Most puissant prince and Orient Monarch Such are the rare perfeccions and admirable guises of wisdome prudence valor and Justice wherewith the bountifull hands of Gods divine Majestie hath endued your Majestie as in the depth of your provident Judgement wee doubt not but you can foresee what Concerneth both the Temporall and Spirituall gouerment of all your kingdomes and domynions notwithstanding your majesties most afflicted subjects and devoted servants the Catholiks of England partly to preuent sinister Informacions which happily may possesse your sacred daies before our answer bee heard partly almost as men ouerwhelmed with persecucions for our Consciences The Catholiks of England to – K. J: wee are enforced to haue speedy recourse and hope of present redresse from your highnes and to present those humble lynes unto your royall person; to plead for vs some Commiseracion and favour. /. alas what allegiance or dutye can any temporall prince desire or expect at his vassalls hands which wee are not adressed to performe how many noblemen and worthy gent. most zealous in the Catholike religion haue endured some losse of lands and livenigs some exile, others Imprisonment some the effusion of blood and life for the adwancement of your blessed mothers right unto the scepter of Albion nay whose finger did euer ake but Catholiks for your majesties present title and dominions . how many fledd to your Court as offering themselues as hostages for your frends to liue and dye in your gratious quarrel if euer aduersary had oposed himself against the equity of your Cause if this they attempted with their princes disgrace to obtayne your Majesties grace what will they doe nay what will they not doe to liue without disgrace in your graces favor the mayne of this realme if wee respect religion (setting petty sects aside) consisteth uppon fower parts , Protestants who haue Domynedred ouer all the former Queens dayes Puritanes who haue crept upp apace amongst them Atheists and pollitians who were bredd uppon their broyles and Conteasion in matters of Faith and Catholiks who as they are opposite to alle, soe are they detested of all because error was euer an enemy to truthe hardly all or any two of the first three can bee suppressed, theirfore wee beseech your majestie to yeeld us as much favor as others of Contrary Religion (to that which shall bee publikely The Catholiks to King James professed in England) shall obtayne at your hands for if our fault bee Ake lesse or none at all in equity our punishment ought to bee Ake lesse or none at all; the gates Arches and Pyramides of France proclamed their present king pater patriae et pacis restitutor (that is the father of his Countrey and restorer of his peace) because that Kingdome beeing well neere torne in peeces with Ciuill warres and made a prey to forraigne Foes was by his provident wis wisdom and valour acquitted in it selfe and hostile strangers expelled and the which hee principally effected that by condiscending to tollerate them of an adverse religion to that which was openly professed (questiuneles) dread soveraigne the kingdome of England through the cruell persecutions of Catholiks hath been almost odious to all Christian nations trade and traffique is exceedingly decayed warrs and blood hath seldome ceased Subsedyes and Taxes neuer so many discontented myndds Innumerable all which your princely Majesties Conveyance to your humble suppliants the afflicted Catholiks will easely addresse at this 1 Kings 12. 17. your highness first ingresse, Si loqueris ad nos verba levia erunt tibi servi cunctis Diebus (that is you speake comfortable words unto them or if you hearken unto them in this thinge they will be servants unto you all their dayes) saith the sage Councellors of Salomon to Ruaboam for in largement after affliction resembleth a pleasant gale after a vehement tempest and a benefit? in distress doublet the value there of how gratefull will it bee The Catholiks of England to K. J. to all princes abroad and hunorable to your Majestie to understand how Queene Elizabeths severity is changed into your royall Clemency and that the lenyty of a man reedified with the ()sin formed anger of a woman destroyed that the lyon Rampant is passant whereas the passant had been Rampant how acceptable shall your subjects bee to all Catholike Countryes who are now almost abhorred of all when they shall perreand your highnes repayreth not pikes or provisions for the professors of their faith but permitteth them Temples and altars for the use of their religion then shall wee see with our eyes and touch with our Fingers that happy benediccion of Esah: 14.7. In this land that swords are turned into mattocks and or plowes and Lances into scythes. and all nations admiring us will say hi sunt semen cui benedixit dominus. (that is these are the seed which the lord hath blessed) wee request noe more favor at your graces hands then that wee may securely beleeue and professe that Catholike religion which your happy predecessors professed from Donaldus the first, the first Converted unto your late blessed mother Martyred A religion venerable for antiquity. maiesticall for Amplitude, constant for Continuance irreprehensible for doctrine indureing to all kinds of virtue and piety diswading from all sin and wickednes, a religion belooued by all primitive pastors established by all Eccumenicall councells v upholden by antient Doctors maintained by the first and best Christian Emperors, recorded almost alone in all ecclesiasticall historyes sealed in the blood The catholiques of millions of martyrs adorned with the virtues of soe many confessors beautified with the purity of thousand of virgins So conformable unto natural sence and reason and finaly soe agreeable with the sacred text of gods word and the gospell, the free vse of this religion wee request if not in publike churches yet at the least in priuate houses if not with aprobacion yet with tolleracion without molestacion assureing your grace that howsoeuer some protestants and puritants incited by morall honesty of life or innated instinct of nature or for feare of some trmporall punishment pretend obedience unto your highnes lawes yet certainely the onely Catholiks for Conscience sake obserue them for they defending that princes precepts and stattuts oblige noe subjects under the penalty of sinn will haue little care in Conscienc to transgress them which principally are tormented with the guilte of sin but Catholiks Confessing merritt in obeying and in merritt in transgressing canot but in soule bee greevously tortured for the least prevarication thereof wherefore most mercifull soveraigne wee your longe afflicted subjects prostrate outr selues and protest before the majestie of god and all his holey Angells as loyall obedience and Imaculate obedience allegiance unto your grace as euer did faithfull subjects in England or Scotland unto your highnes progenitors and intend as sincerely with our goods and liues to serue you as euer did the loyallest Isaralites king David or the truest legions the Romane Emperors and thus expecting your majesties Customary favor and gratious bounty wee rest your devoted suppliants to him whose hands doe manage the harts of kings and with reciprocate mercy will acquit the mercifull your sacred majesties most devoted servants the

Catholiques of England