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 Egbert XIII.

1. THe thirtenth Christian King of the west-Saxons and first that re∣duced England to a Monarchy, was King Egbert, who began his reign An. 800. & reigned 37. yeares, died An. 837. He was (saith Malmsb. lib. 1. Reg. cap. 2.) worthely to be preferred before all Kings,* 1.1 And lib. 2. cap. 1. Regis Inae abnepos. King Ina his great grandchild by his brother Inegilse, suldued the mindes of his subiects by clemencie and meeknes, and left his sonne great occasions of commendations. Houed. hist. pag. 407. saith he was Vir strenuissimus ac Potens: most stout and puissant. And (as all our English Cronicles testifie) in his time subdued all the rest of our English Kings. Hunting. l. 4. VVallos vicit: sabdued the VVelch∣men. Florent An. 836. Danos fugat: Put to

flight the Danes. The Roman Catholick religiō of this victorious Prince is euidēt.* 1.2 First because he suffered his sonne and heir Ethelwolph to be a Monke and sub∣deacon, [unspec 1] as both Catholicks and Prote∣stāts affirme, & Godwin in the Bishops of Winchester saith it is certain. Wherby (saith Bale Cent. 2. cap 20.) He became the Popes Creature by both professions. Secondly, because he committed his said sonne Ethelwolf [unspec 2] to S. Swithin to be taught, as testifieth Florent. An. 827. Gotzelin, and Godwin in vit. Swithini,* 1.3 And as addeth Gotzelin inter precipuos amicos numerauit. reconed him in number of his especiall freinds. Now this Swithin was a Roman Catholick. For, as Bale l. cit. granteth he was a Monke, and as Malmsb. lib. 2. Pont: Gotzelin. l. cit. Westmon. An. 862. and others report wrought miracles by the signe of the Crosse, is canonised by the Papists for a Saint. Thirdly because K. Kenulf (who in [unspec 3] his time was King of midlengland, & as Malmsb. saith lib. 1. Reg. Nulli ante se Regi. Nothing inferior, in power and religion to any King before him, and whose praises shalbe aduan∣ced on high so long as there is found any indifferent iudg in England, writing with all his Bish. and nobilitie to Pope Leo beginneth his letter thus. Domino beatissimo: To my most holy Lord and wel beloued, Lord Leo the Roman Bishop

of the holy, & Apostolick See, Kenulf by the grace of God King of Merchland with the Bishops, Dukes, & all Degrees of honor within our Dominiōs with health of most sincere affection in Christ. Infra. The sublmity of the See of Rome is our helth,* 1.4 & the prosperitie therof our cōtinuall ioy. Because whence yow haue your Apostolicall dignitie, thence had we the knowledge of the true faith. VVherfor I thinck it fit that the eare of our obedience be humbly in∣clined vnto your holy commādements, & with our whole forces to fulfill what shalbe thought cōueniēt by your holines to performe. But now I Kenulf by the grace of God K. humbly beseech your Excellēcie to receaue me in quiet peace into your holines lap, & whome no meanes of merits do support, let the large aboūdāce of your blessing enrich for the gouer∣mēt of his people, that almightie God by your inter∣cessiō may together with me encorage the Nation against the inuasion of forren foes which your Apo∣stolical authoritie hath imbued with the rudemēts of the Christian faith.* 1.5 This blessing haue all the Kings who swayed the Mercian scepter deserued to obtaine at your Predecessors hands, this same do I in humble māner request & desire to obtain of yow most holy Father, first by way of adoptiō to receaue me as your child, as I loue yow in the persō of a Fa¦ther, & shall embrace yow with the whole force of obedience. Againe he saith: Excellentiae vestrae: VVe in most humble manner beseech your Excel∣lencie, to whome the key of wisdome is giuen by God. Again: VVith great humility & also affectiō

we haue writtē these to yow most holy Pope,* 1.6 besee∣ching in most earnest wise your Clemēcie kindly & iustly to answer these things vvhich vve haue bene vrged to propound. VVe send yovv here as a smale token of my louing minde, that is 120. Mancuzes vvith letters requesting yovv to accept therof in good part & vouchsafe to bestovv your blessing vpon vs. And the Pope answering him saith ••hat this K. professed to be willing to lose his life for him, & acknowledged (saith the Pope) that Nostris Apostolicis, &c. That no Chri¦stian presumeth to goe against our Apostolicall Decrees. Yea Fox p. 132. speaking of this K. & the others before him saith, They wanted the knowledg & doctrin in Christ, especially in the Article of free iustification in faith. Which, p. 840. he termeth the foundation of the Church and all Christianitie, and therfor (saith he) they ran the vvrong vvay. And so concludeth that Protestants truth was hidden to our for∣ancestors, In which I verily beleeue him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The vvor∣thines of K. Egbert. 1 Monarch of Englād.
• * 1.2

  His Rom. Religion.
• * 1.3

  Surius tom. 4.
• * 1.4

  The pros∣peritie of Rome, the ioy of England.
• * 1.5

  Rome taught England the faith: All K. Kenulphs Predeces∣sors had the popes blessing.
• * 1.6

  Our K. and Peers vvrite vvith great hu∣militie to the Pope.