Most puysant prince and orient monarch. suche are the rare perfeccions and admirable guyftes wherewith the bountyfull hande of goddes devyne majestie hathe indewed your majestie, as in the depth of your provident Iudgment, wee doubte not but you foresee what concerneth both the spyrituall and temporall goverment of all your kingdoms and domynyons Notwithstandinge, your graces most afflicted subiectes and devoted servantes, the Catholiques of England, partelie to present synister informacions which happelie maie possesse your sacred eares, before our aunswere be harde, partelie, as men, almost overwhelmed with persecucions for our conscience, wee are inforced to haue speedie recourse in hope of speedie reliefe from your highnes, And to present theese humble lynes vnto your Roiall person, to pleade for vs some commyseracion and favour / Alas what alleageance can any temporall prince desier or expecte at his vassalles handes, which wee are not addressed to performe/ Howe manie noble men, and worthie gentlemen most zealous in the Catholique religion, haue indured, somme losse of landes and lyvinges, some exile, some ymprisonment, for your blessed mothers right vnto the Septer of Albion, Naye, whose fynger did ever ake, but Catholiques for your majesties present title and dominion, howe many fleed to your Courte, offeringe them selves as hostages for theire frendes, to lyve and die in your majesties quarrell, yf ever adversarie had opposed hymself against the equitie of your cause, yf this they attempted with theire princes disgrace, to obteine your majesties grace, what will they doe, naye what will they not doe, to lyve without disgrace in your graces favor, the many of this Realme yf wee respecte Religion, (settinge pettie sectes aside) consisteth vpon fowre partes, Protestantes, whoe haue dominyred all the former Queenes daies) Purytantes, whoe haue crept vpp apace amongest them, Athiestes, or polliticians, whoe were bred vpon theire brawles and contencions in matters of faithe, The Papistes supplicacion to the Kinge. And Catholiques, whoe as they are opposite to all, soe are they detested of all, because error was ever an enymy to truthe. Hardlie all, or any twoe of of the first three, can be suppressed, and therefore wee beseeche your majestie to yelde vs as muche favour, as others of contrarie religion, To what shalbe publiquelie professed in England, shall obteyne at your handes, For yf our faulte be lyke or lesse, or none at all in equitie, our punyshement ought to be like, lesse, or none at all/ The gates, Arches, and pyramydes of Fraunce proclaymed the present kynge pater patriae pacis restitutor / Because that kingdome beinge willinge wellnigh torne in peeces with Civell warres, and made a praie to forreigne foes, was by his provident wysdome and valoure, acquited in hit self, and hostile straungers expelled, the which he principallie effected, by condiscendinge to tollerate them of an adverse Religion to that was openlie professed Questionlesse, (dreede soueraigne) the kingdome of England by cruell persecucion of Catholiques, hath bene almost odious to all Christiane nacions, Trade, and Traffique, is exceedinglie decaied, warres and bloude hathe seldome ceassed, Subsidies and Taxes, never soe many, discontent myndes innumerable, all which your majesties princelie countenance to your humble suppliantes the afflicted Catholiques, will easelie redresse, speciallie at this your highnes first ingresse, Si loquatur ad eos verba levia, erant tibi servi cunctis dictus . And the sage Counsellors of Solomon to Reboam for enlargment after affliction, resembleth a present gale after a vehement tempest and a benyfytt in distresse doubleth the value thereof/ Howe gratefull will yt be to all Catholique princes abroade, and honorable be your majesty to vnderstande, howe Q. E. severitie is chaunged into your Royall clemencye, and that the lenitie of a man, reedified that, with the mysinformed angre of a woman destroied, That the Lion Rampant is passant, whereas the passant had some Rampant/ Howe acceptable shall all your subiectes be to all Catholique Countries, whoe are nowe almost abhorred of all, when they shall perceave your highnes prepareth not pikes and prisons for the professors of theire faieth, but permytteth them temples and Altars for the vse of theire religion/ Then wee shall see with eies, and touche with our fyngers, that happie benediccion of Esaie in this lande, that swordes are chaunged into ploughes, and launces into Sythes, And all nacions admiringe vs, will saye, Hi sunt semen cui benedixit dominus / Wee request noe more favor at your graces handes, then that wee maie securelie beleve and professe that Catholique Religion, which all your happie predecessors professed, from Dowaldus first converted vnto your majesties pereles mother last martired. A Religion most venerable for antiquitie, maiesticall, for amplitude, constant, for contynuaunce, irreprehensible for doctrine, indurrynge to all kynde of vertue and pietie, diswadinge from all sinnes and wickednes, A Religeon beleved by all primatyve pastors, established by all œconomicall Counsaylles, vphelde by all auncient doctors, maynteyned by the first and best Christian Emperours, recorded almost alone in all ecclesiasticall histories, sealed with the bloud of myllions of martirs, adorned with the vertues of soe many confessors, beautyfied with the puritie of thowsandes of virgins, soe conformable to natural sence and reason, And finallie soe agreable to godes worde and gospell, the free vse of this religion wee request, yf not in publique Churches, at least in private howses, yf not with approbacion, yet with tolleracion without malestacion, Assure your grace that howsoever some protestantes or puritanes incited by morall honestie of liefe, or innated instincte of nature, or for feare of some temporall punyshement, pretende obedience to your highnes lawes, yet certenlie, the onlie Catholiques for conscience sake observe them, for they defendinge that princes preceptes and statutes, oblige noe subiectes vnder the penaltie of synne, will lyttle care in conscience to transgresse them, which principally is tormented with the guylte of synne, But catholiques confessinge meritt in obeying and demerite in transgressinge, cannot but in soule be grevouslie touched for the least pervaricacion thereof/ Wherefore most mercifull souraigne, wee your longe afflicted subiectes the Catholiques, in all dutyfull submyssion, protest before the majestie of god and all his holie Aungelles, as loiall obedience, and as ymmaculate alleageaunce vnto your grace, as ever did faithfull subiectes in England or Scotland vnto your highnes progenytors, and intend as suerlie with our goodes and lyves to serve you, as ever did the loiallest Isralites, kynge David, or the trustiest legions, the Romane Emperours/ And thus expectinge your majesties customary favor and gracious bountie we rest your devout suppliantes to hym whose hand doe mannage the hartes of kinges and with reciprocate mercie will acquite the mercifull

your sacred majesties most devoted servauntes the Catholiques of England