The Pope confuted The holy and apostolic Church confuting the Pope. The first action.…The Pope confuted The holy and apostolique Church confuting the Pope. The first action.…

And because he perceiveth that in this gladsome kingdom of the Gospel, he can no longer now retain the same without bloodshed, and butchery of thousands of souls, hereof cometh it, that as many as he perceiveth to be true professors of the word, even so many he recounteth for his open adversaries, whom he thinketh convenient to cut of by practise, and policy whatsoever.

And because he perceaueth that in this gladsome kingdome of the Gospell, he can no longer now reteine the same without bloodshed, and butcherie of thousandes of soules, hereof commeth it, that as many as he perceiueth to be true professoures of the worde, euen so many he recompteth for his open aduersaries, whom he thinketh conuenient to cutte of by practise, and pollicie whatsoeuer.

¹From hence ariseth all this storm of so great Tragedies: here hence come those dreadful thunderclaps, and deadly flashes of scorching curses, & yet not so much to be feared of any, as to be scorned of all. They call them Bulls: To wit Pardons and Popish Libels wonderful craftily forged too entrap, and beguile silly souls, under the visor of Peter and Pauls authorities. For this is the very gunshot wherewith these holy Fathers do usually avenge the rancour of their hearts, if they ⟨p. 4⟩chance at any time to wax choleric and wroth. And because through such pretty Buggebeares• they have heretofore accustomed to be dreadful, and fearful too other kingdoms and Monarchies, hereof came it that Pope Pius the fifth not long sithence, like Jupiter Olympius with his fiery thunder bolts •ut of his Castle of S. Angelo did set upon poor little England with a terrible Bull.² In the which proud presumptuous attempt, he practised with shameless slanders and railing reproaches first too defame the virtuous Lady Queen Elizabeth, thereby to procure her highness the hatred of foreign nations: and being not satisfied therewith, endeavoured also to deprive her of her Regal Patrimony, and true inheritable kingdom: and not of her kingdom only, but to bereave her also of life, and for that purpose solicited against her, traitorous treachours both within her own Realm, and abroad.