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.…

Wherefore awake ye most puissant Princes and most renowned Potentates, let your wisdom raise it self out of this slumber at the length. Repulse this outrage and impudency. If the dutiful consideration of your honourable estates, and of every of your particular liberties may little prevail with you, yield you thus much yet at the least to your Christ, unto whom ye owe all that you have, that ye take compassion of his poor distressed Church, that ye deliver the lives of your subjects from bloody butchery, and their consciences from heathenish impiety, and that ye willingly faster not within the bosom of your common weals wolves whelps too the ravenous devouring of the same. Your whole native country doth humbly beseech you, the whole society of all the godly doth desire you, yea with salt tears doth request you that ye will once at the length after so many and merciless slaughters and flames of the godly, vouchsafe too open the vowels of your mercy towards the preservation of the trueth, towards the safe keeping of simple innocency towards the free deliverance of sound doctrine which hath been long enough now oppressed: that being so by your bounteous consideration freed from all fear, they may be recomforted and recover courage again. It lieth in your honours too assuage these frantic and furious tumults. For performance whereof we do not require you to rush upon the common enemy, & revenge the butchery of your subjects with force of arms. There hath bin of warlike invasions more then enough there hath been too too great an effusion of Christian blood. But the request that our humble petition maketh to your honours is this, which will nevertheless redound in each respect as glorious too your estimation, as profitable for the general safety of all the godly. Namely, that of your authorities royal and imperial, ye will vouchsafe too ⟨p. 116⟩let be proclaimed a general Summons for a general council, according too the example of your famous ancestors, which assembly may proceed to the exact determination and voices of the best learned and gravest fathers, with such uprightness and integrity, as that the same council may be no less free, then general.¹ In the which let the Pope of Rome be enforced too justify his monarchical challenge and doctrine by due authorities and good proofs of doctrine:

Wherefore awake yee most puissant Princes and most renoumed Potentates, let your wysedome rayse it selfe out of this slumber at the length. Repulse this outrage and impudency. If the dueiful consideration of your honorable estates, and of euery of your particular liberties may little preuaile with you, yeeld you thus much yet at the least to your Christe, vntoo whome yee owe all that you haue, that yee take compassion of his poore distressed Churche, that yee deliuer the lyues of your subiectes from bloody butchery, and their consciences from heathnishe impiety, and that yee willingly faster not within the bosome of your common weales woolues whelpes too the rauenouse deuouring of the same. Your whole natyue country dooth humbly beseeche you, the whole society of al the godly dooth desire you, yea with salte teares doth request you that yee wil once at the length after so many and merciles slaughters and flammes of the godly, vouchsafe too open the vowelles of your mercy towardes the preseruation of the trueth, towardes the safe keeping of simple innocency towardes the free deliueraunce of sounde doctrine which hath beene long ynough nowe oppressed: that beeing so by your bouneous consideration freed from al feare, they may bee recomforted and recouer courage againe. It lyeth in your honours too assuage these franticke and furiouse tumultes. For performance whereof wee doo not require you to rush vppon the common enemy, & reuenge the butchery of your subiectes with force of armes. There hath bin of warlyke inuasions more then ynough there hath bene too too great an effusion of Christiā blood. But the request that our humble petition maketh to your honors is this, which wil neuerthelesse redounde in eche respect as glorious too your estimation, as profitable for the general sauety of al the godly. Namely, that of your authorities royal and imperial, yee will vouchsafe too