excessively]. Penned and Compiled by Martin the Metropolitane. Printed in Europe, not farre from some of the Bounsing Priestes.

It was while printing this tract that the printing press of Martin Marprelate was seized at Manchester. But the effect in the way of arresting his surprising activity was only momentary. The dragon-teeth had been sown, and there sprang from them an unfailing progeny. Within a fortnight's time another press was at work, and another tract appeared, entitled, The Protestatyon of Martin Marprelat, wherein notwithstanding the surprizing of the printer, he maketh it known vnto the world that he feareth neither proud priest, Antichristian pope, tiranous prellate, nor godlesse catercap [four-cornered cap, hence, university student], etc.

By this time, however, others besides the bishops had taken up the cudgels, not so much, however, on their behalf as with the intention of retaliating upon Martin, and giving him as good as he gave. The ridicule of the stage was called into requisition, and pamphlets as scurrilous, if not quite as clever, as Martin's began to appear upon the other side. These were Pappe with an Hatchet1 and An Almond for a Parrot, a rhyming tract of seven pages, entitled, A Whip for an Ape, etc. They were supposed to have been written by Thomas Nash, John Lyly, etc.

The Puritans renounce Martin and his works.

1 Pappe with an Hatchet is as characteristic as any, and may be read in Elizabethan and Jacobean Pamphlets, edited by George Saintsbury, London (Percival & Co.), where it is attributed to John Lyly.

It must not be supposed for a moment that in this series of pamphlets Martin was the acknowledged spokesman of the Puritans. The "sturdy Puritans, who were supposed to fight behind the shield of this visored knight,” were, on the contrary, displeased with this rattling and abusive attack upon the authorities of Church and State.1

"The Puritans are angrie with me, I mean the puritane preachers. And why? Because I am to[o] open Because I iest. I did thinke that Martin shoulde not haue beene blamed of the puritans for telling the trueth openly."—Epitome.

It is not to be wondered at that Cartwright and many like-minded Puritans disapproved of the Martinist publications as a "kind of disorderly doings," and were at pains to disown all sympathy with them. They naturally wished that Presbyterianism should be seen in its sobersuited apparel; the motley garb of Martin Marprelate did not at all accord with their sense of the fitness of things, and, besides this, it tended to prejudice the discipline (so they thought) in the eyes of the people of England.

1 Another proof of Mr. Maskell's temper as a controversialist is furnished by his affecting to doubt that they were disapproved at the time by the Puritan leaders. "It is not enough that they should disclaim him [Martin] after, before the council-board, with the terrors in the distance of the Tower and the rack, or before the Court of High Commission; it is not enough that Neal, their professed historian in after years, and their apologist, should speak of Martin in terms of reprobation, and (which proves either his utter ignorance or wilful lying) class him and his opponents in the same style as equally obnoxious to the members of the Government." Maskell's Martin Marprelate, p. 102. See Mr. Hunt's comment on this, History of Religious Thought, vol. i. p. 105.

Martin Marprelate defended. He who would play the rôle of apologist for the Martinist tracts would seem to need an unusual measure of courage, not to say effrontery, in view of the strictures and objurgations that have been cast upon them, not only by Anglican but by Puritan writers, and also by writers whose judgment runs no risk, apparently, of being deflected by ecclesiastical sympathies. They are "coarse, scurrilous, and indecent pasquinades," never surpassed in scurrility and malignity. "It is impossible," says Canon Curteis, "to give any extracts from these abominable and filthy lampoons." Had the Rev. Canon done what he says is impossible, this swearing at large might have been curbed, and his readers might have been left to judge for themselves (supposing the extracts had been at all copious and representative) how far they answer to the description he gives of them.

Well may Dr. Dexter say that English literature perhaps contains no clearer illustration than is furnished by this controversy of the tendency to speak strongly on scant or insufficient knowledge. Let us hear Mr. Arber, who, in the interest of historic truth, and with no bias other than the desire to unfold the real meaning of it, has made an independent and special study of this controversy. "Hitherto," he says, "the Martinists have been largely vilified, their works considered blasphemous, and their purposes treasonable. There is neither blasphemy nor treason to be found in their writings. Their authors, confessedly men of irreproachable moral character, merely adopted the extemporising' style of Richard Tarleton, the actor,

to ridicule and affront a proud hierarchy endowed with large legal means of doing mischief, and not wanting in will to exercise those powers to the full." "to

They were the attempt of wit," says Mr. Arber, “ to fight (though at desperate odds) against cruelty for permission to worship God according to the dictates of conscience. The Martinist attack was the New School of young Radicals attacking the Old School of aged Conservatives. And this partly explains why there was no compromise sought out by the bishops. They were too old to change, so they stood stiffly to their legal rights, and contemned anything like public opinion."

How the Martinist books could ever be called "blasphemous passes all comprehension. Let those who have formed an unfavourable opinion in regard to them read the noble exhortation at the end of the Epistle..

Conclusion of the Epistle.-Now M. Prelates I will giue you some more counsell, follow it. Repent cleargie men, and especially bishopps, preach fayth Bb. and sweare no more by it, giue ouer your Lordly callings: reform your families and your children: They are the patterne of loosenesse, withstand not the knowen trueth no longer you haue seduced her Maiestie and hir people. Praye her Maiestie to forgiue you, and the Lord first to put away your sinnes. Your gouernment is Antichristian, deceiue the Lord no longer thereby: You will grow from euil to worse vulesse betimes you return. You are now worse than you were 29. yeeres ago: write no more against the cause of reformation: Your vngodlinesse is made more manifest by your writings: And because you cannot answer what hath bene written against you, yeeld vnto the trueth. If you should write, deale syllogistically: For you shame your selues, when you vse any continued speach, because your stile is so rude and barbarous. Raile no more in the pulpitt against good men, you do more hurt to your selues, and your owne desperat cause, in one of your rayling sermons, then you could in speaking for reformation. For euerie man that hath any light of religion in him

will examine your groundes, which being found ridiculous (as they are) will be decided, and your cause made odious. Abuse not the high commission as you do, against the best subiects. The commission it selfe was ordained for very good purposes, but it is most horriblie abused by you, and turned cleane contrarie to the ende wherefore it was ordayned. Helpe the poore people to the meanes of their saluation, that perish in their ignorance: make restitution vnto your tenants, and such as from whome you haue wrongfully extorted anything: Vsurpe no longer, the authoritie of making of ministers and excommunication: Let poore men be no more molested in your vngodly courts: Studie more than you doe, and preache oftener: Fauor nonresidents and papists no longer: labor to clense ye ministery of the swarms of ignorant guides, wherewith it hath bin defiled: Make conscience of breaking the Sabboth, by bowling and tabling: Be ringleaders of prophanenes no longer vnto the people: Take no more bribes: Leaue your Symonie: Fauor learning more than you doe, and especially godly learning: Stretch your credit if you haue any, to the furtherance of the gospell: You haue ioyned the prophanation of the magistracie to the corruption of the ministerie: Leaue this sinne. All in a word, become good Christians, and so you shall become good subiects, and leaue your tyrannie. And I would aduise you, let me here no more of your euill dealing.

Giuen at my Castle between two wales, neither foure dayes from penilesse benche, nor yet at the West ende of Shrofftide: but the foureteenth yeare at the least of the age of Charing crosse, within a yeare of Midsommer, betwene twelue and twelue of the clocke.

Anno pontificatus vestri Quinto, and I hope vltimo of all Englishe Popes.--By your learned and worthie brother,

MARTIN MARPRELATE.

NOTES

WHO WAS MARTIN MARPRELATE ?

The authorship of the Martin Marprelate tracts is enveloped in almost as much obscurity as that of the celebrated letters of Junius. It is a mystery how they ever got into print, a mystery still greater how Martin fought, and continued to fight, as he did, behind his closed visor, defeating the rage of the bishops and the vigilance of their scouts, while the secret of his identity was never rifled from