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The Narrator (I dare saye) was neither Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet, and yet herein he did foretel that which after cam to passe The stuffe that S. Harsn••t and his fellowe commissioners haue retur∣ned him selfe confesseth is vile indede and sure so it is, yea as vile I am perswaded, as euer was returned since England was a nation, for what
is that stuffe but an heape of false, foolish, ridiculus, and absurde thinges witnessed vpon the oathes of men, ••ome few depontions excepte ••. But is this all that doth make this stuffe vile? no hereby it is made more vile, in that this vile stuffe was compassed by the cunning per∣swasions, and threates of the commissioners. men for the present and this acte in authoritie, and such as ••hold rather haue done their indeuours to haue preserued then drawen the deponents to periurye. But is here all? no the stuffe returned and publyshed to the worlde is made more vile by the Discouerer, his additions, detractions, and al¦terations: being therby made farr worse then at the first it was dely¦uered. But is this all that maketh this stuffe vile? no no: all this stuffe hath bene compassed and produced not against man, but against the Lorde himselfe: not (indeede) to finde out any counterfeiting and tea∣chinge to counterfeite whereof there is no more question or doubt to be made, then whether it be daye light at noone in the fayrest sun∣shine daye in somer: but to obscure the workes of god, and to keep his people from beleuing them to be such: because they were brought to passe by such as the Discouerer despisetn and hatetn, and woulde fame haue al men to hate and despise. And this is it that maketh this stuffe out of measure vile, execrable, and abominable in the sight of god, and therefore ought so to be reputed of all his people. Yea if we the inhabitantes of England be the lords people or inheritance as we professe: we can not but so account hereof, & will therfore by al good meanes accordinge to our places further thire puni••hment: and our vice Godes, which are here on earth in Gods steade, will take ven∣gance of these traitors & rebels against God, for this vnspeakable dis¦honor done to him, and this treason or rebellion of theires, in takinge parte with sathan his enemie, (the God and prince of this worlde, who in some extraordinary manner in risen vp against these workes of God) against the Lorde himselfe. Yf it be said by some in authori¦tie, that if it may be made to appeare that these thinges are true, they will not endure them, but seuerely pvnnish these commissioners: I in all humillitie offer to make profe of these thinges, and generally of whatsoeuer I haue set downe in this my Apollogie or defence of the workes of God, and of my selfe: and if herein I fayle I refuse no pun∣nishment. In the meane season it is to be remembred, whereof these worthy commissioners examined such as were by them deposed: sure¦ly for the most parte of such thinge; as might serue to proue theire foolish, absurd and ridiculus cir••n••stances: and to this end vsualy they deposed them concerning the speaches that I should vtter in the hea∣ring (forsooth) or presence of S••n. And how long before should I haue spoken the••e thinges? 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a yeare: yea some of them about 14. yeares then past. were not here good memories that could remem∣ber
the very wordes they hearde so long before, speciallie the same little or nothing concerning them, and being not worthy t••e remem∣bring: yea the iust 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whe•• they were spoken, and that ••o perfect¦ly as they nede not to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cause so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they remember or other to this effect. One would thinke it had bene fitter men should haue bene examined concerning the actions of Som•• then of my speaches, and o•• the strange and extraordinarie thinges they had seene in him 〈◊〉〈◊〉 happenly they had sene any, as 〈…〉〈…〉 commissioners did: for thereby only it would be made 〈…〉〈…〉 out of controuersie by the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of men, whether Som. 〈…〉〈…〉. It is be ob¦iected that here of they did depose such as were examined by the 12 Commissioners: I answere and confesse that they did so indeed by di¦uers of them: but the Disc. hath kept back and buried all that some of them affirmed the seconde time vpon their oathes, and in man∣ner all that the rest then deposed, as is made manifest by my answere to the 8. chapter of the 3. booke so that the cause is not bettered there 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Disc is made the more sin••ull.
Concerninge the depositions published to the worlde vnder my name, this is it we must knowe: that howsoeuer for the substance of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they ••e mine, yet many of them as they be produced by the Disc. are not mine some he hath fathered vpon me, I hauing deposed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thinge, nor yet neuer bene examined thereof: others ••e hath corrupted, sometimes adding, sometimes omitting or keeping back that which is ver•• ••ateria••••: and by this his corrupt dealinge with my de∣positio••s on the one syde and the like with the depo••itions of his owne depo••••ts on the other syde, he maketh greate shewe to the world of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 w••ere none is. Now this per••ury he meaneth to me. for why I•••• but one, and the Disc. produceth ordinarily 3. or 4. or more deposing the contrary. And are not diuers to be beleued be¦fore one? I answer,, not alwayes and in all cases. Against Paul Ana••••as the hig•• preist with the Elders and sertuilus, and I know not nowe man, ••ewes besides witnessed before the iudgment seate, an I would no doubt haue ••eposed, that he was a p••stilent ••edow, and a ••ouer of se¦dition, the cōtrary only Paul a pore prisoner affirmed: & yet the truth was with this sole man. Euen ••o it may be (and I would be sorrie it were not) in this our present case. And here it is not to be forgotten that my selfe being first deposed, S. Harsnet we••t down with his com¦mission after, his intergatories being framed according to the things I had formerlie deposed: and there endeuoured by tareats and other wise to drawe many of those which came before him and his fellow•• commissioners to depose the contrary to that I had formerly depos∣ed, that so he might make me ••atfull to the world, because I was (for
sooth) so notorious a periured person) to the great greife (alas) of the poore soules and trouble of theire consciences, the most of them not so much deposinge willingly that which they knew to be true, as what the Disc. against their willes would haue them to depose, & perswad∣ed to be true, saying, I trust, Darrell himselfe hath confessed it vpon his oath &c. when I had deposed otherwise, and that the same w••re false, as my selfe doe assuredly knowe, and am able and offer to make di∣rect profe theirof by some of there depositions, and of many of them could by the power of reason shew the same, and would but for bre¦uitie sake.
The Disc. telleth vs, that the reader shall reape some profit by his Discouerer, if heread it with no greater mallice then it was written.
The profit is in stead of glorifiyng God for the greate workes he hath wrought, and making that right and holy vse of his works wher¦of at large we haue heard elswhere, to receiue an evill name & false and vile report of the same: and to iustifie the wicked, and condemne the righteous, which is an abomination before the Lord. And looke what reward is due to him that sendeth forth such cursed fruite, that may the Discouerer expecte and in iustice is to receiue at the handes of the christian Magistrate, for all the paynes he hath taken. For doth not nature it selfe teach vs that the labourer is worthy of his hire? and reason this, that the hire or reward should be proportiona∣ble to the labour or paynes man taketh? VVhether this corrupt and worse then rotten stuffe, and whether S. H. Discouery detected now (I trust) to be a very sinfull, shamfull, slaunderous, and lying treatise, came from charitie as the Discouerer pretēdeth, or from mallice which he denieth, as it belongeth to god the searcher of the hartes to iudge, so it is no hard thinge for man to coniecture. For as out of the abun∣dance of the hart the mouth speaketh, so the hand writeth.
Howbeit peraduenture, when he hath better considered the contentes of this treatise, he wil not be so peremtorie. Otherwis•• he hath here matter sufficient to shew his skill in for the iustification of it.
〈◊〉〈◊〉
I doe not s••v o•• every ••erticula•• because it may be som•• witness¦es will fa••le to witnes that th•••• know to be true & haue former∣ly confessed.
In the masse o•• depositions I thinke we scars¦ly haue six times th•• worde or a¦ny 〈◊〉〈◊〉 this effect.
whe•• I depos••d doubtfully with there wordes 〈…〉〈…〉 or other to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 effect, which vsually I did, the Discoue∣rer 〈…〉〈…〉 seth p••duceth me 〈…〉〈…〉 times ••ge•• m••••n depo••••nge d••••nfully. 〈…〉〈…〉 as I beleiue.
〈…〉〈…〉
Discouerer pag 3••4.