either fear of God or reuerence of men For all this while Beza was aliue and continued preaching and writing against the superstitions and idolatries of the Romane Church for diuers yeeres after And for the clearer detection of this shamelesse lye he wrote a Booke the title whereof is Beza rediuiuus Beza returned to life againe Wherein he hath laid open the Iesuites forgeries to the shame of their Order I could bring more instances of their abominable forgeries of this kinde but I am afraide to cloy the Reader with such vnsauoury fictions Yet two examples there are both within mine owne knowledge and experience which I cannot omit without some short rehearsall The one is of the famous Diuine Doctor Rainolds President of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford and the other of the worthy Prelate Doctor King Bishop of London my euer-honoured Lord. Of the former some well-willers to the Romane-Church were discouered to haue diuulged reports in the time of his long sicknesse for hee died of a lingring consumption that hee voyded his owne Ordure vpward by the mouth of which lye what construction ill mindes would frame any man may easily conceiue This report was brought to him while he was yet aliue which made him to send for the partie who was said to be the author or at least a reporter of this forgerie and shewed him what the matter was that hee vsed to spit out of his mouth euen the very same that other such sicke men vse to doe But these lyers might haue proceeded perhaps to fowler fictions had they not beene preuented by the timely prouidence of some learned and his louing and religious friends For they remembring and considering the shamelesse practices of Papists in scattering false newes to disgrace the Worthies of our Church came to him the day before his death put him in minde of their false dealing and desired him that for the preuenting of such slanders after his death hee would now make an open confession of his faith and constant beliefe Which he being not able to doe with his owne mouth his speech hauing fayled him some dayes before left the composing of a forme of Confession to them to which hee would subscribe And they considering his weakenesse framed it in generall and few words in this manner These are to witnesse vnto all the world that now in this my weakenesse wherein I looke for my dissolution and hope shortly to be with my Christ I die in a constant beliefe perswasion and profession of that holy truth of God in defence whereof I haue stood both by writing and speaking against the Church of Rome and what soeuer other Enemies of Gods truth And for mine owne resolution touching mine owne state of Saluation after this life I assure my selfe thereof by the merits of Christ Iesus onely into whose hands I commend my spirit as vnto my faithfull Redeemer To this he readily subscribed with his owne hand Iohn Rainolds And his friends then present who had beene eye-witnesses and eare-witnesses of the whole passage of this businesse did by their hands witnesse the truth of the act to the world in these words That hee made this Subscription with his owne hand with such willingnesse and chearefulnesse as ministred great comfort vnto vs who were then present wee testifie by this subscription of our names also hereunto May 20. 1607. Henrie Airay Vice-Chancelor Henrie Wilkinson Edward Rilston Richard Taylor Henrie Hindle Daniel Faireclough Henrie Mason Alexander How Iohn Dewhurst The Originall hereof signed with Doctor Rainolds owne hand and subscribed by the afore-named parties I haue in my custodie out of which this is a true and faithfull Transcript here published Now blessed be his counsell and blessed be hee of the Lord that gaue this aduise for the stopping of these slandrous mouthes For had not this preuention beene vsed afore-hand we may feare that such as belied him in his sicknesse would not haue spared him after his death And for want of some such prouidence and preuention it is that that Reuerend and learned Prelate whose memory is precious with all good men that knew him our late Bishop of Loâ—don I meane mine euer-honoured Lord and Patrone for want I say of some such prouidence afore-hand this glorious Soule hath beene traduced by worthlesse pennes and foule-mouthed fiends the indignitie of the thing maketh mee against my nature and custome to giue them that name whereof they are most worthy as if hee had made defection to the Roman Church to whose errours notwithstanding he shewed himselfe an Enemy to his dying-day as those that knew him inwardly doe know very well how in the very time of his sicknesse hee spared not vpon occasion to expresse his zeale that way But of all foule-mouthes that haue slandered that blessed Soule hee that wrote the Bishop of Londons Legacie is the most shamelesse and impudent lier The Author of the Protestants plea is but a milke-sop to this noble Champion and Father Persons himselfe must now be forced to resigne vp to him the Whetstone which his secular Brethren bestowed vpon him for his excellency in the fittening Trade For they and other of their fellowes haue played their prizes well but this Lâ—yer excelleth them all He hath made two publications of one indiuiduall Booke qualifying or rather destroying in the latter some transparent lyes which with an Whores forehead and without regard of the Worlds censure hee had auerred in the former For in the yeere 1622. when hee first diuulged this Libell he made the worthy Bishop to speake those silly Motiues which his worthlesse selfe â—ad deuised And so hee went masked vnder the Bishops name but with such difformitie and disproportion euery way as made mee remember the Asse in the Fable which presuming to weare the Lyons skinne did by his long eares bewray himselfe to be an Asse notwithstanding He saith that the Bishop himselfe did penne those Motiues and deliuered them to this Publisher this publique Lyer to be committed to the Presse I would the world were worthy to vnderstand what rare man this is that had such inward acquaintance with that learned and wise Bishop as to heare from him the secrets of his heart and to receiue from him the studied Reasons of his Conuersion which were neuer made knowne to any bodie else And sure it were a great honour to see that face that could come and goe and conuerse with the Bishop about these weightie affaires and in this serious manner without being once seene of any other man as if by the vertue of some Gyges his Ring he had bin transformed into an inuisible Spirit But he goeth on and saith that the man is knowne that reconciled the Bishop to the Romane Church But it is to be feared he will neuer make knowne the mans name to the world lest if the Reconciler should proue more shamefaste then this Publisher is hee might returne the lye vpon the Author that deuised it and spit his
shame in his owne face And yet say hee both can and will name the man what great mastery is in this or what great credit might such a circumstance comming from an Equiuocator gaine to his cause For did not Puteanus the Prouinciall of the Iaesuites name the man that reconciled Beza to their Church Yes He said expressely not with Ifs and And 's as this Publisher doth that the man was the Bishop of Geneua And did hee not name beside both the man that was sent to catechize the Citizens of Geneua in the Romane Faith and the man that sent messengers to enquire of this news in Geneua found it to be true Yes For for the one he nameth himselfe who among others was going to Geneua to instruct them And for the other hee nameth the Lantgraue of Hessen who was a Prince not farre off and knew the vndoubted truth of this newes Iesuites and Equiuocators are ashamed of nothing And yet I would we might be so much beholding to this Publisher as to publish the Reconcilers name that performed so great a worke for this great man To this purpose this publike Lyer spake in the first publication of his Booke which not long after was suppressed and kept from the view of the world I suppose some of his Superiours more wary then himselfe being ashamed of such shining lyes did call in the Booke till some kinde of qualification might temper those shamelesse and hideons vntruths And then in the yeere following 1623. hee made a new publication of the same worthy Worke changing onely the Title-leafe and the Preface to the Reader And in this second publication hee is contented to owne his owne abortiue Brat which in the former hee had without shame fathered vpon the worthy Bishop and wisheth that himselfe may be taken to haue written those motiues as a precedent or patterne warranting any Protestant in the change of his Religion though by a Poeticall freedome peculiarly applyed to the Bishop And whereas throughout the whole Booke hee maketh the Bishop speake what himselfe had forged hee now giueth his Reader leaue with his full consent and allowance to suppose all these passages to be fictiones personarum and warranted by the figure Prosopopeia that is a fiction of the Person It were some signe of grace if he had acknowledged the whole fiction as hee doth this part of it But he goeth on still and euen in the new altered Preface or Aduertisement to the Reader hee accuseth the Bishop of defection from his Religion and by a figuratiue kinde of Preâ—erâ—tion hee spareth pereâ—â—pâ—orily to affirme that the Bishop did write and deliuer to others any Reasons or Motiues of his change in Religion In which speech this Slanderer would haue his Reader to vnderstand that which himselfe dareth not speake that when it shall appeare to be a shamelesse forgery hee may wipe his mouth with the Whore in the Prouerbes and say that hee said it not But foule-mouth if thou hast any thing to say spit out and labour to giue some satisfaction to the World to auoid the euidence of coozening the liuing and slandering the dead For know that the World already is possessed with this opinion that thou must needes be some ignorant Iesuite for none else can be imagined to be so Bayardly bold And if now thou forbeare to produce some proofe or some probabilitie or some possibility how these things might be wee shall resolue vpon it that Persons his ghost is risen from the dead and hath brought with him seuen other spirits worse and more lying then himselfe and that that is the reason why such vast and shamelesse Forgeries doe shew themselues in this man But I leaue this Lyer for this time and humbly pray the Worthies of our Church that they would take these things into their consideration and as men that deale with Thornes doe fence their hands with thicke Gloues so seeing they doe liue and must die in the middest of such slanderous Tongues they would arme themselues against such malice by an open profession of their Faith at such times especially as they are ready to leaue the World lest they may be slandered after their deaths when they will want libertie to defend themselues But heere I stay my course For I perceiue I haue in part digressed already and yet not so as that I am gone from the matter in hand For I was saying that Equiuocation did serue the Masters of it for this turne among others that by it they might without scruple of consâ—lence defame and belye the Worthies of our Church that so they might gaine the more credit to their owne Now how they vse to defame our learned men I haue declared fully by this digression if the Reader will so esteeme it and what vse Equiuocation may stand them in this practice will not be hard for any man to conceiue For a wonder it might seeme that men of any religion or conscience should endure themselues while they broach such broad-faced lyes But the Arte of Equiuocation will presently remoue all such scruple or grudge For it teacheth how to speake all vntruths without telling of the least lye and so the Equiuocator needeth not to haue any scruple in that respect And this doubt being once remoued there can be no further let to hinder their proceeding For what though the Heretiques complaine of wrong and iniustice done to them in their good name that skilleth not For in ordine ad Deum and pro bono Societatis that is lawfull enough or rather very meritorious For the Seculars tell vs that when a Priest complained to the Iesuites or some one among them of wrong done to Master Bennet by their defamation reply was made that it was necessary or conuenient hee should be disgraced because hee was against their Societie Where the Author or Authors of that Booke adde further that the Iesuites hold such deuillish Principles whereby they may at pleasure defame whom they please And if they take such libertie of Conscience against their own Catholique Brethren they will out of question make no bones to slander and disgrace an Heretique This then is one turne among the rest and it is a speciall one and of great vse for their purpose that by this Arte of Equiuocating they can defame and disgrace and as we plaine-dealers doe call it belye whom they will without any offence or grudge of conscience Sixtly In ordinary dealings and course of life Equiuocation may serue them for concealing of any truth or perswading of any vntruth if either of them may make for their aduantage So Nauarre telleth vs that if wee be asked what wee haue eaten how much money wee haue what wee haue heard c. In these and all such cases as these if there be aduantage to be gotten by it we may by this fine Arte conceale the truth or speake an vntruth so as by subintellâ—ction or a mentall reseruation wee make vp the
you of this dangerous deceit when I could not haue opportunity to speak vnto you our of the Pulpit And this I was moued to vnat this time the rather because I haue of late obserued that these artificiall Lyers among their other deuices and forgeries which vpon confidence of this Arte they take liberty to vse without remorse doe instill into the minds of their credulous followers an opinion and doe labour to spread abroad among others a suspition that among our Learned men many in heart are of their Church howsoeuer for the worlds sake they dissemble their opinion and that there are a good number among vs of the Clergie who are better perswaded of their Religion then of our own Doctor Sheldon a man well acquainted with their dealings as hauing liued in their bosome and taken the Orders of Priesthood in their Church doth write that whilest hee fed on Romes huskes hee often heard of many grieuous imputations laied vpon some of the greatest Clerkes in the Church of England as though in heart they were theirs which he then beleeued to be true as others did but since hath found to be much otherwise And my selfe haue met with some which perswadeth me that they abuse others in this kind beside our greatest Clerkes who haue more then intimated to my selfe that I knew that which might iustifie their cause if I would speake it Which might well put mee into a muse what had euer slipped frō me why they should be perswaded that I had such an opinion of their Church sauing that I considered that this might well be one of the Iesuires equiuocating deuices to instill that opinion cōcerning vs into their Disciples minds that so they might gaine more credit to their cause Vpon which occasion entring a more serious cōsideration of the point I perceiued that besides this Arte they vse other deuices also for this purpose which I thought good for your better caution and safety briefely to relate in this place First then if they meete with any of our Clergie which are of weake braine and vnsettled resolution as it is possible wee may haue some such as well as they they set vpon such weaklings with plausible tales in commendation of their Church whose open abominations practised at home among themselues are not so well known to vs who haue neuer trauelled into Popish Countreys And if by this meanes they chance to peruert a weake and vnsettled man then the cry goeth that such a Learned man is become a Catholike because euidence of truth forced him to forkake his old Profession Secondly if they meete with men who being either opinatiue of their own worth think their good parts not sufficiently rewarded or being indeed of good parts haue but slender meanes they tempt such as the Deuill did our Sauiour with offers of gifts and preferments And if by these allurements they can bribe any man to become their Proselyte for filthy lucre sake then they blaze abroad the conuersion of such a great and learned Scholar who could not withstand the light of truth shining in the Roman Church Thirdly if by these and such like policies they preuaile not for these deuices fit them best because then they bring men ouer to their side with their own mouthes to publish their owne shame but if thus they preuaile not yet one shift they haue behind which is to deuise lyes of such and such mens conuersion to their Church who euer hated it from their very soules In which kind of forgerie they haue so farre proceeded that they haue spared neither liuing nor dead For as if they had cast off all feare of shame which was sure in the end to be their reward they haue in writing belyed in this maner the chiefest Doctors in our Church who haue suruiued to refute and to detest their forgeries in Print But when men are dead then they become more bold and of the most constant and zealous Professors of our Religion they giue it out to the world that such and such men of chiefe esteeme in the Protestant Church did recant vpon their death beds it being then no time to dissemble any longer And when themselues haue first deuised these tales on their fingers ends then they produce them in their serious bookes of Controuersie as graue argumēts to confirme the Roman faith by The discouery of which falsehood I wish it may worke the like effect in your hearts that it hath done in mine which is that whereas I vtterly disliked Poperie before I do now detest it more then euer And for this purpose I was the rather moued to penne this small Treatise that you of whose soules I knowe my selfe to haue vndertaken the charge seeing these forgeries may learne to beware of Equiuocating Spirits who though otherwise they professe strictnes of conscience according to the rules of the Romane Faith are very deuout and religious yet can cozen you with an hundred lying deuices and neuer feele the least grudge of conscience for it For so Father Persons telleth vs that Equiuocations are allowed principally to 〈◊〉 of scrupulous conscience for auoiding of lying By which he giueth vs a faire warning and I desire you take notice of it that if there be any scrupulous and tender consciences amongst them as some no doubt there are though they would not tell a lye if they knew it for all the world yet euen such men may without any scruple or feare deceiue vs with equiuocating reseruations and mentall deuices And hauing thus giuen you this faire warning now me thinketh I may speake vnto you to the same purpose as our Lord did to his Disciples If they shall say vnto you Loe heere is Christ or loe there beleeue it not for there are many false Prophets arisen and doe deceiue many Behold I haue told you before And if after all this warning any of you shall suffer himselfe to be deluded by lying Equiuocators his blood will bee vpon his owne head but I haue deliuered mine owne soule But I feare not this in you of whose constancie and zeale I haue had good experience so that I may rather take vp that saying of the Apostle I haue confidence in you through the Lord that ye will be no otherwise minded but that if any man shall trouble you or seeke to withdrawe you from your faith he shall beare his iudgement whosoeuer he be And in assurance hereof I leaue you to Gods grace in the words of the same Apostle Brethren the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with your Spirit Amen Yours the vnworthy Minister of Iesus Christ and your seruant for Iesus sake HENRIE MASON To the READER WHen the Impression of this Treatise was almost finished I obtained the sight of two seuerall papers of Latine Verses composed long since in the yeere 1606. by two then Students in the Vniuersities now Doctors in Diuinitie and my worthy friends Which Verses being according to the
Conferences with men they haue found a like mysterie that any man of the Romane Church may speake and say and sweare whatsoeuer himselfe pleaseth though it bee neuer so false and yet be no Lyer The one they fetch from their doctrine of Exemption and the other from their doctrine of Equiuocation both dangerous practices to all humane society The one whereof should teach Kings to be aware of their Swords and the other should teach all men to beware of their words 2 That by their doctrine a man is at liberty to lye without anie grudge in his conscience and that the Abettors of this Arte by a secret iuggling deuice doe sâ—t open a schoole for deceit and periurie in which they teach an Arte of Lying by the helpe whereof he that can lye forsweare by the Rule shall be free either from lying or periâ—rie as a reuerend and learned Diuine hath noted But hereof there will be fitter occasion giuen to say more hereafter In the meane while thus much shall serue to be said of the first Point CHAP. II. Of the Originall of Equiuocation and who they bee that vphold it and giue life vnto it COncerning the Originall of this Arte some learned men referre 〈◊〉 to the Priscillianists or Arius the Arch-heretike who are read to haue vsed fraudulent and deceitful speech And such Heretikes had not beene vnmeete Fathers for such a deformed child But this Brat was not then borne nor for many Ages after those dayes For mine owne part vnlesse I shall hereafter meete vvith some thing more cleere then yet I haue seene I must say with a iudicious and learned Writer I cannot readily say who were the first founders of this Arte. Nor is it maruell that a thing of this nature though found out but yesterday should appeare to the world without the name or notice of his Author For as the head or spring of Nilus hath beene long enquired after and for ought I know is yet scarce heard of and the reason may bee because it is supposed that that Riuer doth rise somewhere in montibus Lâ—nae in some place of those great Mountaines whose greatnes doth hide the place of the Well-head or Spring So deuices of State which neuer prosper after they are discouered are commonly smoothered for a time and doe vsually appeare without name themselues being vnwilling to owne them and others being vnable to dâ—scrie them And such is this Arte of Equiuocation hatched by some rare wit who yet had rather lose the glory of the inuention then to lay open the mysterie of it and smoothered by the Romane State as long as was possible till misfortune brought it to light against their wils And yet now that the Riuer appearâ—th with a full stâ—eame notwithstanding the Spring will hardly bee found And if any Româ—nist shall hence inferre that this Doctrine is therfore an Apostolicall Iâ—radition and came from Christ himselfe because I cannot tell who was the first Author and at what time since it was first hatched as they vse to dispute in other cases against vs I will send him to find me the head of Nilus and when he hath found that I will goe about to enquire for the Originall of this Arte. And yet in the meane while though I cannot precisely say who was the first Father of this blacke Arte yet some things may bee said not impertinent to this purpose And those as I conceiue them for the present I will lay downe in certaine Propositions or Assertions And they be these 1 It is certaine that it is a late deuice and found out the other day Persons claimeth Vniuersality Antiquity and Consent for the proofe of this Arte His words are that euery man may heare him speak in his own dialect Let vs consider saith he how this absurd and impious opinion if such it be could come to bee receiued so generally both in approbation practice doctrine action throughout the Christian world that is to say The Doctrine in all Schooles Pulpits Chaires Vniuersities where teaching hath beene vsed extant also in the Bookes and Workes of all learned men of what sort soeuer before Iesuites were borne or heard of but especially those haue most treated thereof who haue written most tenderly of matters belonging vnto conscience whom we call Casuists Lawiers in like maner both Canon and Ciuill Diuines both Scholasticall and posiâ—â—ue haue approued the same And as for practice it hath in due cases beene receiued in all Courts in all Countries in all Tribunals and Sâ—ates of iudgement both ecclesiasticall and temporall and neuer refused condemned or controled by any so it were vsed with the due circumstances c. And alittle after Was there no man to stand for truth and reason in any Countrey in any Prouince or State in any place or time for this 400. yeeres c Where it must be noted that when he mentioneth 400 yeeres his meaning is not to limit the approbation of this Arte to the compasse of those yeeres but because he supposeth but falsely that his Aduersarie had granted so much and so here he disputeth ex Concessis vpon the Confession of his Aduersarie but he intendeth and meaneth the consent of former times also as himselfe signifieth in the same Chap. whereof he there promiseth to speak afterward so he doth For he bringeth the testimonies practice of the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles and Iesus Christ himselfe and that frequently declared Where it may bee noted that this Father is as bold to alledge Vniuersality Antiquity and Consent for the proofe of this Arte as the rest are for the proofe of their Church And sure the proofe is as good and sound in the one as the other Onely Father Persons affirmeth more boldly and confirmeth what hee saith more weakely But the reason is alike good in both cases But heere I haue onely to deale with Persons about his Equiuocation And against these great cryes I oppose the confident and iust challenge of a Reuerend man Name me one man saith he out of all antiquity Heathenish Iewish Christian name but one man who euer approued these your Reseruations vnlesse perhaps some who were noted with infamy for their paines I may adde Nay name me one who defended this Equiuocation which Iesuites call a mixt or mentall Proposition or by a secret reseruation in all the time from Adam to the Trent Councell I will not say none such can bee named for who can say or presume that hee knoweth the sayings and opinions of all former Ages but this I will say that wheras the Abettors of Equiuocation haue bin challenged by two learned Doctors in our Church to shewe any who in former times haue allowed this diuelish Arte hitherto I haue seene no one man produced who doth giue any plaine or direct allowance heereof For as for the many autorities which Persons doth alledge they be Conclusions of his own spun out of