"Albeit we have of long time contained ourselves in such modesty, Most Noble Princess, that neither the exile of body, tinsel[128] of goods, nor perishing of this mortal life, was able to convene us to ask from your Grace reformation and redress of those wrongs and of that sore grief patiently borne by us in bodies and minds for so long a time; yet are we now, of very conscience and by the fear of our God, compelled to crave, at your Grace's feet, remedy against the most unjust tyranny used against your Grace's most obedient subjects, by those that are called the Estate Ecclesiastical. Your Grace cannot be ignorant what controversy hath been, and yet is, concerning the true religion, and the right worshipping of God, and how the clergy, as they desire to be termed, usurp to themselves such empire above the consciences of men that whatsoever they command must be obeyed, and whatsoever they forbid must be avoided, without further respect to God's pleasure, commandment, or will, revealed to us in His most holy Word; or else there abideth nothing for us but faggot, fire, and sword. By these means, many of our brethren have been stricken most cruelly and most unjustly of late years within this realm. This now we find to trouble and wound our consciences; for we acknowledge it to have been our bounden duty before God, either to have defended our brethren from those cruel murderers, seeing we are a part of that power which God hath established in this realm, or else to have given with them open testification of our faith. Now we ourselves offer to do this, lest we shall seem to justify their cruel tyranny by our continual silence. [128] Loss.