The Apology of the Church of England | Page 5

"most dear Festus, am not mad, as thou thinkest,
but I speak the words of truth and soberness." And the ancient
Christians, when they were slandered to the people for mankillers, for
adulterers, for committers of incest, for disturbers of the commonweals,
and did perceive that by such slanderous accusations the religion which
they professed might be brought in question, namely, if they should

seem to hold their peace, and in manner to confess the fault; lest this
might hinder the free course of the Gospel, they made orations, they put
up supplications, and made means to emperors and princes, that they
might defend themselves and their fellows in open audience.
But we truly, seeing that so many thousands of our brethren in these
last twenty years have borne witness unto the truth, in the midst of most
painful torments that could be devised; and when princes, desirous to
restrain the Gospel, sought many ways, but prevailed nothing; and that
now almost the whole world doth begin to open their eyes to behold the
light; we take it that our cause hath already been sufficiently declared
and defended, and think it not needful to make many words, seeing the
matter saith enough for itself. For if the popes would, or else if they
could weigh with their own selves the whole matter, and also the
beginnings and proceedings of our religion, how in a manner all their
travail hath come to nought, nobody driving it forward; and how on the
other side, our cause, against the will of emperors from the beginning,
against the wills of so many kings, in spite of the popes, and almost
maugre the head of all men, hath taken increase, and by little and little
spread over into all countries, and is come at length even into kings'
courts and palaces; these same things, methinketh, might be tokens
great enough to them, that God Himself doth strongly fight in our
quarrel, and doth from heaven laugh at their enterprises; and that the
force of truth is such, as neither man's power, nor yet hell-gates are able
to root it out. For they be not all mad at this day, so many free cities, so
many kings, so many princes, which have fallen away from the seat of
Rome, and have rather joined themselves to the Gospel of Christ.
And although the popes had never hitherunto leisure to consider
diligently and earnestly of these matters, or though some other cares do
now let them, and diverse ways pull them, or though they count these
to be but common and trifling studies, and nothing to appertain to the
Pope's worthiness, this maketh not why our matter ought to seem the
worse. Or if they perchance will not see that which they see indeed, but
rather will withstand the known truth, ought we therefore by-and-by to
be accounted heretics because we obey not their will and pleasure? If
so be, that Pope Pius were the man (we say not, which he would so

gladly be called), but if he were indeed a man that either would account
us for his brethren, or at least would take us to be men, he would first
diligently have examined our reasons, and would have seen what might
be said with us, what against us; and would not in his bull, whereby he
lately pretended a council, so rashly have condemned so great a part of
the world, so many learned and godly men, so many commonwealths,
so many kings, and so many princes, only upon his own blind
prejudices and fore- determinations--and that without hearing of them
speak or without showing cause why.
But because he hath already so noted us openly, lest by holding our
peace we should seem to grant a fault, and specially because we can by
no means have audience in the public assembly of the general council,
wherein he would no creature should have power to give his voice or to
declare his opinion, except he be sworn, and straitly bound to maintain
his authority (for we have had good experience hereof in the last
conference at the council at Trident; where the ambassadors and
divines of the princes of Germany, and of the free cities, were quite
shut out from their company. Neither can we yet forget, how Julius the
Third, above ten years past, provided warily by his writ that none of
our sort should be suffered to speak in the council, except that there
were some, peradventure, that would recant and change his opinion):
for this cause chiefly we thought it good to yield up an account of our
faith in writing, and truly and openly to make answer to those things
wherewith we have been openly charged; to the end the world may see