Francis Dandalus the duke of Venice,
king of Crete and Cyprus, fast bound with chains, to feed of bones among
his dogs? Who set the imperial crown upon the Emperor Henry the Sixth's
head, not with his hand, but with his foot; and with the same foot again
cast the same crown off, saying withal, "he had power to make emperors,
and to unmake them again at his pleasure"? Who put in arms Henry the son
against the emperor his father Henry the Fourth, and wrought so that the
father was taken prisoner of his own son, and being shorn and shamefully
handled, was thrust into a monastery, where with hunger and sorrow he
pined away to death? Who so ill-favouredly and monstrously put the
Emperor Frederick's neck under his feet, and, as though that were not
sufficient, added further this text out of the Psalms, "Thou shalt go
upon the adder and cockatrice, and shalt tread the lion and dragon under
thy feet"? Such an example of scorning and contemning a prince's
majesty, as never before that was heard tell of in any remembrance;
except, I ween, either of Tamerlane's, the king of Scythia, a wild and
barbarous creature, or else of Sapor king of the Persians.

All these notwithstanding were Popes, all Peter's successors, all most
holy fathers, whose several words we must take to be as good as several
Gospels. If we be counted traitors which do honour our princes, which
give them all obedience, as much as is due to them by God's word, and
which do pray for them, what kind of men then be these, which have not
only done all the things before said, but also allow the same for
specially well done? Do they then either this way instruct the people,
as we do, to reverence their magistrate? Or can they with honesty
appeach us as seditious persons, breakers of the common quiet, and
despisers of princes' majesty?

Truly, we neither put off the yoke of obedience from us; neither do we
disorder realms; neither do we set up or pull down kings; nor translate
governments; nor give our kings poison to drink; nor yet hold to them our
feet to be kissed; nor, opprobriously triumphing over them, leap into
their necks with our feet. This rather is our profession; this is our
doctrine: that every soul, of what calling soever he be--be he monk, be
he preacher, be he prophet, be he Apostle--ought to be subject to kings
and magistrates; yea, and that the Bishop of Rome himself--unless he will
seem greater than Evangelists, than the Prophets, or the Apostle