These woordes were spoken openlye. After this master Feckenham tooke his leaue, sayinge, that he was sorie for her. For, said he, I am sure we two shal neuer mete. Trothe it is, quoth she, that we shall neuer mete, vnlesse God turne your hart. For I am sure, vnlesse you repent and turne to God, you ar in an euyl casc, and I pray to God, in the bowels of his mercie, to sende, you his holy spirite. For he hath geuen you his great gift of vtteraunce, if it please him to open the eyes of your hart to his truth. And so she departed. AN EXHORTATION Written by the Lady Iane, the Night before she suffered, in the Ende of the New Testament, in Greke, which she sent to her Sister, LADY KATERINE. J HAUE here sent you, good sister Katerine, a boke, which although it be not outwardly trimmed with gold, yet inwardli it is more worth then precious stones. It is the boke (deare sister) of the lawe of the Lorde. It is his Testament and last Wil, whiche he bequethed vnto vs wretches, whiche shal leade you to the path of eternall ioye, And if you with a good mynde read it, and with an ernest desire folowe it, it shal bring you an immortal and euerlasting life. It will teache you to liue and learne you to dye. It shal winne you more, then you should haue gained by the possession of your woful fathers landes. For, as if God had prospered him you should haue inherited his landes; so, if you appli diligently this boke, seking to direct your life after it, you shal be an inheritour of sutche riches, as neither the couctous shal withdraw from you, neither the theife shal steale, neither yet the mothes corrupte. Desire with Dauid (good sister) to vnderstand the lawe of the Lord your God. Liue stil to dye, that you by death maye purchase eternall life. And trust not that the tendernes of your age shal lengthen your life; for assone (if God cal) goth the yong as the olde. And laboure alwaye to learne to dye. Deny the world, defie the deuil, and dispise the flesh, and delight your selfe only in the Lord. Be penitent for your sinnes, and yet dispaire not; Be strong in faith, and yet presume not; and desire with S. Paule to be dissolued, and to be with Christe, with whom, euen in death ther is life. Be like the good scruaunt, and euen at midnight be waking: least, when death commeth and steale vpon you, like a theife in the nighte, you be with the deuils seruaunt found sleping; and least for lacke of oyle ye bee founde like the fiue foolishe wemen, and like him that had not on the wedding garment; and then you be cast out from the mariage. Reioyce in Christ, as I trust ye do. And seinge ye haue the name of a Christian, as nere as ye can, folow the steppes of your master Christ, and take vp your crosse, lay your sinnes on his backe, and alwaies imbrace him. And, as touching my death, reioyce as I do (good sister) that I shal be deliuered of this corruption, and put on vncorruption. For I am assured, that I shal, for losing of a mortal life, winne an immortal life. The whiche I praye God graunt you, sende you of his grace to liue in his feare, and to dye in the true Christian faith. From the whiche, in Gods name, I exhorte you that ye neuer swarue, neither for hope of life, nor fear of death. For if ye wil deny his truth, to lengthen your life: God wil deny you, and yet shorteu your daies. And, if ye wil cleaue to him, he wil prolonge your daies, to your comforte, and his glory. To the which glory, God bringe me nowe, and you hereafter, whan it shal please God to cal you. Far well, good sister, and put your onlye trust in God, who onely must helpe you. Amen. Your louing sister, IANE DUDLEY. The Lady Janes Wordes upon the Scaffold. 'GOOD Christen people, I am vnder a lawe, and by a lawe I am condempned to dye, not for ani thing I haue offended the Quenes Maiesti, for I wil wash my hands giltles therof, but only for that I consented to the thing whiche I was inforced vnto. Notwithstanding I haue offended Almyghtie God, for that I haue folowed ouer much the Just of mi flesh, and the pleasure of this wretched world, and I haue not liued according to the knowledge that God hath geuen me; wherfor God hath plaged me nowe wyth thys kinde of death, and that worthelye accordyng to my desertes. Howebeit I thancke him hartelie that he hath geuen me time to repent my syns here in this world. Wherfor, good Christian people, I shal desyre you al to pray with me, and for me, while I am now aliue, that God of his goodnes will forgeue me my sinnes. And I pray you al to beare me witnesse, that I here dye a true Christian woman, and that I truste to be saued by the bloud of Iesus Christ, and bi none other meanes; and now I pray you al, pray for me, and with me, and so saied the Psalm of Miserere mei; that don, she saied, Lorde saue my soule, whyche now I commend into thy handes and so prepared her selfe meckelie to the blocke." A DECLARATION OF THE QUENES MAIESTIE, ELIZABETH, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, QUENE OF ENGLAND, FRAUNCE, AND IRELANDE, DEFENDOR OF THE FAYTH, &c. Conteyning the causes which haue constrayned her to arme certeine of her sub iectes, for defence both of her owne estate, and of the moste Christian Kyng, Charles the Nynth, her good brother, and his subiectes. Septemb. 1562. Imprinted at London, in Powles Churchyarde, by Rycharde Iugge and Ioha Cawood, printers to the Quenes Maiestie. Cum Priuilegio Regiæ Maiestatis. In Quarto, containing thirteen pages, black letter. This political Queen, Elisabeth, having discovered, that great endeavours were carrying on by the Papists to restore their religion by force of arms, under a pretence of the Queen of Scotland's title to the crown of England; and that the duke of Guise was to assist her rebellious subjects, with a French army, to execute their treason; and that the duke of Guise, with the Cardinal of Lorrain, had engaged the King of Navarre, or Anthony of Bourbon, to their support; with a promise to guarantee to the said king the crown of England, if he would assist in dethroning Elisabeth; she resolved to support the French Huguenots, in opposition to the Guises, and procured for them a favourable edict, called, the Edict of January. The duke of Guise, penetrating into the Queen's intentions, concerted and assisted in the execrable massacre of Vassy; which at once deprived the Queen Regent of Fraunce, and her son the King, of their liberty, and obliged the Huguenots, or French protestants, to desire succours from Queen Elisabeth; promising to put her in possession of Havre de Grace,' till she had Calais restored to the Crown of England. The Queen, glad of this opportunity to declare against the Guises, agrees to furnish them with an hundred-thousand crowns, and six-thousand foot; and then published the following declaration, or manifesto, viz. ALTHOUGH the myserable and afflicted estate of the realme of Fraunce is to be lamented of all Chrystien Princes and nacions, and requyrethe som good remedie, not only for preseruation of the Kyng there, with the Quene his mother, and the subiectes of that realme frou danger and ruyne; but also for the staye of the reste of Christendome in peace, and to be free from the lyke cyuyle warre, into the whiche, as it appeareth by these straunge dealinges in the sayde realme, it is meant the same shall fall; yet there is no prince, that hath more iuste cause to haue regarde herunto, nor that hath more indifferently and earnestly intended the recouery of quietnesse and accorde therin, than the Quenes maiestie of this realme of Englande, both by her owne gracious disposition, and by aduyse of her councell. For, as the matter is nowe playnly discouered to the worlde, and as her maiestie hath proued the same sufficientlye by her owne late experience, she is not only touched, as other princes ought to be, with great compassion and commiseration for the vnnaturall abusyng of the French Kyng, her good brother, by certen of his subiectes, the daunger of his person and his bloud, the lamentable and barbarous destruction, hauocke, and spoyle of so manye Chrystien innocent people beyonde all measure but her maiestie also euidently seeth before her eyes, that, yf some good remedye be not, by Gods goodnesse, prouided in season, the very fyre, that is nowe kindeled and dispersed there, is purposelye ment and intended to be conueyed and blowen ouer to inflame this her crowne and her realme. Whiche greate peryll, although it be so playnly sene to all wyse and prouident men, both at home and abrode, that they can not mislyke her care and prouidence to remedye the same in tyme; yet hath her maiestie thought not vnmeete to notifie some parte of her dealynges herin, so as it shall well appeare howe sincerely her maiestie hath both hytherto proceaded with her neyghbours, and how playnly and vprightly she is determined to continue. Fyrst, It hath ben well sene to the worlde, howe well disposed her maiestię was, cucn at the beginning of her raigne, to the restitucion of peace to Christendome, that, for loue therof, was contented to forbeare for certein yeres the restitucion† of a portion of her auncient dominion, when all other parties to the same peace, with whom, and by whose alliaunce her crowne susteyned losse, were immediately restored to the most parte of their owne in possession: aud yet it can not be forgotten, within howe short a space, or rather no space after, and by whom, and vpon howe greate, euidente, and iuste causes (aswell by meanes of force and armes first taken, as by other open attemptes agaynst her maicstie) she was constrained to prepare like armes of defence only, euen for her whole crowne and kingdome, and ioyntly therwith for the safetie of her next neyghbours from a playne tirrannyc. And also howe sincerely her maiestie proccaded therin !, firste, by sundry requestes and meanes made to forbeare theyr attemptes; next, by open declaration of her intent to be onely for defence of her selfe, and by the whole handelyng of the matter; and, lastly, by the euent and issue of the cause all the worlde hath clercly vnderstande. After which daungerous troubles pacified the quene of Scottes, at her returne to her countreye, felyng the greate commoditie herof folowyng, both to her selfe and her realme, and vnderstanding the sincere dealyng of the Quenes maiestie in all her former actions, dyd by diuers meanes geue signification to her maiestie, of a greate desire to 1 Apryl, 1550. The peace made at Casteau, in Cambresy. Callayse, which was to be restored to the Quene of Euglande. 20 Apryll, 1560. The Towne of enter with her into a strayghter kynde of amitie: Wherunto her maiestie, being of her owne nature much enclined, redely accorded. And howe farre and prosperously they both proceded therin by many and sundry mutuall offices of frendshippe, aswel the good wyl shewed by her maiestie to the Quene of Scottes vncles, the Guyses, and to all her frendes and ministers passyng and repassyng through this her realme; as also the accorde of the enteruiew intended betwixt them both, this last sommer*, hath well declared. But, in the middest of these her maiesties quiet and peacyble determinations, she hath ben, to her great griefe, vtterly disapoynted; and constrayned, for her owne interest, to attende and intermedle in the pacification of these great troubles in Fraunce ncare to her realme, the same beyng styrred vp by suche, as both were her laste manifest great enemies, and haue also (they know howe) continued the cause of mistrust tyl this day, by manifest argumentes of iniustice, which her maiestie is contented to conceale, for the great affection that she beareth to the Scottysshe Quene. Fyrste, her maiestie at the beginning, doubting, by the encrease of these Frenche troubles, that not onely that realme should fall into daunger of ruyne† by diuision, as it nowe is; but also that the reste of Christendome, and specially her owne realme, both for the nearenesse thereto, and for the respectes of them which were the principall aucthours and parties in these troubles, shoulde be also disturbed and brought to daunger; vsed all the mcanes that might be, by messages, by solicitations, by aduyse, yea, by a special ambassade of a person of good credite, to haue some mediation made betwixt these parties beyng at controuersie. But suche was the policie and violence of the one partie in hastye proceadyng, euen at the firste, as no mediation coulde be harde of, or allowed. And yet coulde not her maiestie discontinue her good intent, but, scyng the cruelties encrease, the bloudsheddyng and murders continue; yea, which was most peryllous, the yonge Kyng, and the Quene his mother, being sodeynlye assayled, and founde without force, were directed and drawen altogether, by the verye aucthours of the troubles, to suffer theyr name and aucthoritie to be abused, euen to the kyllynge of the Kynges owne vnarmed innocente people, the spoylyng of his ryche townes, the breakyng of his best aduysed edictes, the persecutyng of his owne bloud and his nobilitie, the destroying of his faithfull approued || seruauntes, with many suche other heapes of mischiefes; and all these for no other cause, but for the particular appetites of some, and to breake with violence the ordinaunces § of the realme, specyallye those which were lately deuysed by the long and great councell of the realme, both for quietnesse in matters of religion, and for the reliefe of the Kynges estate diuers wayes ¶. And, finally, her Maiestie vnderstandyng very certeinly of an open destruction and subuertion ** there, put already in vre, and lyke • 1562. + 29 Aprill, 1562,' +1 March, 1562. The slaughter of Vassy. Syr Henry Sidney, Lord President in Wales. Parliament at Orleans, in Jan. 1560. "The slaughters at Vassy, Paris, Sens, Tholose, Blois, Toars, Angers, and other places, by credible estimation reporied out of Fraunce, to the number of an hundred thousand persons, between the 1st of March and the 20th of August last. |