this time that they seem'd to be written on this occasion and such as certainely at this day none could write so well and so resolutely Hereunto was adioyned a Letter without the name of the Author whereby the Curates were exhorted to take care of their Churches and not to feare the offence of God by not obseruing the Interdict But the Inquisition of Rome the 27. of Iune prohibited by name this last Writing and also the others not yet imprinted vnder paine of Excommunication for them that read or kept them alledging for reason that they contained many propositions rash scandalous slanderous seditious schismaticall and hereticall with this clause respectiue to make all ambiguous In the end they brake off silence at Rome whence came out a little Booke of Cardinall Bellarmines against the Treatises of Gerson and a little after the Admonition of Cardinall Baronius full of railing speeches and detractions as also a Discourse of Cardinall Colonna hoping by such Writings to moue the fidelitie of all sorts of persons forasmuch as Card. Colonna had indeuoured to terrifie the Prelates and other Ecclesiastiques placed in the greatest charges by the feare of Censures and the priuation of their Dignities and Benefices Card. Bellarmine aimed to shake the deuout consciences by exalting the authoritie of the Pope so far as to make it equall to that of God And Card. Baronius thought by his reuiling and declaiming to draw to his cause all learned Persons They did not beleeue at Rome that any would be found so bold as to oppose himselfe to the reputation of these great Cardinals considering their high and eminent qualitie as also they hoped to finde that ignorance among the people which they had long laboured to breed and bring in But at Venice to the end that no weake conscience might be troubled by the Hyperbolees of Card. Bellarmine he was speedily answered to discouer the truth and to shew vnto all what obedience a Christian owes to the Soueraigne Bishop where also the publique Reasons were manifested the three Ordinances of the Republique maintained together with their Authority to iudge and punish Ecclesiastiques which the Pope in his Monitorie had oppugned with other Writings intituled Considerations and Aduises And in as much as it seemed necessarie to giue account to all the world that the commandement made by the Republique for the continuation of Diuine Seruice was iust and lawfull they iudged expedient to proue it by a Treatise of the Interdict and withall the Senate gaue permission to imprint other Bookes in fauour of the publique prouided that men should obserue herein the Lawes which the State prescribed that is that there should be nothing written contrary to faith good maners the Authoritie of Princes And because the Inquisitor was not able to examine all Writings which were presented to be allowed to the Presse there were deputed fiue Diuines together with the Patriarchall Vicar and the Diuine of the Repub. to take care of those matters As soone as these foresaid Writings appeared in Rome the Inquisition presently censured them by particular name because as they said they contained heresies errors and scandals with the ordinary clause respectiuè and adioyned a Prohibition of all other Writings which should be made against the Interdict whether in Print or Manuscript so as they might not be read or kept without incurring the penalty of Excommunication and reseruation of their absolution These prohibitions which might considering the terrors of Excommunication haue repressed all Writings to be made in fauour of the Republique did not withstanding produce a contrary effect forasmuch as many did hence conclude that reason could not stand on their side who would not suffer the Reasons of both parties to be read and published Others said that these three Cardinals had disguised the truth and would not that it should be discouered Others thought strange that all Writings which might be made were prohibited as if they pretended to haue the spirit of prophecie to foresee that men could write nothing good or else of authority to extinguish indifferently the good with the euill There were some who from this Prohibition collected that in those Writings was nothing worthy of Censure seeing that the Court of Rome had not the boldnesse to note any particular and by this Aduerbe Respectiuè they had reserued to themselues a shrowd against all obiections Whereupon some proposed that for their owne defence against such iniuries it was meet by publique decree to prohibite all Writings composed in fauour of the Pope But others represented that this would be to imitate that which they reprehended in another that the free course of these Writings would be for the aduantage of the Republique and that hereby men should see that on their part nothing was palliated or disguised neither that they distrusted the iudgement of the World vpon that they had done This opinion preuailed in such sort that not onely the Writings in this Cause were tolerated but also the publique felling of them permitted and Liberty giuen to bring them into the State Touching them that held for the Pope it is to be noted that all that time which passed from Iuly to that Aprill wherein the Peace was concluded all sorts of Persons striued to be writing to gaine the good grace of his Holinesse Wherefore there were published many Treatises as well of Iesuites as of others partly vnder true names partly vnder fained to which Learned mē made answers to repell their slanders and to confure those false Doctrines which they attempted to scatter The Doctrine of the Venetian Writers was in summe That God hath established two Gouernments in the World the one Spirituall and the other Temporall each one of them being supreme and independent vpon the other The one is the Ecclesiasticall Ministery the other is the Ciuill Gouernment Of the Spirituall he hath giuen the care vnto the Apostles and to their Successors of the Temporall the charge is put in the hands of Princes in such sort that one may not intermeddle in that which appertaines to the other that the Pope hath no power to abrogate the Lawes of Princes in Temporall matters nor to depriue them of their Estates or free their Subiects from their Allegeance which they owe vnto them that to depose Kings from their Estates is a new thing neuer attempted till within this fiue hundred years against the Scriptures and the examples of Iesus Christ and of his Saints and that to teach that in case of controuersie betweene the Pope and a Prince it is lawful to pursue him by frauds and open force or that the Subiects which rebell against him doe by that meanes obtaine remission of their sinnes is a Doctrine seditious and sacrilegious that Ecclesiasticall men by Diuine Law are not exempted from the Secular Power neither in their persons nor in their goods but haue receiued from godly and deuout Princes since Constantine the Great vntill Fredericke the second diuers Priuiledges
and Apostolique See his infallible Iudgement and vnlimited Iurisdiction How by degrees he plucked vp all ancient Pales and Boundaries extended his Diocesse all ouer the Earth and at length inclosed all Christendome within the walls of Rome His first attempt to this purpose was to depresse his Concurrent of Constantinople in spite of so many Canons of ancient Generall Councels so iealous of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecclesiasticall limits and so often assigning to those Two Prime Patriarches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equall Honour and Authority which he easily compassed by fauouring the Treasons and Parricides of that vsurper Phocas receiuing from Him in recompence the Title so much detested by Gregory 1. of Oecumenicall Bishop After this he contended with all Catholique Bishops in that quarrell about Images and against them all gained his Processe in that ridiculous Packe the second Synod of Nice At last being encouraged with this great successe his Arrogance still prompting Him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he fell to contest with Emperours themselues in apparence for Ecclesiasticall Inuestitures in truth for Soueraignty Confounding all Europe with horrible ruines tumults and bloudshed firing all Countries with his Excommunications Interdicts which were indeed but Igues fatui neuer penetrating contrary to the lightning of Heauen but where they found no resistance and receiuing all their heat and vigor from the cold patience and weaknesse of the Times and assuming to himselfe a vaste power to dethrone Kings at his pleasure and to tosse their Crownes like so many Tennis-Balles Till in conclusion he was saluted Dominus Deus noster Papa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no more a Mortall and had seised himselfe as in fee of all Churches and Kingdomes all Bishops being now his Curates and all Kings in his account his Vassals and Homagers With such lewd impostures and holy trum peries he cheated our innocent Forefathers hauing first blindfolded them by withdrawing the diuine light of Scriptures and by planting a fatall ignorance of all good Letters which together with the superstition which followed so amused and enfeebled all Spirits that they were rendred capable of any absurdest impressions But it exceeds all wonder that he should yet still continue to put his iugling tricks upon this Age of Light and Learning wherein he hath beene so often convicted and stigmatized for a Coozener Vnlesse haply his lanizaries the Iesuites make Him beleeue that they haue subdued all Peoples under his Blind Obedience and taught them like uncleane Beasts or like Themselues to swallow his morsels without chewing to receiue his Commandements without disputing If He nourish any such impudent hopes the stout Venetians as appeares in this History will helpe to disabuse Him and lend Him spectacles if He be not starke blind to see his Error Besides those Excellent Wits of that Republique all collected in the Latine by Goldastus which vpon this occasion canuased the Controuersies haue so learnedly nullified these Papall pretensions and Censures that hereafter his wisest course will be to play these parts vpon the stages of Iapan or Mexico among his new silly Conuerts not in Europe where an Asse is easily knowne from a Lyon and his Rodomantades in this kinde will finde as much credit as Lucians true Histories In one word We are told in this History pag. 117. by an Oracle our late blessed Soueraigne of Immortall Memory and it is a truth as cleare as if it were Solis radio scriptum in the Prouerbe of Tertullian written with a Sunne-beame that the onely pride of this Vsurper hath bred and fomented all Contentions in point of Religion miserably difioynted the Catholique Church into so many fragments and pieces and still keeps fresh the bleeding wounds and ruptures of Christendome Whilest he is obstinate in despite of God and Men to erect his absolute Monarchy and to that end urges euery Canon of the Trent Councell more rigorously than any part of Canonicall Scripture and all those new Articles of Pope Pius the fourth his Creed more then the old ones of the Apostles Whilest be disdaines to acknowledge his Humanitie by exempting Himselfe from Error obtrudes vpon the World euery fantafie of his Court for a Catholique veritie and presumes as if he had the keeping of the Booke of Life to raze out of the Communion of Saints all that are not of his Schismaticall Congregation as if Fides Catholica were now nothing but Fides Vrbica or Vrbana and as if they had no part in Christ Iesus who are not in the part of Pope Vrban iust the old iargon of Donatus one of the Patriarchs of Popery Now for these broyles at Venice it had beene a Miracle far exceeding all that euer were wrought by Father Xauier or any of his Comperes in the East or West Indies if the Iesuites had not beene tampering with their bellowes in this fire Although in the euent by the iust prouidence of God all the smoake was blowne into their owne Eyes and their owne Nests by this fire consumed For this wise Republique obseruing the seditious humor of these wicked Spirits meerely incompatible with the Peace of any State thought best to coniure them out of their Dominions and accordingly by an irreuocable Decree which will not be so easily demolished as that Pyramide erected once at Paris to their infamy banished them for euer Grounding their Iudgement vpon this euidence pag. 138. that the Iesuites haue beene the sole Authors of all discords disorders and miseries in this Age thorowout all Kingdomes of the World And certainly few parts of the Habitable Earth haue escaped their bloudy and violent Practises neither is it possible in Europe to name that Countrey saue only Spaine and the House of Austria their great Patrons wherein those restlesse Furies haue not beene kindling Combustions and plotting the diuision and consequently the desolation of the State Without question when they goe to their owne place the Deuill is wise enough to pin vp these Broüillons in some close dungeon by themselues for otherwise they would disturbe Hell it selfe and Satan should haue no peace in his owne Kingdome which as our Sauiour tells vs if it be diuided cannot stand Nor doe they onely act but teach Sedition giue rules of disloyalty periury and parricide make their Disciples beleeue that Rebellion is a vertue and the murthering of a Prince a merit that a Clarke cannot be a Traitor because he is no Subiect and that a King ought not to raigne or liue if he serue not the Pope who hath directly or indirectly it matters not all Power in Heauen and Earth These are the Maximes of their Cabale aboue 30. Iesuites of late haue beene openly challenged by the Vniuersity of Paris in the name of all the others of France to haue published these execrable Doctrines tending to the ruine of Mankinde And lest they should want Actors for any of their Tragedies in time of need they haue their Chambers of Meditation which are clearely so many Seminaries of
both reall and personall greater or lesser according to the exigence of times and places which hath bin also practised in other Realmes and Principalities being alwayes exempted as well by Emperours as other Princes from the power of inferiour Magistrates but not from their owne Soueraigne authority That the Exemptions granted by Popes vnto the Order of the Clergie haue not beene admitted in some places and in others admitted only in part and that they haue been valide only so farre as they haue beene receiued that notwithstanding any Exemption the Prince hath still Power ouer their persons and goods whensoeuer necessity constraines him to serue himselfe of them And if at any time they should abuse such Exemption to the perturbation of the publique tranquillitie that the Prince is obliged to prouide a remedy Another point of their Doctrine was that the Pope ought not to thinke himselfe infallible vnlesse where God hath promised him his Diuine assistance which some Moderne Doctors say to bee onely in necessary points of Faith and when hee vses fit meanes to that purpose of diuine Inuocation and of Ecclesiasticall consultations But the authority of Binding and Loosing ought to bee vnderstood with this Caution claue non crrante seeing God hath commanded the Pastor to follow the Merit and Iustice of the Cause and not his owne inclination that when the Pope vpon any difference with Princes passes on to thunder out his Censures it is permitted vnto the Doctors to consider whether he hath proceeded claue errante aut non errante And the Prince when he is assured that the Censures thundred against him his Estates and subiects are inualide may and ought for the conseruation of publique peace hinder the execution thereof preseruing his Religion and the reuerence due to the Church and that according to the doctrine of S. Augustine the Excommunication of a multitude or of Him who commandeth and is followed by a great number of people is pernicious and sacrilegious that the new name of Blinde Obedience inuēted by Ignatius Loiola vnknown to the Anciēt Church and to al good Diuines taketh away the essence of that vertue which ought to work by certain knowledge and election exposeth vs to the dāger of offending God doth not excuse him who is deceiued by the Ghostly Father and may ingender seditions as it hath beene seene within these forty yeares since that abuse hath beene introduced On the contrary the Doctrine of the Romane Writers or Papalins affirmed That the Temporall Power of Princes is subordinate to the Power Ecclesiasticall and subiect to it consequently that the Pope hath authority to depriue Princes of their Estates for their faults and errors which they cōmit in Gouernment yea though they haue not committed any fault when the Pope shall iudge it fit for the good of the Church that the Pope may free Subiects frō their obedience and from their oath of Fidelity which they owe vnto their Princes in which case they are obliged to cast off all subiection and euen to pursue the Prince if the Pope command it And although they all agreed to hold these Maximes yet they were not at accord touching the manner for they that were touched with a little shame said so great an authority did not reside in the Pope because Iesus Christ had giuen him any Temporall authority but because this was necessary for the Spirituall Wherefore Iesus Christ giuing Spirituall authority had giuen also indirectly the Temporall which was a vain shift seeing they made no other difference then of Words But the greater part of these men spake plainly that the Pope hath all Authority in heauen and earth both Spirituall and Temporall ouer all Princes of the World no otherwise then ouer his Subiects and vassals that he might correct them for any fault whatsoeuer that he is a Temporall Monarque ouer all the earth that from any Temporall Soueraigne Prince men might appeale to the Pope that he might giue Lawes to all Princes and annull those which were made by Them For the Exemption of Ecclesiastiques they all with one voyce denied that they held it by the grace and priuiledge of Princes although their Lawes to that purpose Constitutions and Priuiledges be yet extant but they were not agreed how they had receiued it some of them affirming that it was de iure diuino others that it came by Constitutions of Popes and Councels But all consented vpon this that they are not Subiects to the Prince euen in case of treason and that they are not bound to obey the Lawes vnlesse it were vi directiuâ And some passed so farre as to say that the Ecclesiastiques ought to examine whether the Lawes Commands of the Prince beiust and whether the people be obliged to obey them and that they owe not vnto the Prince either contributions or customes or obedience that the Pope cannot erre or faile because he hath the assistance of the Holy Spirit and therefore that it is necessary to obey his Commandements whether they be iust or vniust that to Him appertaines the clearing of all difficulties so as it is not lawfull for any to depart from his resolution nor to make reply though the resolution be vniust that though all the World differ in opinion from the Pope yet it is meet neuerthelesse to yeeld to Him and he is not excused from sinne who followes not his aduice though all the world iudge it to be false Their bookes were also full of such other Maximes that the Pope is a God vpon earth a Sunne of iustice a Light of religion that the iudgement and sentence of God and the Pope is one same thing as also the Tribunall and the Court of the Pope and God that to doubt of the power of the Pope is as much as to doubt of the power of God And it is notable what Card. Bellarmine hath boldly written that to restraine the obedience due vnto the Pope to things concerning the Saluation of the Soule is to bring it to nothing that Saint Paul appealed to Caesar who was not his Iudge and not to S. Peter lest the by-standers should haue laughed at him that the holy Bishops of old shewed themselues subject to Emperors because the times so required Others adioyned further that then it was meet to introduce the Empire of the Pope by little and little it being a thing vnseasonable to despoile Princes newly conuerted of their Estates and also to permit some thing vnto them for to interesse them Other like discourses they made which many godly Persons abhorred to read and reputed them blasphemies Furthermore the manner of treating on the one part and on the other was very different inasmuch as the Writings of the Popes partisans and especially of the Iesuites were full of railings detractions iniuries and slanders against the Republique and their Doctors full also of many motiues to sedition But the Writings of the Venetians following the intention of the Senate were full of all kinds
the Ambassador Soranzo had writ to Venice he had charge to thanke the Emp. and to certifie him of their inclination to Peace and further to tell Him that the Senate would esteeme it a great Honour if his Maiestie would be pleased to induce the Pope to content himselfe with those offers which they had made by the means and in consideration of the King of France FIFTH BOOKE THE time was thus spent in Treaties vntill the end of October when the Pope began to take into his consideration that so long as this separation of the Republique from his obedience continued his reputation would be more and more endamaged because the Bookes written in their Defence had opened the eyes of many and the Liberty of Speech had made knowne the great Defects of the Court of Rome which formerly many men did not so well consider Moreouer hee obserued by Treating with the Spaniards vpon the particularities of the succours which they had promised that the Effects were not answerable to their Words since they proposed hard Conditions and further gaue him to vnderstand that it did not agree with the Piety of the Catholique King to be the cause of a Warre in Italy wherefore that he was not disposed to succour him but in case that hee should be assaulted For these causes the Pope resoluing in himselfe to see an end of this Affaire hee called Alincourt the Ambass of France to whom hee made a long Discourse shewing that he acknowledged all these Disorders and repeating the Damages and Preiudices which he suffered with the Dangers to which he was exposed he testified his great desire of an Agreement in any sort assuring him to this effect of his good intention And forasmuch as it was not honourable for him to begin the motion he promised to be ready to accept any reasonable Proposition He proceeded also to touch some Particulars but so as he seemed not willing to propound them Alincourt hauing communicated these things to the French Cardinals they aduised to propose vnto the Republique by Fresne a motion with these Conditions That the Pope should take away the Censures after he had beene praied in the name of the King and the Repub. and that first of all the Interdict should be obserued for the space of 4. or 5. daies That the Prisoners should be rendred to the Pope by way of Gratification to the King That the Letters of the D. should be reuoked That the Writings published in fauour of the Repub. should be supprested That the Religious gone out of the State onely by reason of the Interdict should be re-established That they should send an Ambassador to thanke the Pope for opening the way vnto a friendly Treaty That they should speake no more of reuoking or suspending the Lawes but onely of taking away the Censures and for the difficulties remaining betweene the Pope and the Republique they should Treat as one Prince with another That a certaine day might bee prefixed to the end that at the same time the Republique and the Pope might doe what was agreed vpon that neither the one nor the other might be said to haue begun first Fresne made accordingly these Propositions hauing first confessed that the Republique was not in any necessitie to admit the Accord for feare of being forced because hee knew very well both the Power of the Republique and the assistance which they should haue But forasmuch as some of their Assistants were such as did not acknowledge the Church of Rome the Senate in their wisdome would thinke meet not to make vse of them howsoeuer they readily offered themselues The Senate when they had maturely considered all things answered that they were contented the Pope might be praied by the Ambassador of the King in the name of the Republique to take away the Censures That the Prisoners should be giuen vnto the King without preiudice of the Reasons of the Republique That for the Protestation made by the Duke against the Monitorie of the Pope it should not faile to be retracted when the Censures were taken away And for the other Writings the Republique would doe with them as the Pope with those which had beene made in Fauour of him That to obserue the Interdict for one onely houre not to speake of daies was to confesse that it was valide which being vntrue they could not doe it without offending God and condemning the Actions of the Republique which were but iust and lawfull For the Religious that this was no point of the Treaty but onely with his Holinesse himselfe That the Censures being once remoued they would send an Ambassador to reside in Rome according to the Custome But all this vpon condition that the Ministers of the King would openly let them vnderstand that they had assurance from the Pope because otherwise they did not meane to condescend to any thing vnlesse they were assured that the Pope would accept the Condition To this Fresne replied that he had not proposed these things if the Pope had not first giuen his word but he hath giuen it said he and repeated foure times he hath giuen it and adioyned that although it was true that Popes sometime giue themselues a License to retract their words yet he beleeued that this Man would constantly keepe his hauing giuen it Wherefore he said that he accepted the Conditions and took their word to pray the Pope in the Name of the King and of the Republique to take away his Censures And in like manner that they would send an Ambassador who according as the Pope had promised to Alincourt should be receiued with accustomed Honour Adding that hee would receiue the Prisoners in the Name of the King by way of meere Gratification and without preiudice of the Reasons of the Republique that the Pope indeed would not make hereof any Declaration but that should rest vpon the King and the Popes Declaration in this case was not needfull to the Republique in as much as they Treated not with the Pope but with the King Concerning the Religious he said I shall be for them indeed a cold Aduocate because they cannot deny but they haue committed a great error in disobeying their Prince contrary to the Commandement of God and seeing it behoueth them especially to Preach Obedience so straitly enioyned by God Besides that hauing abandoned their Country wherin they were wel treated and entertained their ingratitude herein is so intollerable that if it belonged to me I should cause them to be decimated for example vnto others He added That the facility of the Republique was very great in that they consented that their Ambassador might Treat of their Matter with his Holinesse And concluded his Discourse by giuing thankes in the Name of his King for that which they had done to gratifie him assuring them that he would acknowledge their good disposition to publique Tranquillitie hauing in truth done as much as was conuenient Whilest these things were thus treated the King of
without doubt the K. would not take in good part this alteration which implied little respect vnto his Maiestie in whose regard the Republique had condescended as farre as they might And although this manner of proceeding by the Pope might and happily ought induce the Republique to retract all which hitherto they had accorded notwithstanding to make it appeare that on their part they had not failed to doe all that was possible to preuent the trouble and disquiet of Christendome they had a good purpose to continue in their good disposition to an Agreement and constantly to stand by their word already giuen notwithstanding the inconstancie of the Pope who if he would not yeeld to reason yet the Senate hoped to haue still good intelligence with his Maiestie for as much as they had testified the great esteeme which they made of his Mediation for that they had in consideration of him remitted many of their Interests At the same time also the Senate gaue the Ambassador to vnderstand that vpon his request all Presses at Venice had beene stayed and order giuen that no Bookes vpon this Difference should be imprinted That neuerthelesse from Rome and elsewhere came forth many Libels in behalfe of the Pope that the Treatises written in fauour of the Republique were condemned the Authours and Printers proceeded against by Censures and other vndue courses and therefore that they should be constrained by way of necessary defence to giue libertie vnto their Printers as before to the end that their iust Reasons might bee made knowne to all the World The time passed in these Negotiations vntill the middle of Nouember about which time arriued at Venice Don Francis de Castro sent Ambassador Extraordinary from the Catholique K. for to employ himselfe in the reconciling of these Dissentions betweene the Pope and the Republique From the beginning they conceiued in Spaine that it would be greatly aduantageous to their affaires to accommodate these Controuersies as well to preuent all occasions of War in Italie as because they saw the French to interpose in the businesse Wherefore after long deliberation to whom this Charge should be committed the King at last setled vpon Don Francis de Castro a Principall Person of great Authority hauing beene Viceroy of Naples and highly esteemed as Nephew to the Duke of Lerma Yet he came not by and by after he had order from Spaine but staied at Gaëta some daies because D. Innigo de Cardenas the Ordinary Ambassador being not well content with the comming of any Extraordinarie had writ that as yet there was no apparance of Accord that they would hazard the Reputation of the King in sending an Extraordinarie Ambassador vnlesse it were some way necessarie seeing he had the Dukes word that as well the Souldiers already prepared as they that should be leuied hereafter were not to offend the Pope in any fashion but onely in defence of their Estate in case of necessarie But the principall cause of his stay was to expect the Arriuall of Aiton the new Ambassador of the Catholique King at Rome a Personage who had great knowledge of this Affaire and who had charge to keepe good correspondence in his Treating with the Pope to the Negotiation of Don Francis de Castro at Venice which they could not hope from the Marquis de Villena then Ambassador for that he had too openly declared himselfe inclined to the Intentions of the Pope so far that he had disgusted them in Spaine The Marquis had order from the King to giue the Pope to vnderstand that as his Maiestie would sustaine the reputation of the Pope so far as was possible so had he no desire to haue any manner of Warres in Italie for this was not behouefull either for his owne seruice or for the profit of the See Apostolique which would receiue in Italie an irreparable losse of respect and obedience due vnto it although it should carry away the victorie by the confluence of men of a diuers Religion which would come to this Warre The Marquâ—â— executed this commandement at the first Audience which he had of the Pope Another chiefe cause that delayed Don Francis de Castro was for that he expected some order from the Pope who hauing built great Designes vpon this Ambass would draw all that he could by the means of the French holding for certaine that the Senate would be induced to yeeld something at the instance of the Catholique King besides that which they had already granted in fauour of the King most-Christian Wherefore the Pope seeing hee had obtained all that could be by meanes of the King of France resoluing with himselfe to end the businesse vpon those terms although he could haue no other deliberated to giue the last stroke sending ample and secret Instructions to this Extraordinary Ambassador of Spaine Which when hee had receiued hee came to Venice accompanied with many great Lords of the Realme of Naples and with the Secretarie Cauezza Leale whom the Ambassador at Rome had sent to him as a Minister of great wisdome and capacitie He had brought with him also the Iesuite Cigala as a principall Instrument of the Ambassage but being better aduised he sent him backe to Rome Don Francis being arriued at Venice was extraordinarily honoured by the Republique and defrayed at the cost of 100. Crownes by the day This Lord had no speciall Commission from the King touching the particulars of this Affaire because he knew not in what case it was and how to manage it effectually as yet but onely he had Order to speake at first generally to the end that considering from day to day what was needfull to be done he might after accordingly descend to particulars Vpon this Reason in the publique Audience where hee was receiued with all demonstrations of Honour he did not passe the termes of Complements and in the first which he had in priuate he presented the Letter of the King his Master of the 5. of August wherein after he had testified his good Will towards the Republique he added That hee had resolued to send Don Francis de Castro to compose the Controuersies which they had with his Holinesse vnto the contentment of the Republique And Castro hauing presented the Letter said That he was sent by the King for the desire which hee had of Peace and for the good of the Republique and of all Italie in fauour of which hee desired to doe more if he could That for himselfe he had willingly vndertaken this Charge both in obedience to his Maiestie and for the affection which he carried to the Repub. hoping easily to conclude a good Peace with his Serenity seeing he should meet with none of those three Impediments which vsually render all Treaties difficult which are First the Passion or extraordinarie Affection of him in whose name men Treat or of him who Treateth Secondly the Inconuenience of the matter Treated and Thirdly the incapacitie or want of good will in the Person
which cause they sent to the Captaines chosen by the Republique that they should not display their Ensignes or passe any further whereupon the Captaines made complaint to the Secretary Vincenti by reason of the expences made in earnest money and in victuals But Vincenti who had receiued money from Venice for the Leuie appeased them by distributing among them some small part The Companies began to be assembled and the first was that of Coutenalt who being about 200. men presented themselues before Coira where the Citie being not willing to receiue them they staied without expecting others For which reason the Secretary Vincenti who was without the Citie retired himselfe into it as he was counselled From day to day the Sedition increased other Companies arriuing and being to the number of 800. men they made instance to be admitted into the Citie which was granted to auoid further mischiefe the Citie standing still vpon their guard The Preachers which were among these Mutiners did all sorts of good offices but the Bish of Coira and the Adherents of Spaine trauelled contrarily The Ministers of the King of France and of the Republique sent money to the Commons to moue them against the Mutiners labouring also to appease the Principall amongst them with siluer but the rage of the Commotion was so great that they preuailed nothing They of Agnadina and Poschiauo kept themselues free from Sedition which sufficed to keepe the passage open And those of the Valtoline repenting themselues were reduced to their duty and a large Trench was begun whereof the Ouer-seers were Captaine Long a Frenchman and an Ingenier of Count Francis Martinengo The 24. of March was called a Pitac at Coira where the Secretary Vincenti gaue particular account of the Prouisions which the Republique had ordained The Agent of France promised in the Name of the King to giue 7000. Crownes a Moneth for the Garrison of the Valtoline and that he would build a Fort at his owne charge and pay the Garrison of a if he might appoint the Captaine which should be one of that Countrey At Rome they had certaine aduice that the King of France by meanes of Caumartin his Ambassador in Suisserland had demanded in the Diet of Soloturn a Leuie of 10000. Suisses with little contentment of that Nation because the Ambassador had not named either Time or Place or the Captaine nor disbursed one sole denier nor declared where they were to serue but only had said that he must goe to Paris and that Monsieur de Refuge his Successor would come with things necessary for the Expedition There were who thought considering these circumstances that the Most Christian King had no intention to make this Leuie but only to hinder the Spaniards that they might not obtaine another Some also gaue a more sinister interpretation of this Pursuit saying that he did it to the end that their Friends might not haue men from thence vnlesse they acknowledged it 〈◊〉 from him But because the King had elsewhere an Armie of 10000. French footmen and 4000 horse the Pope although he nothing mistrusted the King was greatly troubled and it is certaine that he shed teares vpon it because he saw well it was to hinder the King of Spaine lest he should employ himselfe for his succour as hee desired Wherefore weighing these encounters and hauing considered the iourney of the Secretary Padauin beyond the Mounts he resolued seriously to intend the Agreement and sollicited the King of France that he would not abandon the Treaty and that he would to this purpose moue the Card. de Ioyeuse It is true that the K. of France so soone as he had notice that Don Francis de Castro was sent from Spaine straightway resolued to send an Extraordinary and many principall men of that Kingdome were put in consideration to be employed about this Affaire but the King very prudently made choise of the person of this Cardinall as well because of his excellent qualities as for that he was acceptable to the Pope and a Confident of the other Princes who had interposed for the appeasing of these Troubles and further because being an Ecclesiastique by qualitie and one of the prime in the Court of Rome he might not onely be a Mediator for the Composition but also a Minister in the execution of it as afterwards it came to passe The Cardinall being on his way the mindes of men were in suspence whether he would goe to Rome or to Venice but as soone as he was arriued in Italy it was published that he was for Venice At Thurin the Popes Nuntio did what he could with the Cardinall to hinder that he should not receiue the Visite of the Ambassador of the Republique But the Cardinall considering how much it imported to his Negotiation receiued the Ambassador with all demonstration of Honour not regarding the instances of the Nuntio The comming of this Cardinall was acceptable to the Pope howsoeuer at the first sight it did not please him that a Cardinall one of the principall in the Court should goe into a City Interdicted and to a Republique which he held for rebellious Neuerthelesse the desire he had to finish these Controuersies seeing Don Francis de Castro had done nothing made him to wish that this Cardinal would adioyne his endeuours The Cardinall stayed for some time at Papozze a Village within the Dukedome of Ferrara confining vpon the Venetian Dominions expecting the issue of Don Francis his Negotiation together with the Answer of the King his Master and the Popes Commission In this interim the Iesuites at Rome and in Spaine but much more in Spaine did their vtmost endeuours to be comprised in the Treatie displaying their great merits towards the Crowne of Spaine and the small reputation which his Holinesse should haue if the Conclusion were made and themselues excluded who had defended more than all others his Interests and that the Catholique King would receiue a great diminution in his Authority as being not able for his seeblenesse to range the Venetians vnder reason And they brought the example of Demosthenes concerning an accord made betweene the Wolues and the Sheepe vpon condition that the Dogges should bee banished Wherein they compared al the rest of the World to Sheepe which had need of their keeping And they published some Bookes with these considerations and which is more employed herein the Confessor of the Queene a Father of their Society who openly said not only to the King but to all the Court that they could not with good conscience make this accord without comprehending the Iesuites and couenanting their restitution But the Cardinall de Ioyeuse hauing at length receiued very ample instructions from his Holinesse and new commandements from the King by an expresse Currier came to Venice about the fifteenth of February where he presented his Letters of credit from the Most Christian King in a publique Audience and passed some words of complement both in the Kings Name and