TO THE ENGLISH READER.
led in vs: yet our tribulation, which presently is momentanie, and light, worketh (through grace) aboue measure excedingly an eternal weight of glorie. What shal we therfore meditate of the especial prerogatiue of English Catholiques at this time? For to you it is geuen for Christ, not only that you beleue in him, but also that you suffer for him. A litle now, if you must be made pensiue in diuers tentations, that the probation of your faith, much more precious then gold, which is proued by the fire, may be found vnto praise, and glorie, and honour, in the reuelation of Iesus Christ. Manie of you haue susteyned the spoile of your goodes with ioy, knowing that you haue a better and a permanent substance. Others haue benne depriued of your children, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and nerest frendes, in readie resolution also, some with sentence of death, to lose your owne liues. Others haue had trial of reproches, mockeries, and stripes. Others of bandes, prisons, and banishmentes. The innumerable renowmed late English Martyres, & Confessors, whose happie soules for confessing true faith before men, are now most glorious in heauen, we passe here with silence; because their due praise, requiring longer discourse, yea rather Angels, then English tongues, farre surpasseth the reach of our conceiptes. And so we leaue it to your deuout meditation. They now secure for themselues, and solicitous for vs their dearest clientes, incessantly (we are wel assured) intercede before Christs Diuine Maiestie, for our happie consummation, with the conuersion of our whole countrie. To you therfore (dearest frendes mortal) we direct this speach: admonishing ourselues & you, in the Apostles wordes, that for so much as we haue not yet resisted tentations to (last) bloud (and death itself) patience is stil necessarie for vs, that doing the wil of God, we may receiue the promise. So we repine not in tribulation, but euer loue them that hate vs, pittying their case, and reioycing in our owne. For
neither
