ued, it was neuer to seke: and where that could not bee taken, you neuer fayled of my prayer, nor neuer shall. But leauinge the rehearsall thereof, and commynge more nere to the matter of my commission, I signifye vnto you al, that my principall trauayle is, for the restitution of this noble Realme to the auncient nobylitie, and to declare vnto you, that the Sea Apostolike from whence I come, hathe a specyall respecte to this Realme aboue al other, MarginaliaFor the vātage that was hoped by it & not for any great loue. and not withoute cause, seing that God himselfe, as it were by prouidence, hathe geuen this Realme prerogatiue of nobilitie aboue other, which to make more playne vnto you, it is to bee consydered that this Ilande, fyrste of all Ilandes receyued the lighte of Christes religion. For as stories testifye, it was prima prouinciarum quæ amplexa est fidem Christi.

For the Britons beinge firste inhabitauntes of this Realme (notwithstandinge the subiection of the Emperours and heathen Princes) did receiue Christes faythe, from the Apostolyke Sea vniuersallye, MarginaliaEnglād of al Ilandes reciued first the faythe of Christ. and not in partes as other Countreys, nor by one and one, as Clocks encrease theyr howres by distinction of tymes, but altogether at once, as it were in a moment. But after that theyr ill merites or forgeatefulnesse of God hadde deserued expulsion, and that Straungers beyng infidels hadde possessed this lande, yet God of his goodnesse, not leauing where he once loued, so illuminated the heartes of the Saxons, being Heathen menne, that they forsooke the darkenesse of Heathen errours, & embraced the lyghte of Christes Religion. So that within small space, Idolatry and Heathē superstition was vtterly abandoned in this Ilande.

This was a great prerogatiue of nobilitye, whereof though the benefite bee to bee ascribed to God: yet the meane occasiō of the same came from the Church of Rome. In the faythe of whiche Churche, we haue euer since continued and consented, with the reste of the world in vnitye of Religion. And to shewe further the feruente deuotion of the inhabytauntes of thys Ilande, towardes the Churche of Rome: We reade that diuers Princes in the Saxons tyme with greate trauayle and expenses wente personallye to Rome, as Offa & Adulphus, whyche thoughte it not ynoughe to shewe themselues obedient to the sayde Sea, vnlesse that in theyr owne persons they had gone to that same place from whence they had receyued so great a grace and benefite. In the time of Carolus magnus, who fyrste founded the vniuersitye of Paris, he sente into England for Alcuinus a great learned man, whiche firste brought learnyng to that vniuersitye. Whereby it semeth that the greatest parte of the world fet the lyght of religion from Englande. Adrian the fourth beynge an Englysheman, conuerted Norway from infidelity, which Adrian afterwards, vpō great affection & loue þ^t he bare to this realme, beyng his natiue Countrey gaue to Henry the. 2. kyng of England the right & seniory of the dominiō of Ireland, whiche pertained to the Sea of Rome. I wyl not rehearse the manifold benefites that this Realme hath receiued from the Apostolike sea, nor how ready the same hath bene to relieue vs in al our necessities. Nor I wyll not rehearse the manyfolde miseries and calamities, that this realme

hath suffred by swaruing from that vnitye. And euen as in this realme, so in al other countries, which refusyng the vnity of the Catholike faith haue folowed fantasticall doctrine, the lyke plages haue happened. Let Asia, and the Empire of Grece be a spectacle vnto the worlde, who by swaruing frō the vnity of the Church of Rome, are brought into captiuity and subiection of the Turke. All stories be full of lyke examples. And to come vnto the latter time, loke vpon our nie neighbors of Germanye, who by swaruing frō this vnity, are myserably afflicted with diuersitye of sectes, and diuided in factions. What shal I rehearse vnto you the tumultes and effusion of bloud, that hath happened there of late daies? or trouble you with the rehearsall of those plages, that haue happened since this innouation of religion, wherof you haue felt the bytternes, and I haue heard the report? Of al which matters I can say no more, but suche was the misery of the tyme. And see how farrefoorth this furye went. For those that liue vnder the Turke, may frely liue after their conscience: and so was it not lawfull here. MarginaliaThis is most truely verefied vnder your iurisdiction my Lorde. If men examine wel vpon what groundes these innouations began, they shall wel fynd, that the roote of this, as of many other mischiefes, was auarice: And that the luste and Carnall affection of one man confoūded all lawes, bothe diuyne and humain. And notwithstandyng all these deuises and pollicies practised within this realme against the church of Rome, they neded not to haue loste you, but that they sought rather as frendes to reconcyle you, then as enemyes to infest you. For they wāted not great offers of the most mighty Potentates in all Europe to haue aided the church in that quarel. Then marke the sequele: there semed by these chaunges to ryse a great face of riches and gayne, whiche in proofe came to great misery and lacke. See howe God then can confounde the wysedome of the wyse, and turne vniuste pollicy to mere folye, and that thynge that semed to be done for reliefe, was cause of playne ruine, & decay. Yet see that goodnesse of God, whiche at no tyme fayled vs, but most benignly offered his grace, when it was of our partes leaste soughte, and worste deserued.

And when all light of true religion semed vtterly extinct, as the churches defaced, the altars ouerthrowen, the ministers corrupted: euē lyke as in a lampe the lyghte beyng couered, yet it is not quenched, euen so in a fewe remayned the confession of Christes fayth, namely in the brest of the Quenes excellencye, of whome to speake wythout adulation, the saying of the Prophete may be verefyed. Ecce quasi derelicta.

And see how miraculously God of his goodnesse preserued her highnes, contrarye to the expectation of man, that when numbers conspyred agaynste her, and pollicies wer deuysed to dysheryte her, and armed power prepared to destroye her, yet she beyng a Virgin, helplesse, naked and vnarmed, preuayled, and had the victorye ouer tyrauntes, whiche is not to bee ascrybed to anye pollicye of manne, but to the almyghtye great goodnesse and prouidence of GOD, to whome the honoure is to bee geuen. And therefore it maye bee sayde: Da gloriam deo. For in mannes iudgemente, on her graces parte, was nothyng in appearance, but dyspayre.