as appeareth by a Letter of his own to a certain Earl That the Catholicks themselves threatened to deliver him into the hands of the Civil Magistrate except he desisted from such kind of practices This Account of Father Parson's turbulent and seditious behaviour immediately upon his arrival in England is confirmed by our great Historian Mr. Camden who had it from some of the Papists themselves and speaks it upon their own credit that they had thoughts of delivering him into the Magistrates hands on this account But notwithstanding the Intentions and Threats of those more peaceable Papists we see Father Parsons went on in his own way wherein he made so good progress that though he came into England but in June that year viz. 1580. yet before Christmas all things seemed ready for an Insurrection the Papists being taught and that under pain of Damnation to renounce the Queen who had now no more Authority over them being deposed by the sentence of the Infallible Pope at Rome and the Popes and King of Spain's Countenance and Assistance promised them if they would but rise and make a Rebellion That the Papists by that time were generally come over to Father Parson's Party and lookt upon the Queen as no longer their Sovereign by reason of her Deposition by Pius the Fifth and Gregory the Thirteenth who sent the first Mission of these Jesuits into England is plain from the Confession of Hart one of their Fellows who was taken about that time wherein he acknowledged to put it in his own words That the Bull of Pius Quintus for so much as it is against the Queen is holden among the English Catholicks for a lawful sentence and a sufficient discharge of her Subjects fidelity and so remaineth in forte but in some points touching the Subjects it is altered by the present Pope viz. Gregory XIII For where in that Bull all her Subjects are commanded not to obey her and she being excommunicate and deposed all that do obey her are likewise innodate and accursed which point is perillous to the Catholicks for if they obey her they be in the Pope's Curse and if they disobey her they are in the Queen's danger therefore the present Pope to relieve them hath altered that part of the Bulls and dispenced with them to obey and serve her without peril of Excommunication which Dispensation is to endure but till it please the Pope to determine it otherwise This was a strange Alteration to be made in so short a time that the Bull of Pius Quintus should be generally despised when it was first publisht among the English Catholicks and that Parsons who came over to encourage and exhort to the putting that damnatory Bull in Execution against the Queen should be in danger of being delivered up into the Magistrates hands for his traiterous designs and yet within half a year that the Bull of this Pope should be holden among those English Catholicks for a lawful sentence and a sufficient discharge of the Subjects fidelity This shews that these Jesuits and the Seminary Priests did ply this matter very close and made it their chief if not their whole business to gain this point upon the English Papists that so they might be in a greater readiness to joyn in any foreign attempts against their Countrey or to rise here against her whom by these new Apostles they were taught and did now believe to have no authority at all over them And as these two Jesuits business was to fill their credulous Peoples Heads with this sort of Seditious Doctrine so they themselves had the boldness to assert and maintain it publickly when they thought it necessary for their purposes Campian our Father Parsons Brother-Missioner was taken at Lyford-House in Barkshire the next year and being brought to his Tryal and Convicted of High-Treason received his Sentence accordingly after his Condemnation being asked Whether Queen Elizabeth were a Right and Lawful Queen He refused to answer and being a second time asked Whether he would take part with the Queen or the Pope if he should send Forces against the Queen he openly professed and testified under his hand that he would stand for the Pope and yet this Jesuit must be a Martyr in the Popish Calendar and dyed purely for Religion and for being a Priest of the Catholick Roman Church whereas if there can be such a thing as Treason against any Government in the World Campian was certainly guilty of it And so his Brother Robert Parsons though he had not such an opportunity of testifying his Faith and making Confession of his Opinion in the face of Magistracy it self Campian's Execution frighting him away out of England yet by his writing he shewed to the World that his Brother Campian and he were perfectly of the same mind as to the Pope's power and Queen Elizabeth's Authority in England In his Book written on occasion of a Proclamation of this Queen against them and called generally Philopater from the feigned Name of Andreas Philopater under which Father Parsons disguised himself he does very frankly discover how much a Subject he lookt upon himself to be to his Lawful Queen even before the Pope's Sentence of Deposition against her Hinc etiam infert Vniversa Theologorum Jurisconsultorum Ecclesiasticorum est certum de fide c. It is certain says he and what we ought to believe and it is the Opinion of all Divines and Ecclesiastical Lawyers that if any Christian Prince fall from the Catholick Faith and would have others to follow him he himself thereby doth forthwith â—oth by Divine and Humane Law yea though â—he Pope the Supreme Judge hath not issued forth any censure against him fall from all â—is Authority and Dignity and his Subjects â—re freed from all their Oaths of Allegiance â—hich they sware to him as a Lawful Prince â—nd they may nay and ought if they have â—orce enough to overcome to pull him down â—rom his Throne as an Apostate Heretick a â—orsaker of Christ and an Enemy to the â—ommonwealth And so fond is Father Parsons of this Notion of the Lawfulness of Deposing Princes meerly for Religion that to make it go down the easier with his Popish Friends he was dealing with he makes it to be the certain determined and undoubted opinion of all Learned men and plainly agreeable and consonant to the Apostolick Doctrine After which he is not content with its being only lawful to Depose their Prince upon this account of falling from their Popish Religion but will have it that they are all obliged and bound to do so if they have strength and power upon their Consciences and utmost danger and pain of their Souls If this Jesuit was not a Doctor fit for a Papal Mission into England I am very much mistaken he that could in Print vent such Doctrine to the World as well as teach it in private among his Followers and Confidents what work and what progress
him in the Protestant Religion for which he was afterwards when he was College-Bursar so very zealous that he changed a great many old Books and Manuscripts for Protestant Books and did first put Protestant Writers into their College-Library and after his disgraceful putting out of the College when an old Friend of his a Gentleman of the Inner Temple declared to him that he had doubts concerning his Religion he did not only protest to the Gentleman but offered to take his Oath upon it That he was no Papist nor did ever intend to be Others will have his turning out of his Fellowship to be occasioned by his being a turbulent and lewd Man guilty of Forgery and Knavery and such-like crimes as made him unfit for a Society and Dr. Bagshaw who had been of the same College and afterwards turned Papist also and became a Seminary Priest affirms that he was accused of falsifying his College-Accounts by Stancliffe his Brother Bursar and this is often objected to him by the Secular Priests who have treated him with severity enough though not with more than his Pranks after he became a Jesuit did deserve Others assign other reasons of his being discharged the College but to set aside at once the reasons offered by his Brethren the Jesuits and those objected by his severer Adversaries the Secular Priests the matter may be truly decided by the Testimonies of two unexceptionable Witnesses who both knew him and one of them was Fellow of the same College with Persons Archbishop Abbot and Mr. Camden the Historian the Archbishop hath written a large Letter about this very business which I shall transcribe hither out of Mr. Foulis who says he did transcribe it from the Original with the marginal Notes upon it To my worshipful loving Friend Mr. Dr. Hussye at Mr. Haiden's House who dwelleth at the Sign of the Tunn in Watlingstreet give these YOU write unto me to know what is in record any way against Mr. Parsons and I return you here inclosed word for word so much as is in the Register of Baliol College In the Resignation as you may see he had written sponte coactus but now it is sponte non coactus being blotted out and non being set over Which I am deceived if it be not altered by some body else of late in as much as I am verily perswaded that since my coming to the College I have seen it sponte coactus which although it carry a Contradiction yet intimateth that he resigned against his will The particular reasons whereof no Man can tell better than Dr. Turner now dwelling in Fetter-lane or Dr. Hide of Sarum for as I take it they were both present at his removing The causes and manner of his giving over as far as I could ever comprehend were these Bagshaw being a smart young man and one who thought his penny good Silver after that he had his Grace to be Batchelor of Arts was with some despight swindged by Parsons being Dean of the College hoc manet alta mente repostum And Bagshaw afterward coming to be Fellow was most hot in Persecution against Parsons It was the more forwarded by Dr. Squire 's displeasure who was then Master of Baliol College and thought himself to have been much bitten by vile Libels the Author whereof he conceived Parsons to be who in truth was a Man at that time wonderfully given to scoffing and that with bitterness which also was the cause that none of the company loved him Now Dr. Squire and Bagshaw being desirous of some occasion to trim him this fell out in the year 1572. Parsons had been Bursar and being joyn'd in Office with one Stancliff a very simple fellow he took the advantage of the weakness of his Colleague and falsified the Reckonings much to the damage of the College as also deeply polling the Commoners Names whereof there was store in the College and withal not sparing his own Scholars by all which means it was thought that he had purloin'd one hundred Marks His Office expired at St. Luke's Tide there were some that between that and February 1573. scanned over the Books being moved thereunto by the secret complaints of some of the Commoners their Scholars and finding it apparent as also being now certified that he was a Bastard whereas it is the first quality there required by Statute that every Fellow should be Legitimo Thoro natus they proceeded to have his Expulsion solemnly Where by the way you may add that Parsons was not of the best fame concerning Incontinency as I have heard some say who lived in Oxon at that time but whether that were then objected against him I have not heard Parsons being put to this push in the College-Chapel and ways sufficient concurring to expel him and in truth no Man standing for him maketh humble request That he might be suffered to resign which with some a-do was yielded to him and then he wrote as you have here inclosed Afterwards before the Assembly broke up he intreated that his giving over might be concealed by reason that it would be disgraceful unto him with all Men but especially with his Scholars and their Friends and for these causes humbly prayed that he might keep his Scholars Chamber c. and be reputed as a Fellow in the House the matter being concealed from all the Boys and the younger sort in the House which then in words was yielded unto and that other Decree which now you see razed was enacted for the time but afterwards was soon crossed as you may behold And soon after their coming out of the Chappel by Bagshaw's means a Peal of Bells was rung at Magdalen Parish-Church being the Parish wherein Baliol College standeth the reason of which ringing as it was imparted to some few to be to ring out Mr. Parsons so generally it was not known to the World or in the College which gave occasion to this farther Jest. When Parson 's was Expell'd he was one of the Deans of the Colledge and so by his Place was to keep Corrections in the Hall on the Saturdays The next time therefore of Corrections which was the day of Parsons his Exclusion or soon after Dr. Squire causeth Parsons to go into the Hall as Dean and to call the Book and Roll c. And then cometh Dr. Squire himself in and as if it had been in kindness to countenance him but in truth more profoundly to deride him he calleth him at every word Mr. Dean and desireth him often to have a strict care to the good government of the Youth and not only for a fit but all the time of his year that he was to continue in Office Some of the Commoners knew all this Pageant and laught the more sweetly and Parsons in the end spied how he was scorned and nothing concealed nay understanding all his Knell which was rung out for him for very shame got him away to London and there not
or elsewhere I shall say to the more mature judgment of them which at the wished day shall be able to judge better ex re praesenti and determine the Cause There remaineth to say a word or two of the best ways how to Convert Hereticks to the Catholick Faith whose Souls we ought to thirst and seek for above all other things of the World And first of all there is no doubt but that the chiefest and most principal means will be to give the battery to the Judgments and Understandings though to gain first their good wills and affections by the Clemency before mentioned and other Points that after shall be touched will be a great Disposition and entrance to the same But for convincing of their understandings in matters of Controversie I would wish that a plain contrary course were taken of us towards them for that which they have used towards us seeing that our cause doth bear it which is of contrary State and Condition to theirs For whereas their cause being false g they would never consent to come to any indifferent Trial or Disputation with the Catholicks I would wish that seeing our Cause is true and substantial and the more it is tried the more it will appear that once at least at the beginning full satisfaction were given by English Catholicks to those and all other Hereticks of the World by as full free equal and liberal Disputation as possibly could be devised within our Realm and this in London Oxford Cambridge or some other fit place where all the Heads of Heresies might most conveniently have recourse and the particular Circumstances which for the present do offer themselves to me for the profitable performance of this enterprise are these that follow other Men at that time will easily invent better That sufficient warrant and warning be given to all sides to prepare themselves That the Hereticks do chuse three or four of their most learned Men to dispute and answer and one other to be President and another to be Notary and that the like must be assigned of the Catholick Party for this Tryal and that all be prepared for a certain day upon the particular Controversies that may be appointed and all kind of Books allowed them to their contentment There may be two high Seats Stages or Scaffolds appointed so as all may hear and see and on the one may sit the forenamed three or four Disputers of the one side together with their Furniture of Books about them and so on the other side may be placed the Catholick Party and in equal distance between them both may sit the two Presidents of the Disputation with the two Notaries and commodious Room left for all the lookers on to behold and hear The first day may Argue or Dispute the one side upon the Controversie that shall be set up publickly and be known the day before and the other part may defend and answer and so interchangeably the next day may answer and defend the other side that argued the day before and upon the very same Doubt or Controversie so as the ability of both sides in opposing and answering in the same thing shall be seen which the Protestants never durst permit to Father Campion and his Company in their feigned Disputations nor yet to give them Books or time to prepare themselves whereas all the contrary must be performed by ours The manner of arguing and answering may be that one of the three or four Disputers for each side be appointed to be Proloquutor of the rest for that day and that he only do speak and be bound to answer and argue in form of School and that others that be his assistants do not interrupt him but let him speak alone until he have proposed his Argument or Answer wholly and repeated the same and whether his assistants do allow the same without adding or altering and saying yea the two Notaries shall agree upon the writing and then shall the other part answer or reply and having ended to speak in form of School the like shall be used in asking his assistants whether they be content and satisfied with that he setteth down And thus though the Arguments will go something slowly forward yet in the end will great substance be drawn out of this bolting for that the one Party or the other will come quickly to a plain exigent and to have no more to say but only words which will be easily discerned by all that are present for that although the formal Speech of Disputations must be in Latin yet may all be so easily declared as few men of understanding will be present that will not understand the substance of all And for the two Presidents or Moderators though they be of different Religion yet their Offices being only to speak when need is and to hold peace and to make the Arguments and Answers to be well understood only on both sides it may be thought they will pass well enough for the purpose that is pretended especially if there be another person of higher authority placed there by the Prince as there ought to be who may cause each Party to do their Office and Function with Modesty Peace and Edification and remove away without remission whosoever should fall into disorder of words and command now and then the two Notaries or one of them at one time and the other at another to read out aloud the Arguments Answer Reply or Distinction that hath been given and at the end of every day to recite all that hath been spoken that day and this with the consent of both Presidents and of all six Disputers And if there be but one Week bestowed in this Work with these and the like circumstances and at last all these Disputations publickly shewed in Print for the satisfaction of such as could not be present and that all circumstances be declared how and when by whom and in what order they were done I am of Opinion it would break wholly the credit of all Heresies in England and that afterwards few Books would be needful on our part as in truth it were to be wished that few or none were written in the Vulgar Tongue against Hereticks but rather that Books of Devotion and vertuous Life should enter in their place and the memory dye of the other Wranglings And the like course also may be taken by Preachers in their Sermons which by little and little were to be freed from all mention of Heresies to the end the People of God might come again to their old peace of Mind and attention only of good Works and Christian Vertues And this is so much as I have thought good to advertise about this manner of g publick Disputation which hath been often asked by the Catholicks at the Protestants hands and could never be obtained and no marvel for as Christ saith Omnis qui malè agit odit lucem non venit ad Lucem ne arguantur opera ejus but
care of the Church Revestry and Priest's House and to see all dressed up and kept in good order and that presently such things as were to be redressed or builded up for the necessity or decent use of all when Priests could be had should be out of hand beginning to be put in order and Mony to be allotted thereunto by the Council according to the Information given of the necessities for which effect divers Visitors Commissaries and Under-officials should continually be imployed to advertise and see how matters go forward And as for the Church-service if it may not be had as were to be wished every where at the beginning nor that it can else be done in all places by a Priest or Deacon or by one in Holy Orders yet at leastwise some such discreet Lay-man as before is mentioned might be appointed to see some good order kept and that the Bell be rung thrice a day to the Angels Salutation and that upon Holy-days at least if not more often the People be called together to the Church by the common Bell there to pray alone in private Prayer if no publick can be said as perhaps there may at least wise the Service of our Lady may be said by some one or other or many together and some Homily or Spiritual Book read and some Instruction given how to say every one the Beads and other like helps to the end that Prophanity Atheism or forgetfulness of God and Godliness enter not at the beginning before Priests may be had A Calendar is to be drawn out and agreed upon for the Holy-days that are to be observed in England few and well kept were much better than many with hurt of the Commonwealth and Dissolution of manners It is no small temporal loss for poor labouring Men that live and maintain their Families upon the labours of their hands to have so great a number of vacant days as in some Countries there be whereby the poor are brought to great necessity and the Realm much hindered in things that otherwise might be done and Corruption of Manners by idleness much increased For remedy of the first which is the multitude of Holy-days I mean besides Sundays let it be considered whether this Moderation amongst others might not be admitted that some days had only Obligation to hear Mass and that afterwards Men should work and that nothing should be taken from labouring Men's wages for this time spent in hearing of Mass so that this loss would fall only upon the richer sort that are better able to bear it Holy-days might be for half a day only to wit for the Forenoon and that after Dinner every Man should work and that this should not be left to every Man 's proper will to work or to make Holy-days at his pleasure for that many out of idleness would play and induce others to the same but only the order set down should be inviolably kept For the Second Point which is to keep well these Holy-days that are commanded it will import much that certain good Exercises be appointed to occupy and entertain the People upon these set days and these may be partly Spiritual as Service said or singing the Church-mattins Mass Even-Song Preaching reading of Homilies Catechisings or teaching the Christian Doctrine to the People wherein great care and special labour should be employed at the beginning and some other Exercises may be of honest entertainment and Relaxation of Mind which may keep the common sort from more disorderly Games and amongst other things the going of one Parish to another in Procession upon their Festival days is not the worst if some little abuses be taken away which were crept in and might be remedied by teaching them to go with Devotion saying their Beads the Litanies and the like and some Men appointed to repeat the principal points of the Saints Lives which they celebrate and by this means also one poor Parish helpeth another for the maintenance of their Church albeit the Council of Reformation may take order amongst other points that every Parish-Church have some particular Rent in a common Purse for their maintenance without asking Alms of the People Order may be taken also to bring in certain Brotherhoods and Societies in every Parish that shall be capable thereof whose peculiar profession may be to treat upon Holy-days of all good works and reforming of such abuses or wants as shall be discover'd And these Societies must have certain Priviledges Preeminences and Exemptions for them that do their Office well and Chastisement for the contrary but all must be subject and subordinate to the Ordinary For of Exemptions of Confraternities from Visitation of their Bishops many disorders and inconveniences have been seen in other Countries And above all other Confraternities or Societies one of the Christian Doctrine would be the most necessary in every Parish at the beginning whereof the Curate may be the head and some other of the graver sort and principal Men of the Parish may be adjoyned and their Office may be to be present on Holy-days when Disputation is held amongst the Children publickly in the Church and procure that none be away And it should be good that some particular emolument should result to these Men for their diligence and that there were some particular Rent also to buy rewards for their Children that shall prevail in this Disputation which would animate greatly both them and their Parents and others to be present and perfect in the Doctrine And to this Confraternity of Christian Doctrine might be joyned in the beginning the Society also of the Blessed Sacrament in the little Parishes where more Societies could not be put in ure whose principal charge 't is I mean the Confraternity of the Sacrament of the Altar to accompany the Body of our Saviour with Lights and other Actions of honour when it is carried abroad to the Sick and in other occasions And for that in no other thing God hath been more dishonoured in England than in matters touching this heavenly Sacrament it will be reason that particular recompence be made therein at the very first entrance of Religion again Some such Officer as the Romans called their Censor to look that no Man lived idly nor brought up his Children without some Exercise and means to live would be of importance for this Reformation And this man might call to account also such Men as lived suspitiously or scandalously as by Carding and Dicing or spent riotously any way his own Goods or his Wives And the like Commissioners were to be sent to the Universities to reform them to the best utility of the Commonwealth and of those that study in them and for drawing of strangers to frequent them as in other Countries And the like Visitation and Reformation may be made of the Universities of our common Laws to wit of the Inns of Courts and Chancery in London And this concerning both Manners and Learning and certain skilful prudent and
pious Men may have Commission to consult what were to be redressed about the common Laws either for learning teaching or practice of the same to the end the Prince and Parliament might afterwards determine thereof And the like about our Colleges Halls and manner of reading both of Philosophy and Divinity Physick Civil and Common Laws and other Sciences in the Universities And amongst other Points to consider whether a Third University were not necessary in the North parts of England as at Durham Richmond New-Castle or the like place in these quarters for the better polishing of those parts towards Scotland and planting learned Men in the same seeing they have need and that the other two Universities which we have already are both of them far towards the South and many of the North parts cannot so conveniently send their Children unto them And divers other Countries have three Universities within much less circuit than these three would be A like Consideration also might be whether it were not expedient to have a third Archbishoprick in England for example at Bristol or thereabouts which might have for his Suffragant Bishopricks those of the West Country and more parts of Wales that lye near about And hereby might the Archbishoprick of Canterbury's charge and labour be eased much and the Metropolitan Visitations from three Years to three Years more commodiously performed and yet sufficient priviledges and preeminence left to the said Archbishop and Primate of Canterbury according to the ancient dignity of the said Church In like manner it may be put in Deliberation whether the number of Bishops in some part of the Realm were not to be increased for the better governing of the Clergy or at leastwise that their circuits were better divided some of them being at the present very ample and laboursome as Lincoln York and some other and in some other places perhaps the Livings of some other Bishopricks were to be augmented for better maintaining of the Dignity though ordinarily this is the least want of our Bishops in our Realm and the authority of the Place is better maintained by opinion of Gravity Learning Wisdom and Holiness than by much abundance of Riches CHAP. IX There ensue more matters that appertain to the Council of Reformation THough I have touched divers points yet follow there more belonging to this Council among which one very special is as hath been signified before the particular care that ought to be had of erecting of Seminaries at the very beginning for the encrease of the Clergy and this in every Bishoprick according to the Order of the Council of Trent And before that Men be interessed in the Livings either of Bishopricks or Benefices all the Ecclesiastical Livings of the Realm might be searched what each one might contribute to the erections and maintenance of these Seminaries which may be at such an easie rate as none had need to feel it and yet may the Furniture for Education of English youth be such by these means as no Realm in the World will have the like and all these Seminaries may be divided into two or three parts according to the number of the Universities or Archbishopricks and every University have one great Seminary wherein only the course of Divinity and Philosophy may be read and in the other abroad that are subordinate to these may be read Grammar Humanity and Rhetorick alone and as the Scholars shall grow fit they may be transferred to the great Seminaries of the Universities The like care must be had for well ordering of Grammar-Schools what Books are to be read and what manner of Masters are to be allowed as also for other Schools for Children Writing Reading and casting of Accounts by Arithmetick which greatly doth awaken and sharpen the wits of young Children and make them the more able Men for their Commonwealth if it be taught with care and good order as in other Countries it is where Children are wont to be examined in publick and made to Compose Divide and Multiply numbers upon the suddain and without Book and rewards proposed to them that do best And in all Schools must there be particular order also for teaching of the Christian Doctrine and divers proofs appointed for the same Publick and private Libraries must be searched and Examined for Books as also all Book-binders Stationers and Booksellers Shops and not only heretical Books and Pamphlets but also prophane vain lascivious and other such hurtful and dangerous Poysons are utterly to be removed burnt suppressed and severe order and punishment appointed for such as shall conceal these kind of Writings and like order set down for printing of good things for the time to come It would be of great importance that in every City or great Shire Town there should be set up a certain poor Man's Bank or Treasury that might be answerable to that which is called Monte della Pieta in great Cities of Italy to wit where poor Men might either freely or with very little interest have Mony upon Sureties and not to be forced to take it up at intolerable Usury as oftentimes it happeneth to the utter undoing and general hurt of the Commonwealth and for maintenance of these Banks some Rents or Stocks of Mony were to be assigned by the Council of Reformation out of the common Purse at the beginning and afterwards divers good People at their deaths would leave more and Preachers were to be put in mind to remember the matter in Pulpits and Curates and Confessors in all good occasions either of Testaments when they are made or of cases of Restitution when they should fall out and other such occasions The like good use were to be brought in that Ghostly Fathers in hearing Confessions and otherwise should admonish their Spiritual Children among other works of Piety to visit Hospitals and sick People as also publick Prisons and enjoin it some times for Penance and part of Satisfaction especially to principal People whose Example would do much good to others and by the Fact to themselves And to the end there should not be so much repugnance therein as commonly is wont to be in delicate Persons the Hospitals were to be kept fine cleanly and handsome and publick Prisons were to be inlarged with Courts and open Halls for People to visit them by day and relieve them with their Alms though by night they were kept more strait And above all other things convenient place is to be made in all Prisons to say and hear Mass and for Spiritual Men to make Exhortations to the Prisoners seeing that besides the chastisements of their Bodies the salvation of their Souls is also to be sought and oftentimes they are in better disposition to hear good Council and profit themselves thereby standing in the Prison than when they were abroad And for this effect only that is to say for looking to Prisoners and procuring the comfort relief and instruction of such as be in necessity therein divers