The prudentiall ballance of religion wherin the Catholike and protestant religion are weighed together with the weights of prudence, and right reason. The first part, in which the foresaide religions are weighed together with the weights of prudence and right reason accordinge to their first founders in our Englishe nation, S. Austin and Mar. Luther. And the Catholike religion euidently deduced through all our kings and archbishopps of Canterburie from S. Austin to our time, and the valour and vertue of our kings, and the great learninge and sanctitie of our archbishopps, together with diuers saints and miracles which in their times proued the Catholike faith; so sett downe as it may seeme also an abridgement of our ecclesiasticall histories. With a table of the bookes and chapters conteyned in this volume.

King Bithricus XII.

17. THe 12. Christian King was Bithricus, who began his reigne An. 784. and reigned 16. yeares as Malmsb. saith 1. Reg. 2. and in Fastis, and dyed An. 800. He was saith he pacis quam belli studiosior, more desirous of peace than of war Ethelwerd. l. 3. calleth him Regem pijssimum. A most godly Prince. Cooper An. 778. saith he Knightly ruled the Land. His Roman reli∣gion is most notorious. For as Hunting. lib. 3. Houed pag. 404. Westmon An. 739. and others write, in his tyme came Legats into England from Pope Adrian antiquam (say they) renouantes &c. renewing the ancient League and Catholick saith, who were honorably receaued both of the Prelats and Princes, and held a Councell at Cealtid ex Houed. pag. 410. Be∣sides he maried the daughter of King Offa, who in his time left his Kingdom, went to Rome with Kenred King of Northumberland, and there bound his Kingdom to pay the Peter pence, and finally became a Monke as Fox writeth lib. 2. pag. 3. and pag. 129. and others. Besides of this King Offa Stow writeth pag. 89.

that he caused the reliques of S. Alban to be taken vp, and put in a Shrine, and adorned with gould and pretious stones, and builded there a Prinely Monasterie, His Charter (saith he) is dated An. 793. with the witnesse of him selfe, his sonne Egferd, 9. Kings, 15. Bishops, 10. Dukes, &c. By which we may clearly perceaue the Roman faith of all our Nation then. Westmon. also An. 794. Telleth how King Offa with the counsell of his Bishops sent to the Pope to haue priuiledges for that Monasterie, and the Pope answered that he should grante what he thought conuenient Et nos (saith the Pope) And we by our priuiledg will confirme our originall. And as Paris hath An. 794. He excepted it from all iurisdiction of Bishop or Archbishop, & subiected it immediatly to the See of Rome. His diebus (saith Bale Cent. 2. cap 15. In these dayes many Princes in England with shauing tooke vpon them the pro∣fession of Monks. In this Kings time An. 793. was the Innocent and holy King Ethel∣bert of East-England slaine, Malmsb. in Fastis & 1. Reg. cap. 5. Florent. Chron. Stow pag 74. Fox Acts. pag. 129. And Etheltida his espouse daughter of King Offa made her selfe an Ancoresse or recluse ex Ingulph. In this tyme also was found the body of S. VVithburg daughter of King Anna after 55. yeares buriall, ex Florent

An. 798. In his tyme also liued S. Fremund King and sonne to King Offa Vir (saith Cambd. in Brit. pag. 500. magni nominis. A man of a worthy name, and singuler pietie towards God was canonized for a Saint. And Rictrith iamdudum Regina tunc Abbattissa obijt. Rictrith somtime a Queene then Abbesse dyed, Houed. An. 786. And An. 799. died Osbald then Abbot, but once King of Northum∣berland, Houed. Ibid. In this time also died S. Lull. Archbishop of Mentz who∣me not onely Malmsb. lib. 1. Reg. cap. 4. but Bale also Cent. 13. cap. 56. com∣mendeth saying he was homo tum eruditi∣onis &c. A man of approoued learning and sanctitie, and gaue him selfe as an example of vertue to the Gentills that had any inclination to the Christian faith. And yet was he scoller and successor to Saint Boniface that famous Papist. Ibid. cap. 57. Bale calleth Saint Burchard his fellowe, Virum pium ac religiosum: a godly and religious man. And cap. 70. he saith that S. Wilhad Archb. of Brome and fellow laborer with them, Martirij desiderio pro Rom. Ecclesia flagrabat: Burnt with desire of Martirdome for the Church of Rome. In his time also liued that great Clerck Alcuin Confessor to Charles the Great of whome ynough hath bene sayd before.

18. Thus thou seest Christian Reader

how clearly the Catholick Roman reli∣gion hath bene deduced through all those our first Christian Kings for the space of the first 200. yeares after our conuer∣sion from Paganisme to Christianity. And what notable contempt of the world and holines of life it bred in that time in our Kings, Queenes, Princes, Clergy, and Commons, in so much that ten of those Kings that then were are now accounted Saints: To wit, Ethelbert, Edwin, Oswald, Oswi, Sebbi, Sigebert, an∣other Sigebert, Richard, Ethelbrit, Fremund, And fourteene of them forsaking their Kindomes, either became Monks, or went on Pilgrimages to Rome, namely Kinegil∣sus, Centwin, Cedwall, Ina, Sebby, Offa, Sigebert, Ethelred, Coenred, another Offa, Cealwolph, Eadbert, Kenred, Osbald, to whome I may adde Oswin preuented by death. And 13. Queenes nonnes to wit Bathildis, Ethelreda, Sexburg, kineswith, (espouse to King Offa) Eadburg, Eua, Emenild, Edelburg, Ethelburg. Canfled, Cuthburg, VVerburg, Erigedida, Rictirth to whome I may add Heseswid mother to King Adolph. Besides, many Kings sonnes as Sighord, VVillibald, VVinnibald, Merefin, Adelbert, and many more whose names we know not. And many Princes Martyrs as Ruffin VVulfhale, Elbert, Egbrigh,

and one Confessor S. Pumold, And many Kings and Queenes daughters that be∣came nonnes as Edelburg Eartongath Sedrido, VVithburg; Mildred, Milhith, VValburg, Etheldrida.

19. Could such admirable contempt of the world spring from the Diuels reli∣gion? or rather from his who in our bap∣tisme bindeth vs to renounce the world and pomps therof. Could so great vertue and holines of life rise from the Diuel, the vtter enemy of vertue? or rather from God, from whome (as S. Iames saith) commeth all goodnes? Can Protestants imagin that God reuealed his truth to them, and hid it from so great Saints and seruants of his as those were? who sought it so diligently, folowed it so earnestly, and (as S. Iames speaketh) by their workes haue shewed their faith, and yet notwithstāding perished euerlastinglie as (no doubt) must needes be both thought, and said if Protestants religion be the on∣ly truth of Christ, and Christs truth the only way (as no doubt it is) to saluation. And therfore how soeuer some Ministers say that they will not iudge their Forfa∣thers, they cannot but thinke that these holy Princes and their people are damned (which they are a shamed to say) or that there are diuers wayes to heauen,

which is right Atheisme, or rather Anti∣christianisme. For if ther be any other way to heauen than that which Christ taught, we make Christ a lyar. But let them thinck as they list, I hope all men that are carefull of their saluation and withall consider that as ther is but one God and one Christ, so ther is but one baptisme and one faith, to wit the Catho∣lick (which who keepeth not intirely shall perish euerlastingly) will both thinck and say: Moriatur anima mea morte iustorum, & fiant nouissima mea horum similia. Let my soule die the death of the iust and let my end belike to these men. And now let vs goe from the Kings of a part of England to the Monarchs of the whole.

Notes

• The ver∣tues of K. Bithricus.
• His Rom. Religion.
• Popes legats ho∣norably receaued of all En∣gland.
• K. Offa and King Kenred become monks. Peter pence. Hunting. lib. 4. pag. 342. Houed pag. 409. Bale Cent. 2. cap. 15.
• Malmsb. 2. Reg. cap. 4.
• Pope con∣firmeth our Kings Charters.
• Manie Princes became monks.
• S. Ethel∣bert. K. Ethelrida his spouse an An∣choresse.
• S. Fre∣mund K.
• Q Rictrith Nonne.
• K. Osbald Monke. Saints.
• English desire to die for the Church of Rome.
• The effects of Catho∣like reli∣giō in our nation in 200. years.
• Ten Kings Saints in 200 yaers.
• Fourtene Kings Monks or Pilgrims.
• VVho vvold not aduenture his soule sooner vvith thes holie Kings, Queens and Prin∣ces than vvith one boye and a VVomā. Princes Cōfessors. See marcel∣lin in vit. Simbert. Princes martyrs.
• Kings daughters
• Can gra∣pes spring of thorns.
• Did God hide his truth from those vertuous princes and reueal it to a boy and a vvoman.
• No hope of salua∣tion to our An∣cestors if the Cath. faith be not the faith of Christ.
• Athan. in Symbolo.