Certain letters, translated into English, being first written in Latin. Two, by the reverend…Certayne letters, translated into English, being first written in Latine. Two, by the reverend…

Thus seest thou briefly (good Christian Reader) the things which we mislike in the Church of England / and for which we have separated our selves / as God commandeth.^y To all these / if we were amongst them / s—uld we be forced to submit our bodies and souls / or else suffer violence at the hands of the Prelates / and end our lives by violent death or most miserable imprisonment / as many of our brethren before us have done. For so great is the malice and power of those romish priests / that they persecute unto death such as speak against them: and such poor Christians as they cast into their noisome prisons / can seldom or never get out (except with shipwreck of conscience) until they be carried forth upon the Bear. Neither is there any care taken for their relief in this case: but being thus cast into prison / there they are detained without any allowance of meat or money for their maintenance / be their want and poverty never so great. If they have any thing of their own / there they are driven to spend it up: if they have nothing / there they are left by the Prelates to feed on the air. And that they may more readily be starved / or weakened in the truth / they are commonly shut up in close prison / their friends and acquaintance being not suffered to come at them: Nay even their wives and children being kept and debarred from them by the tyranny of these bloody Prelates and their instruments: whose hard hearts and unnatural cruelty / if thou diddest understand (gentle Reader) as many of us have felt / and to this day yet feel it would make thy hart to bleed / considering their unmerciful and barbarous dealing. And how many souls have perished in their prisons through miserable usage / how many have ben put to death and how many banished / though we could to their eternal infamy relate to all the world / yet will we not blaze abroad their acts (for we take no delight in laying open their shame) but mourn for them in secret / committing our cause to God that judgeth justly / knowing that he ^zthat maketh inquisition for blood remembereth it / and will not forget the complaint of the poor.

Thus seest thow briefely (good Christian Reader) the thinges which we mislike in the Churche of England / and for which we have separated our selves / as God commandeth.^y To all these / if we were amongst them / s—uld we be forced to submytt our bodyes and soules / or els suffer violence at the handes of the Prelats / and end our lyves by violent death or most miserable imprisonment / as many of our bretheren before vs have donne. For so great is the malice and power of those romysh priests / that they persecute vnto death such as speake against them: and such poore Christians as they cast into their noysome prysons / can seldome or never get out (except with shipwracke of cōscience) vntyll they be caryed forth vpon the Bere. Neyther is there any care taken for their reliefe in this case: but being thus cast into pryson / there they are deteyned without any alloweance of meate or money for their mayntenance / be their want and poverty never so great. If they have any thing of their owne / there they are driven to spend it vp: if they have nothing / there they are left by the Prelats to feede on the ayre. And that they maye more readily be sterved / or weakened in the truth / they are comonly shut vp in close prison / their frends and acquayntance being not suffered to come at them: Nay even their wyves and children being kept and debarred from them by the tyranny of these bloddye Prelats and their instruments: whose hard hartes and vnnaturall cruelty / if thou didest vnderstand (gentle Reader) as many of vs have felt / and to this daye yet feele it would make thy hart to bleede / considering their vnmercyfull and barbarous dealing. And how many soules have perished in their prisons through miserable vsage / how many have ben put to death and how many banyshed / though we could to their eternall infamy relate to all the world / yet wil we not blaze abroad their acts (for we take no delight in laying open their shame) but mourne for them in secret / commytting our cause to God that judgeth justly / knowing that he