Yea, you yourselves (I dare well say)
At that same present houre,

Of all the princes farre or neere
Tooke hir to be the flowre.

And had she not then will and powre
Hir counsaylers to chuse

To take in whom that she thought good
And whom she would refuse?

If ye should paint hir counsaylers

The case were very straunge.

No marveyle though in deedes ye rove
When so in wordes ye raunge.
And yet good sirs, this is well knowne
That nothing hath been ment
And done, in matters of the Church
But by the Parliament.

Wherein the nobles of the realme
The Bishop, and the Lorde,
And commons all gave their consent
And thereto did accorde.

The booke that called is by name

The booke of common prayer,
Was sent to you by these afore
Though you would it appaire,
By brutinge forth that perverse men
Seducers of the Queene,

Hat set it out, O simple men
What shall I of you deeme?

Doth not the act that is set out
Speake to you in this wise?
Have you not read and seen the same
And now the same denies ?

Will you that be but private men
Attempt for to put downe

The thing that was authorised

By hir that weares the crown? What gappe make you to breache of lawe

If this your fact be good?

No Parliament, no Prince shall rule,
But shedding still of blood.

1

If men may rise against their Prince
That all things doth by lawe,
Then call for Captain Cobler 1 in
And wayte upon Jack Strawe.
Ye saye ye feare the noble bloud
It should be made away

And ye yourselves will do the same

Of others that you saye,

By force ye say ye will redresse

The things that are amisse

Where had you that, out of what schoole?

Shew me then where it is;

For in your wordes, there is enclosde
That will the Queen or no,

You will set up, that she put doune;

If

That so ye meane ye show

ye be subiects as you say, Where learned ye to force?

But this ye meane (I doe suppose)

With her to make a Corce.

The mother church you will defende
What children call ye these,

When trayterously themselves they bende
Their mother to disease.

But like it is, the mother that

Ye meane to prop with power,

The spouse of Christ that she is not,

But antichristes whoore.

For sure I am, the Church of Christ
Did never knowe this way,

In any place, at any tyme

Their prince to disobey.

What fathers of the fayth ye bee
All men may easily judge,
Who is so blinde that cannot see

How causeless ye doe grudge?

1 A monk of the name of Makarell, assumed the name of Captain Cobler, in the rebellion of the "Pilgrimage of Grace" an important event which has never found an historian, but which is now undertaken by the Author of the Rebellion of 1569-from original documents in the government offices.

The auncient customes of the Church
You say you will restore,

The liberties that she hath had

She shall have as to fore.

You speake but for to make hir smoyle
Such libertie to have

The prince and realme againe to spoyle

Of that that once they gave.

The Monke, the Fryer, and eke the Nonne,
The Armit and the Anker,

You doe intende belyke to place
In your most holy Ranker.

God send you all as well to speede,
And make your way as streight,
As such as you had in the dayes
Of King Henry the eight.
O that he were alive to see

How you his daughter use,
But he that hath his soule to keepe
Shall send you shortly newes.

I doe not doubt, fit for your factes
The ende of Rebels race,

With shamefull deathes to have the ende

Full fit in such a case.

Good peoples helpe you seem to crave
To ayde you in your sturre;
Good people will their Princes wrath
Be fearfull to incurre.

Though you ne recke like bedlem men
Your life and lande to leese,
Yet shall you finde the contrary,
And that in all degrees.

If God by you will punishe us,
Indeede we must obey

And we the better for his stroke,
Though you be cast away.

For longer than he thinketh good,
You shall not sure prevaile

And then will he in wrathfull moode

Strike down both heade and taile.

This is the way to know the foes

Of God, and eke our Prince, Which craftily have kept themselves And secretly did wince.

Now may the Queene soone finde them out
Who faythfull be in deede,

And cursed Papistes by this meanes
Full soone she may out weede,

The hollow harts will now appeare
And subiects true in harts

Will now like men, both speake and doe
And lively play their parts.

And to keepe backe that forreyne power
Should not this lande destroy,
Ye will yourselves it wast, before
That they shall it annoy.

But how know ye that forreine power
Would entermeddle heere ?

Be like ye have them wilde thereto
You love your lande so deere.

And least that they our strength might finde When they approch to lande,

You will if you may work the same,

It weaken to their hande.

The losse of you, if you be slaine

As fit is for your sinne

Shall leave the fewer in the lande,

To let the foe come in,

A case it is to fonde to think

That Straungers should refourme The thinges amisse within this lande And make it to retourne.

What is it not a monarchie?

What Prince hath here to doe?

O who so strong that may us greeve,
If we be true thereto ?

A proverb olde, no land there is

That can this land subdue

If we agree within ourselves,

And to our land be true.

Whose head from shoulders hath she cut?

Though some did it deserve ?

Whom hath she burnt or in iayle

Caused that they should starve.

If lenity may make men rise
Or meekenesse gender yre

If cold may cause the coles to burne?
Or water kindell fire?

If adamant may thrust away
The Iron or the Steele,
Or shining Sun the naked man
May cause the colde to feele ?
Then may our Queene, Elizabeth,
Be thought to be the cause
Why these Rebels do go about
The breaking of hir lawes.

But sure it is, hir humblenesse
That she hath ever usde,

The captives now most cankerdly
With treason have abusde.

God save the Queene ye crie alowde
With weapon stiffe in hande

To trouble hir whose prudent heade
Hath saved all the lande.

Such glosing wordes, and painted style
Are fit for foolish heades

Or else for babes, whose infancie

Doe lyke as leaders leedes.