calleth vpon God almighty to punish vs, and crieth, that not onely thautoures of so greate a wickednesse, but also the ministers therof are vnpure, the places defiled in whiche these thinges wer perpetrated, thaire infected which we take into our bodyes, to thentent that by sundry diseases and sickenesses we may receyue punishmēt for so execrable wickednesse. Loke well about ye (my dere brethren) and consider with you selues the euylles that are paste: and ye shall see howe they toke theyr beginning at Bucers death, following one in anothers neck euen vnto this day. Fyrst and formost whē we were euen in the chiefest of our mourning, and scarcely yet recomforted of our sorow for hys death, the sweating sickenesse lighted vpon vs, the which passed swiftlye through all England and as it were in hast dyspatched an innumerable company of men: Secondly, thuntimely death of our most noble king Edward the sixth (whose life in vertue surmoūted thopinion of al men, and seemed worth of immortality) happened contrary to mennes expectacion in that age, in which vnlesse violence be vsed, few do dye. The conuersion of religion, or rather the euersion and turning therof into papistry. The incursion and domination of straungers, vnder whose yoke our neckes were almoste subdued. The importunate cruelty of the Byshoppes agaynst the Christians, which executed that wickednes, for makinge satisfaction wherof, we are gathered together this daye. These are the thinges that ensued after hys death: but after his burning ensewed yet greuouser thinges. Namely newe kinde of plagues, and contagious dyseases. vnknowen to the very Phisitiās, wherby either euery mans health was appayred, or els they were brought to theyr graues, or els very hardly recouered: bloudye battels wythout victory, whereof the profite redounded to the enemy, and to vs the slaughter with greate losse. The which things do euidently declare, that God is tourned frō vs, and angry with vs, and that he geueth no eare to our prayers, and that he is not moued with our cries and sighes, but that he loketh, that this our meting and assembly should bee to this ende, that forasmuch as we haue violated theyr coarses, we should do them righte agayne: so that the memoriall of these moste holy men, may be commended to posterity vnhurted and vndiffamed. Wherfore amende yet at length (my brethren) which hitherto by reason of the variablenesse and vnconstancy of the times, haue bene wauering and vnstedfast in your hartes: shewe your selfes chearful and forwarde in making satisfaction for thiniury you haue done to the dead, whom with so greate wickednesse of late ye endomaged and defiled: not by sensing thē with the perfumes of those odours and spices now worne out of vre, and put to flight, but with a true and unfained repentaunce of the hart, and with praier: to thentente that the heauenly Godhead, prouoked by our doinges to be our enemy, maye be our humble submission be entreated to be fauourable and agreable to al our other requestes.

When Acworth had made an end of his Oration, MarginaliaThe sermō of D. Iames Pylkynton.M. Iames Pilkinton the Queenes reader of the diuinitye lecture, going vp into the pulpit, made a sermon vpō the. Cxi. Psalm the beginning whereof is. Blessed is the man

that feareth the Lorde. &c.

Where intending to proue that the remembraunce of the iust man shal not pearish, and that Bucer is blessed, and that the vngodlye shall freat at the sight thereof, but yet that al their attemptes shall be to no purpose, to the entent thys sayinge maye be verified: I will curse your blessinges, & blesse your cursings, he tooke his beginning of hys owne person, that albeit he were bothe ready and willinge to take that matter in hande, partlye for the worthynesse of the matter it selfe, and inespecially for certaine singular vertues, of those persons, for whom that congregatiō was called, yet notwithstandinge he sayd he was nothing meete to take that charge vpon hym.

For it were more reason that he which before had don Bucer wrōg, should now make hym amendes for the displeasure. As for hys owne parte, he was so farre from working any euil against Bucer, either in word or dede that for their singular knowledge almost in all kind of learning, he embraced bothe hym and Phagius wyth all his harte. But yet he somwhat more fauored Bucer, as with whō he had more familiarity and acquaintaunce. In consideration whereof, although that it was scarce conuenient, that he at that tyme should speake, yet notwithstandinge he was contented for frendshippe and courtesy sake, not to fayle them in this their busines. Hauinge made this preface, he entered into the pith of the matter, wherein he blamed greatlye that barbarous crueltye of the Courte of Rome, so fiercely extēded against the ded. He said it was a more heinous matter then was to be born with, to haue shewed such extreme cruelnes to them that were aliue: but for any man to misbehaue him selfe in suche wise toward the deade, was suche a thinge as had not lightly bene hard of. Sauing that he affirmed this custome of excommunicating and cursinge of dead folke, to haue come first frō Rome, For Euagrius reporteth in his writinges, that Eutichius was of the same opinion, induced by the example of Iosias, who slewe the priestes of Baall, and burnt vp the bones of them that wer dead, euen vpon the altars. Where as, before the tyme of Eutichius thys kinde of punishemente was welnere vnknowen, neither afterward vsurped of any man (that euer he heard of) vntil a nine hundred yeares after Christ. In the latter times (the which how much the further they were from that golden age of the Apostles, so much the more they were corrupted) this kinde of cruelnesse beganne to creepe further. For it is manifestlye knowen, that Stephen the sixth pope of Rome, digged vp Formosus, his last predecessour in that sea, and spoiling hym of hys Popes apparayle, buried hym agayne in laye mans apparayle (as they call it) hauing first cut of and throwen into Tyber his two fingers, with which, according to their accustomed maner, he was wont to blesse and consecrate. The which his vnspeakable tiranny