First Blast of the Trumpet against the monstrous regiment of Women | Page 3

that behalfe,
with a breife exhortation to Obedience. Anno. M.D. lix.
[This calling John Knox a "stranger" sounds to us like a piece of
impudence, but may bring home to us that Scotland was then to
Englishmen a foreign country.]
2. 1565-6. Antwerp. 8vo. PETRUS FRARINUS, M.A.
Oration against the Vnlawfull Insurrections of the Protestantes of our
time, under the pretence to refourme religion.
Made and pronounced in the Schole of Artes at Louaine, the xiiij of
December. Anno 1565. And now translated into English with the
aduise of the Author. Printed by JOHN FOWLER in 1566.
The references to KNOX and GOODMAN are at E. vj and F. ij. At the
end of this work is a kind of Table of Contents, each reference being
illustrated with a woodcut depicting the irightful cruelties with which

the Author in the text charges the Protestants. One woodcut is a curious
representation of GOODMAN and NOKES.
Doctor FULKE wrote a Confutation of this work.
3. 1579. Paris. 8vo. DAVID CHAMBERS of Ormond.
Histoire abregée de tous les Roys de France, Angleterre et Escosse, etc.
In three Parts, each with a separate Title page.
The Third Part is dated 21 August 1573; is dedicated to CATHERINE
DE MEDICI; and is entitled
Discours de la legitime succession des femmes aux possessions de leurs
parens: et du gouernement des princesses aux Empires et Royaumes.
4. 1584. [Printed abroad]. 8vo. JOHN LESLEY, Bishop of ROSS.
A treatise towching the right, title and interest of the most Excellent
Princesse MARIE, Queen of Scotland, And of the most noble King
JAMES, her Graces sonne, to the succession of the Crowne of
England. ... Compiled ahd published before in Latin, and after in
English. The Blast is alluded to at C. 2.
5. 1590. [Never printed.] Lord HENRY HOWARD [created Earl of
NORTHAMPTON 13 March 1604.], a voluminous writer, but few of
whose writings ever came to the press.
A dutifull defence of the lawfull Regiment of women deuided into
three bookes. The first conteyneth reasons and examples grounded on
the law of nature. The second reasons and examples grownded on the
Ciuile lawes. The third reasons and examples grounded on the sacred
lawes of god with an awnswer to all false and friuolous obiections
which haue bene most vniustlie cowntenaunced with deceitfull coulores
forced oute of theis lawes in disgrace of their approued and sufficient
authorytie. _Lansd. MS_. 813 and _Harl. MS_. 6257.

INTRODUCTION.
At the time this tract was written the destinies, immediate and
prospective, of the Protestant faith seemed to lay wholly in the laps of
five women, viz:--
CATHERINE DE MEDICI, Queen of France.
MARIE DE LORRAINE, Queen Regent of Scotland, whose sole heir
was her daughter MARY, afterwards Queen of Scots.
MARY TUDOR, Queen of England, having for her heir apparent the
Princess ELIZABETH.

Of these, the last--also of least account at this moment, being in
confinement--was the only hope of the Reformers. The other four,
largely directing the affairs of three kingdoms, were steadfastly hostile
to the new faith. Truly, the odds were heavy against it. Who could have
anticipated that within three years of the writing of this book both
MARY TUDOR and MARY DE LORRAINE would have passed away;
that KNOX himself would have been in Scotland carrying on the
Reformation; and that ELIZABETH would have commenced her
marvellous reign. So vast a change in the political world was quite
beyond all reasonable foresight.
Meanwhile there was only present to the vision and heart of the
Reformer as he gazed seaward, from Dieppe, but the unceasing blaze of,
the martyr fires spreading from Smithfield all over England. Month
after month this horrid work was deliberately carried on and was
increasing in intensity.
We se our countrie set furthe for a pray to foreine nations, we heare the
blood of our brethren, the membres of Christ Iesus most cruellie to be
shed, and the monstruous empire of a cruell women (the secrete
counsel of God excepted) we knowe to be the onlie occasion of all the
miseries: and yet with silence we passe the time as thogh the mater did
nothinge appertein to vs. p. 3.
The vigour of the persecution had struck all heart out of the Protestants.
Was this to go on for ever? Heart-wrung at the ruthless slaughter--as
we, in our day, have been by the horrors of the Indian mutiny or of the
Bulgarian atrocities---the Reformer sought to know the occasion of all
these calamities. At that moment, he found it in the Empire of Woman.
Afterwards he referred much of this book to the time in which it was
written [pp. 58 and 61]. Shall we say that his heart compelled his head
to this argument, that his indignation entangled his understanding on
this subject? Just as MILTON