QUEEN ELIZABETHs
Opinion concerning TRANSUBSTANTIATION, Or the Real Presence of Christ, in
the Blessed Sacrament; with some Prayers and Thanksgivings composed by Her in Imminent Dangers.
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DURING the Reign of Q. Mary, the La-
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dy Elizabeth being a Prisoner at Wood-
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stock, a Popish Priest came to visit her, and
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after some Discourse, prest hard upon her
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to declare her Opinion of the Real Presence
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of Christ in the Sacrament, to whom she truly and warily
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answered in these following verses:
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Twas God the Word that spake it,
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He took the Bread and brake it:
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And what that Word did make it,
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That I believe and take it.
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This sense of which is more fully explained in the fol-
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lowing POEM.
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A MEDITATION how to discern the Lords Body
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in the Blessed Sacrament.
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AND if Mens Fingers cannot make the Wheat,
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Which makes the Sacramental Bread we eat;
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What Art of Transubstantiation can
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Make God of Wafers, who of Dust made Man?
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When we are by th Apostle truly told,
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The God-head is not like Silver or Gold;
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Or any thing Corruptions Power can waste,
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For he to all Eternity must last:
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And if the Art of Man can make his Maker,
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The Smith may do as well as dos the Baker;
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Bread was the substance which our Saviour gave,
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And Bread it was th Apostles did receive;
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His Real Body was b[ut] in the Sign,
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He gave his Flesh, and Blood in Bread and Wine:
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For if his Body he did then divide,
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He must have eat himself before he dyd.
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His human Body which for us was given,
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Is given to us of Bread which came from Heaven;
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The which if we unworthily Receive,
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We eat our Judgments, and ourselves deceive.
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In not discerning what his Body is,
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Our Souls are robd of everlasting Bliss.
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We must believe the Words of him, who said,
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This is my Body; when he gave the Bread:
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And sure that Blood which curdld in each Vein,
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Did in his Sacred Body still remain,
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Till he was Crucifyd and Slain.
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However, theres great Influence therein,
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Which expiates and cleanseth us from Sin:
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We are made One with him in Holy Union,
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When we in Faith receive the Blest Communion.
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In Commemoration of his bitter Passion,
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Who shed his Blood to purchase our Salvation;
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We on his Merits must depend alone,
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Sufficient tis that Merit we have none:
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Nor can there any other Name be given
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To save us, but by him who sits in Heaven.
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His Body here on Earth need not appear,
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When Angels to the Women say, He is not here;
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Hes not ith Press or Cup-board, as some say;
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For then the Mice might carry him away.
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The Primitive Christians never were so blind,
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To think he could be blown away with wind.
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Or that some Thieves or Rubbers might devour,
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Him who created Heaven by his Power.
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We are not savd by Sense, but by our Faith,
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And ought to credit what our Master saith.
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He calld himself a Vine, and yet we see,
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He was a perfect Man, and not a Tree.
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He calld himself a Door; tis understood,
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We enter Heaven through Him, and not thro Wood.
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He calld himself a Way, the which doth lead
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Our Steps to Heaven, yet none doth on him tread.
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His blessed Words were oft-times Mystical,
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And are not rightly understood by all:
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Save such on whom he doth that Gift bestow,
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Who to the Ignorant the Truth may show.
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His Blessed Body Heaven must contain,
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Where He a King eternally doth Reign,
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Until the Restitution of all;
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Then we with him and Angels ever shall
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Sing Allelujahs in their Hierarchie;
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For where He is, there must his Servants be.
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A PRAYER of Queen Elizabeth upon her escape from
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being burnt in her Bed, by a Fire flaming through the
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Boards of her Chamber, during her Imprisonment at
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Woodstock in Oxfordshire.
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O Gracious Lord God, I humbly prostrate myself upon
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the bended Knees of my Heart before thee, intreating
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thee for thy Sons sake, to be now and ever merciful unto
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me: I am thy work, the work of thine own Hands; even
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of those Hands which were nailed to the Cross for my Sins.
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Look upon the Wounds of thy Hands, and despise not the
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work of thy hands. Thou hast written me down in thy
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Book of Preservation; read thine own hand-writing and save
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me; Spare me that speak unto thee, pardon me that pray
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unto thee. The Griefs I endure enforce me to speak, the
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Calamities I suffer compel me to complain: If my hopes
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were in this life only then were I of all People most misera-
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ble. It must needs be that there is another life; for here
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those live many times longest, who are not worthy to live
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at all. Here the Israelites make Bricks, and the Egyptians
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dwell in the Houses: David is in want, and Nabal a-
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bounds: Sion is Babylons Captive. Hast thou nothing in
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store for Joseph but the stocks, for Esay but a Saw? Will
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not Elias adorn the Chariot as well as the Juniper Tree?
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Will not John Baptists Head become a Crown as well as
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a Platter? Surely there is great Retribution for the Just,
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there is Fruit for the Righteous: Thou hast Palms for their
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Hands, white Robes for their Bodies. Thou wilt wipe a
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way all Tears from their Eyes, and shew thy goodness in
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the Land of the Living. How g[ood] and desirable is the
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shadow of thy wings? Oh Lord Jesus! That is a safe San-
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ctuary to fly unto, a comfortable refreshing from all sin and
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sorrow: Whatsoever [Cu]p [of A]ffliction this Life makes
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me drink of, it is yet nothing to those bitter Draughts that
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thou hast already drank for me: Help me, Oh thou my
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strength, and thereby I shall be raised up: Come thou my
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Light, and thereby I shall be illuminated; appear thou
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Glory to which I shall be exalted: Hasten thou Life by
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which I shall be hereafter glorified. Amen, Amen.
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When Q. Mary was dead, and the News thereof came
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to Q. Elizabeth, she removed from Hatfield to the Char-
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ter-house, from whence she was Royally Attended to the
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Tower of London, and Nov. 24 1558. She set forward
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from the Tower to pass through the City to Westminster.
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But the Queen considering that she was now exalted from
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Misery to Majesty, from a Prisoner to a Princess: She ve-
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ry devoutly and religiously lifted up her Hands to Heaven
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before she would suffer her self to be mounted in her Cha-
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riot, and made the following Prayer.
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O Lord, Almighty and everliving God, I give thee
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most humble and hearty thanks, that thou hast been
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so merciful unto me as to spare me to see this joyful and
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blessed day; and I acknowledge thou hast dealt as graci-
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ously and wonderfully with me, as thou didst with thy true
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and faithful Servant Daniel thy Prophet, whom thou deli-
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veredst out of the Lions Den, from the cruelty of the
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greedy and raging Lions; even so was I overwhelmed,
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and by thee delivered: To thee therefore only be Thanks,
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and Honour, and Praise, for evermore, Amen.
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In 1588, The Spanish Armado invaded the Kingdom;
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the Design being no less than the Conquest of England; at
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which time Q. Elizabeth having raised a considerable Ar-
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my of Horse and Foot, who were encamped at Tilbury, near
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the Thames mouth; the Queen with a Masculine Spirit,
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like another Deborah, came and took a view of her Army;
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and going about through the several Ranks of Armed Men,
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drawn up on both sides of her, with a Generals Truncheon
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in her hand, walkt sometimes with a Martial pace, another
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while gently like a Woman: It is incredible how much she
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encouraged the Hearts of her Captains and Souldiers by her
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presence, but especially by her most generous and un-
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daunted Speech, which she made in the midst of them,
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to this effect:
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MY Loving People, we have been persuaded by some
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that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we
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commit our selves to armed Multitudes, for fear of Treache-
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ry; but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my
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faithful and loving People; let Tyrants fear, I have always
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so behaved my self, that under God I have always placed my
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chiefest strength and safe-guard in the loyal Hearts and good
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Will of my Subjects; and therefore I am come amongst
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you, as you see at this time, not for my Recreation and Dis-
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port, but being resolved in the midst and heat of the Battel,
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to live or die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and
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for my Kingdom and for my People, my Honour, and my
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Blood, even in the dust: I know I have the Body but of a
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weak and feeble Woman, yet I have the Heart and Courage
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of a King, and of a King of England too; and think foul
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scorn that Parma, or Spain, or any Prince of Europe,
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should dare to Invade the Borders of my Realm; to which
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rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I my self will
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take up Arms, I my self will be your General, Judge, and
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Rewarder of every one of your Vertues in the Field: I know
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that already for your forwardness you have deserved Re-
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wards and Crowns, and we do assure you in the word of a
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Prince, they shall duly be paid you: In the mean time my
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Lieutenant General Leicester shall be in my stead; than
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whom, never Prince commanded a more noble or worthy
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Subject; not doubting, but by your Obedience to your Ge-
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neral, by your Concord in the Camp, and your Valour in
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the Field, we shall short[l]y obtain a famous Victory over those
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Enemies of my God, of my Kingdom, and of my People.
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The Queen provided also as good a Fleet as possible, con-
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sisting of 140 Ships, divided into 3 Squadrons, commanded
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by the L. Howard Admiral, Sir Fr. Drake Vice Admiral,
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and the L. Hen. Seamour Rear Admiral; which being rea-
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dy to sail, this Religious Princess composed this Prayer for
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their good Success.
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MOst Omnipotent Creator and Governour of all the
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World, that only searchest and knowest the bottom
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of all hearts and thoughts, and therein seest the true inten-
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tion of all our Actions: Thou knowest, O God, that it is nei-
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ther malice, nor revenge for any injury offered us, neither
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desire of bloodshed, nor greediness of gain, that hath been
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the occasion of raising and setting forth this Navy, but on-
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ly that necessary care and wary watchfulness, that neither the
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malice of our Enemies, nor our own over-security may
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bring danger to us, or triumph to them: These being the
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true grounds and reasons of our attempt, as thou, O Lord,
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knowest, I humbly beseech thee with bended Knees to pros-
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per the undertaking; command the Winds to assist us, and
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grant us Victory and Deliverance from this imminent dan-
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ger; that so all may end in the advancement of thy Glory
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and Honour, the exalting of thy Name, and the safety of
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this Realm, with the least loss of the English Blood that may
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be: To these my devout Petitions, Lord give thy blessed
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Assent. Amen.
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After the Defeat of the Spanish Invincible Armado, as
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they called it, the gracious and godly Queen, who ever held
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Ingratitude a capital sin, especially toward her Almighty
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Protector, as she had begun with Prayer, so she concluded
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with Praises, and Thanksgivings; commanding a solemn
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Thanksgiving to be celebrated to the Lord of Hosts; and
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composed herself a Prayer of Thankfulness to this effect:
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MOst Omnipotent Creator, Redeemer and Preserver of
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all Mankind; when it seemed good to thy Almigh-
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ty Wisdom to create the whole Earth, thou didst divide in-
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to four several parts the materials thereof, which are since
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called Elements, and do all serve to continue that orderly
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Government which thou hast designed them: And all these,
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O God, out of thy most singular bounty, and unheard of
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care, thou hast made to serve as Instruments to daunt and
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destroy our Foes, and to confound their malice; for which,
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with bowed Heart, and bended Knees, I humbly return
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hearty thanks and acknowledgment; and it is not the least
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part of this great deliverance that the weakest Sex hath been
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so assisted by thy strongest help; that my own People
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have no cause to complain of my weakness, nor Forreigners
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to triumph at my ruin: Yea, such hath been thy unwonted
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Grace in my days, that though Satan and his Instruments
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have been continually practising against my Life and State,
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yet thy mighty Hand hath defended us, and thy Wings
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have covered us, that they have not prevailed against us,
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neither have we received any damage by them; but have
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cause to bless and magnifie thy Holy Name, that thou hast
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cloathed our Enemies with shame, and the greatest disho-
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nour: for which great goodness of thine, O Lord, grant
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that we may be continually thankful, and ever mindful:
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And if I may find favour in thine Eyes, be pleased, O God,
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to grant thy countenance and favour to us in my days, that
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my years may never see any change of thy love and grace
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toward me, but especially to this Kingdom: which grant,
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O Lord, for thy Sons sake, may flourish for Many Ages,
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after I shall go hence and be no more: Grant this, O Lord,
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in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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