ch those holy doctrines
should be conserved, & true pietie maintained amongest the saints &
people of God.

Mr. Foxe recordeth how y^t besids those worthy martires & confessors
which were burned in queene Marys days & otherwise tormented,[D] _many
(both studients & others) fled out of y^e land, to y^e number of 800.
And became severall congregations. At Wesell, Frankford, Bassill, Emden,
Markpurge, Strausborugh, & Geneva, &c._ Amongst whom (but especialy
those at Frankford) begane y^t bitter warr of contention & persecuti[=o]
aboute y^e ceremonies, & servise-booke, and other popish and
antichristian stuffe, the plague of England to this day, which are like
y^e highplases in Israell, w^ch the prophets cried out against, & were
their ruine; [3] which y^e better parte sought, according to y^e puritie
of y^e gospell, to roote out and utterly to abandon. And the other parte
(under veiled pretences) for their ouwn ends & advancments, sought as
stifly to continue, maintaine, & defend. As appeareth by y^e discourse
therof published in printe, An^o: 1575; a booke y^t deserves better to
be knowne and considred.

The one side laboured to have y^e right worship of God & discipline of
Christ established in y^e church, according to y^e simplicitie of y^e
gospell, without the mixture of mens inventions, and to have & to be
ruled by y^e laws of Gods word, dispensed in those offices, & by those
officers of Pastors, Teachers, & Elders, &c. according to y^e Scripturs.
The other partie, though under many colours & pretences, endevored to
have y^e episcopall dignitie (affter y^e popish ma[=n]er) with their
large power & jurisdiction still retained; with all those courts,
cannons, & ceremonies, togeather with all such livings, revenues, &
subordinate officers, with other such means as formerly upheld their
antichristian greatnes, and enabled them with lordly & tyranous power to
persecute y^e poore servants of God. This contention was so great, as
neither y^e honour of God, the commone persecution, nor y^e mediation of
Mr. Calvin & other worthies of y^e Lord in those places, could prevaile
with those thus episcopally minded, but they proceeded by all means to
disturbe y^e peace of this poor persecuted church, even so farr as to
charge (very unjustly, & ungodlily, yet prelatelike) some of their
cheefe opposers, with rebellion & hightreason against y^e Emperour, &
other such crimes.

And this cont[=e]tion dyed not with queene Mary, nor was l