_An Exhortation made by Sir ROBERT SOUTHWELL Knight, Sheriff of Kent, at Malling, the Satur- day being the 27th day of January, and market day there, to a great assembly of people; refelling and confuting WYAT and his complices' traitorous Proclama- tions. WYAT being at Rochester, four miles distant._ LOVING neighbours and friends. Where of late there hath been most pestilent and traitorous Proclamations, as ye have heard, set forth by THOMAS WYAT, GEORGE HARPER, HENRY ISLEY, and others, as most arrant traitors to the Queen and the realm; some of them the Queen's ancient enemies aforetime, and double traitors: yet notwithstanding accounting themselves to be the best of the Shire in their Proclamations; and in the same reputing and pronouncing others as traitors whom ye can witness to have been, from time to time, true and faithful subjects to the Queen and this our common weal, as the Lord ABERGAVENNY here present, myself, and other Gentlemen now prest and ready with you, according to our duty, to serve our noble Queen. I shall need to spend the less time to declare unto you how evil they be, or how evil their enterprise is that they have taken in hand: forasmuch as this their arrogant presumption and presumptuous pride in advancing themselves so far from all truth, and in depraving of others so maliciously for executing their bounden duty, ought abundantly to persuade what they be, to all of consideration, without further circumstance. "But forasmuch as in their Proclamations they fill the ears of the Queen's liege people with gross and manifest lies to stir them against her Grace, in the utterance whereof they use this demonstration, "Lo!" signifying some notable thing near at hand, for credit worthy impression in their memory, as:-- 'Lo, a great number of Strangers be now arrived at Dover in harness [_armour_] with harquebusses morians and matchlight.' "I say unto you, neighbours and friends, upon pain to be torn in pieces with your hands, that it is untrue; and a manifest lie invented by them to provoke and irritate the Queen's simple people to join with them in their traitorous enterprise. And therefore I have perfect hope that you, being afore time abused with their crafty and deceitful treason, will not now once again (having experience of their former evil) be trapped, for any persuasion, in so heinous a snare as this most vile and horrible crime of treason.