Fox - BR1600 .F6 1684 v1

Tranjlated out of Latine into Englilh. :kno:~:·i~~r:S~~ t~;:!~":e~?n~[t~ht; at~~a~a'.O~~ :b~~:n~ri~h~i~e~i;~~r~; .. theJ~t though I might jufily anfwer thefe men, that the fame excufe of necdfity, which they 3f.. ~=~= {~~ ~~\n::~~;d;rs~"~u~t h~0 ~!~d ~;av~~~;rA~:::far~ha!~~; ~f ~~~:~in"; a~bfs fiery: yet willingly would I give them. further fatisfaCt ion, than they can in)uflice c~aUenge; defiring that what bath been done m•ght poffibly have been done otherwtfe, and mtreating them n'ot to fuppofe that done with a thought of hurting, which was only the Fortune of thofe' who were hurt; in the mean while (notwithfianding) I advife them, that they joyn not their grief, with the anger of thofe men, who are offended with Mafier Fox for a £1r different caufe, and under colour of the perfons, f'trike at a matter of another condition, there being two forts of meo, who in this refpefi complain they are injured, the one out of Nature, the other out of Faction. To the firft, as their due, I willingly grant .all benrfit that courtefie can afford them. Though they are angry, they are ftill SubjeCts, and m their Obedience : neither would I make fo light of the grief, though unjufl:ly uken by any good Subjefr, as not rather to lofea part of my right, than that he lhould rdi nquifh any part of his Loyalty. To'the !aft, 1 have fomewhat elfe to fay, as to men, who bad the Fortune to fall out firft with their Coun~ try, and to have that as the true and principal <?aufe of ~heir hatred: than to grow angry with Mafter Fox, whom they hate not, but for the1r Countnes fake. To thefe men [ am fo far from thinking any fatisfaa:ioo due, as that [ cannot afford them the favour of rcafoning with them, which is granted even to Enemies. For the fa~ety of civil entcrc'?urfe, and all hope of reconcilement they have taken away, and broken all ties of humane foc1ety: And whar can [ bope he fhould ever after do, either like an underftanding man, or like a man at all, who could forfake his duty to his Country? which alone fo draweth into it felf the power and right of all duties, that according as any man fueweth more or lefs love towards it, fo may the moft infallible judgm: nt be ~iven, how ~e flandeth 3ffefred towards God. But if th:y fay, their Country bath failed in tts duty: Fuft, that will be a quefiion, whether it bath fiuled o~ not :::t ~~;t~:iri~~~t~t~a~e1a~e ~u~~~:, ~~t!ob~td11 ;ra:;:~~~e1 ~:~e~u\?h~0 ~~~r~m~~ff ~~~~~~; to an Action, of which God only can determine, fhould prefumc to make h1mfdf his own Judge, and (not content to have fet at nought that Authority, which amongft men is moO: weighty) neither grant to his Country fpace of appealing, nor awaite the Judgment ofAlmighty God, but as if be had already won the day, feize all things before hand by foul and ftubborn attempt!, and rather gratilie an Enemy with his diOoyalty,, than perform his duty to hisCountry fOwell,deferving it ? So that if it fhould happen at anytsme, that this famous Kingdom (which is not impoffible in this ftate of humane weaknefs) fhould err in any part of duty towards God, ·r~th~~~~~~sdd~~:~o~iso~:a~t:a~f~;e:~~~fe ~~~;~~u~~~e~r~~~.mna~ ~~:~ hfe~~ ~od~~~~ 'iUitted himfelf of fo hainous a fault, but alfo to have done what his duty reguired. This I have fpoken of the more largtly, becaufe [ underftand that many of our own Party think fit, that fome Aofwer fhould be made to the Papi!ls, concerning the evil Speeches they have ufed againft Maftcr Fox. To fati sfie whofe delire io a few words, l ~t us lirfi fee what thofe evil Speeches are: l!hat he i5 a lying Author: It is therefore a lye, that Mafter Roger~~ Archbi{hop Cranmer, Bifhop Ho~per, Bilbop Ridltj, Bilbop Lt~timer, and other mort holy and innocent men of the fame train were burned for their R.eligion. But if this, even by their own confeffion, be true, what (I marvel) may thofe matters be, by whofe falfhood the reR:: of the whole work hath incurred the intarnous Title of a lye, as they do make their Fol~ lowers believe? Some things they allcdge miftaken in the names or number of fuch as fuffer, or in the time of their fufferiog~ which were either recalled in the following Ed~tions, or by the !~~h~r~~~~~~:~:~~~he ~ia~:~ ~0~r:e~e1~~; c~~t%~~;~~~~m;~e a~rn:f~~;ap~~~e~~~~~ felves, which they might eafily do, in fo great contention of differing Opinions, that wha~foever Author a man fhould follow, he muft frill f.lll into the fame inconvenience. Yet all they can fay is of fuch a nature, as neither we much care if it were true, nor they if it be falfe. But let us (if you will) grant them fomewhat, and be liberal of Mafter Fox his right: If I fhall take quite out of the Hiftory, all that they have fa id to be falfe, will they then promife me to fuffer their Folfowers with freedom to read the reft? They will no more yield · to this condition~ than they wilt be contented to be quiet: What fhall a man do to fuch men, as are never fatisfied, whether you grant that they plead for, or deny it them? And how great a frowardneG it were to expect from any Author, that in the whole courfe offo long a ftory~ whilft one man doth with his own only labours handle fo many feveral matters, he fbould never ~£;u:t~5te~:~~~e~;~;i:~~~;e ~: d~fc~i~!~h~~~~liet~fG~::, '8~~4:;~~~~:~ ~;i~~al::i~ the circuit of any IOand, or paifage from one place to another, differ by a few miles from later accompt, who (indeed) wrote the HiO:ory of his Wars and Expeditions, with t hat trulh he ought to do, but in the refl: followed the common report, and behc:ved the Relations ofothers1 not willing to be over curious in things of no great importance. And .thw much it feemed good to me to anfwer, rather out of the opinion offome of our own fide, than that my felf thought it neceifary : But if our Adverfaries themfelves require a further Aofwcr1 l will deal with them upon other terms: Let them firft return to their Obe-- dience,

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