste frutes of my labors, more mete, or worthier then your honors, bothe for that you be no les carefull for the quiet of the state, the safety of our soueraign, and the welth of the whole realme, than for your own life ād preseruacion, but also, that it hath pleased the geuer of all good giftes, to endue you with a sin gulare fauoure and desire to aduaunce and promote the true doctrin of Christes crosse, which of late thorow the power of darknes, the mēbres of antichristes and Sathans garde, hath not onli ben obscured, but clene defaced ād was like stil to be if God inspired not the hart of our English Helena, ād such as be about her, to seke out ād dig vp his sōnes cros out of the dōghil of the deuils doctrin, ād to rear vp again in the eies of her subiects, to the vnspekeable cōfort of al Christes mēbres ād the wōderful cōfusiō of thaduersaries. In the doing wher of no mā douteth, but that you both with a few other haue and wilbe ernest, harty, ād faithful laborers. And as this heuē∣ly gift ād godly zele is comon to you both: so hath almighty God suffred you both to tast of the bitter cup of afflictiō ād aduersitie, (though thone more thē thother: yet both suffici∣ently) therby teaching you plainly by practise that which is hardlye gotten by science, that he is hable to throwe downe and set vp, to wounde and to cure, to marre and to make, to kyll, and to reuiue, and shortlye to do all that he lysteth wythoute vs, and we nothing neither to him, our selues, nor other without him. Afflictio dat intellectū saith Dauid. Af∣flictiō bringeth vnderstanding, both howe vnhable we be to crepe out, and how ready he is to deliuer. In this schole haue you both ben exercised and haue atteined to like knowledge to vnderstād, ad not vnlike zeale to maintain, Christ naked

on his crosse, the true doctrine of saluacion, wherof he hathe now made you shieldes of defence. Seing he hath thus ioig∣ned you in these poyntes and others: I thoughte good wyth your fauors, to match you in the defence of this litle work, which I haue for none other respect at this time set out, thā to stop the mouthes of some to lauase in language, and to quiet the mindes of other some, which for lack of skil, haue begone to stagger. That it maye please you to graunte your good wil herein, craue not I, but your countrye, not youre country, but the truth, not the truth, but God (whose choise and decree is heare defended) your readines to receiue that is offred, and your authoritie to shield that is written. Take vpon you therfore the defence of this pore treatise, which is the defence of them, by whome we be defended all. Manye graue and sore cēsures I am sure it must abide: but my trust is that such as shall sinde fault, wil either reprehend charita∣bly or set out a better spedelye. Thus am I bolde to trouble your Lordshippes both with my long letter, and my simple trauail, trusting that you wil take in good part that is heare offred you of one that honoureth your vertues, oweth you his seruice, and dailye prayeth to God for you. VVho graunt you both to be constant in his truthe, to continue in his feare, and to increase in muche honour to his glory, and your countries commoditie. Amen.