Naye, he hath in this booke wonderfully graced the same
by writing against it. For I haue heard some say, that
whosoeuer will read his booke, shall as euidently see the
goodnes of the cause of reformation and the poore, poore
nakednes of your gouernment, as almost in reading all
Master Cartwrights workes. This was a very great oner-
sight in his grace of Cant, to suffer such a booke to come
out. For besides that an Archb. is very weakely defended
by masse Deane, he hath also by this meanes prouoked



156 PDUITANISM

many tii write against his gracious fatherhood, who per-
haps neuer meant to take pen in liand."

There is no mincing of words. The JEpistle abounds
with unpruned and telling invective, what would be
deemed in these days coarse vituperation. The bishops
are " coggmg and cosening knaues," " proud, popish,
presumptuous, profane, paltry, pestilent, and pernicious
prelates." They " lye like dogs " ; as for " any maners,"
they might have been " brought up in Bridewell " ; as for
the Dean of Sarum, he deserves " a cawdell of Hemp-
seed and a playster of neckweed, as weel as some of
your brethren the papists."

This style was, of course, admirably fitted to catch the
ear of the public. No plan, no methodised arrangement /
of their views, was striven after by these Puritan Free

! Lances who were fighting behind the shield of Martin
Marprelate. They were anxious to avoid everything that
was concatenated and formal. An elaborate and learned
treatise, had it been within their power, and had the
■ difficulty in getting it pjiinted been less formidable than it
was, would have defeated the object they had in view,
which was to strike and to arrest attention, to make every
point Ijurn and scintillate, so that there should be no
getting away from it, and no putting of the pamphlet
down till it had been read (probably in most cases at
oniLsitting) from beginning to end.
