or the right of the States it as little importeth considering that he was put in trust with it by her Maiestie and vpon his alleageance to her should haue discharged the trust and fidelity reposed in him in that charge To dispute the case whether hee might in conscience or ought in danger of mortall sinne deliuer vp the Towne to the King of Spaine is not necessary to our purpose yet this I will say that all which Fa Parsons hath said in proofe thereof is not worth a rush vnlesse hee proue two points first that her Maiestie is the person that hath giuen the first cause of breach of the league with the Spaniards which I think if matters be well examined will proue contrary as you may see by the attempts made by the Spaniard both secretly and publiquely against her Highnesse and state before aleadged nothing being attempted by her against his Maiestie of Spaine or any his Countryes Which being true then might she iustly and in conscience iure gentium make warre against him win his Townes and Countries from him and in right and iustice detaine them Secondly he must proue that Sir William Stanley knowing in his conscience that she had no iust cause of warre against the Spaniard which I think he could not know might deliuer vp the said Towne without a greater mischiefe to follow vpon such restitution for a man is not bound to make restitution of goods euill gotten or possessed mala fide when without imminent danger of his owne or other mens liues he cannot doe as all Canonists will confesse because the life of a man is dearer then goods and the lesse euill must be preferred before the greater As for example if I should haue vniustly taken away the weapons of another man and had beene malae fidei possessor yet if I should perceaue that the true owner were paratus ad homicidium and thereby eyther my owne life or others might be endangered if I should restore his weapons vnto him which erst I had taken vniustly from him in this case it is euident that I were not bound to make restitution although I were as I haue said malae fidei possessor So in this case of Sir William Stanleyes if greater mischiefe might probably ensue thereof then the deteyning of the Towne could be he was not bound thereto Which case Fa Parsons hath not handled Now will I referre the censure to other men whether greater euill did not grow vnto our common cause in England by this particuler fact of Sir William Stanlies in that the state was thereby exasperated against all cath for his fact which great damage and common hurt of his Country-men and Cath he was in charity bound more to regard then the restitution of one Towne to the Spaniard And therefore waying and considering the auersion and alienation of our state from Cath for such facts as these of Sir William and the like wee haue often wished that if his conscience had felt any touch or scruple concerning those warres he had otherwise quietly left them off or with-drawne himselfe without giuing any such open occasion of complaint vnto the state But his not onely deliuering vp of that Towne but also ioyning himselfe with the Spaniard in field against his Soueraigne and Country may not be approued by any good subiect And therfore I wish that so worthy a martiall man had conuerted his sword against the Turke or other common enemies and not against his owne Soueraigne and Country that by his actions our Prince might haue had no iust cause to haue beene offended with vs at home Aliens and strangers may doe what they will and wee yet remaine blamelesse if wee haue no part with them because they are strangers but when naturall subiects of our owne Country and Cath shal in these iealous and suspicious times practise or conuert their weapons against their Prince and Country it cannot but incense their wrath and indignation against all Cath at home as by experience we haue felt Touching Fa Parsons vrging of an Epistle writ by Card Allen in defence hereof what might be his reason or whether he did it of himselfe or vrged there-vnto by reason of the great expectance of the Spanish intention anno 1588. immediatly following which we suspect I cannot tell but I wish with all my hart it had beene vnwritten considering the little good hath come thereby Neither is this to dishonour the worthy Card as Fa Parsons would make it but contrariwise to shew our loue and honour we beare towards him in that we hartily wish such ouer-sights or inconuenient actions as the best man in this life is not without imperfections nor the wisest in his iudgement without errors had neuer proceeded from him And whereas such things as the book written in the yeere 1588. this Epistle are too too euident and publiquely knowne to our state and all men else we seeke to excuse the same as much as in vs lyeth that the fault or rather the errour may by circumstances seeme more tolerable which no man of wit or discretion can deny to be an euident demonstration of our loue and affections towards him as our dearest and worthiest Father Which cannot be odious and offensiue in vs to our Prince state as we trust in that duty and nature bindeth euery man extraordinarily to loue their parents and founders eyther naturall or spirituall And therefore to excuse them is but a shew of filiall loue and affection but obstinatly to defend and maintaine that in a parent which is no way approueable were meere sycophancie not loue meere peeuishnes not any tolerable affection Now come we to the great attempt made by the Spaniards in the yeere 1588. out of which action Fa Parsons exempteth all English Iesuits because he saith himselfe fa Holt and fa Creswell were then in Rome with Cardinall Allen and that no English Iesuit at all was residing at that time eyther in Spaine or in the Low-countries But all this proueth not that therefore the Iesuits had no part in this action Neither can it be probable to any man of iudgement or vnderstanding that the Iesuits beeing so great with the King and so forward in attempts against our Country hauing had their fingers in matters precedent as you haue seene would now sit still hauing so faire an offer made and so good opportunity to be dooing I confesse that there was no great respect made to the English beyond the Seas in that action nor in any other of the Spaniards will be if euer matters come to issue nor perhaps were the English Iesuits called to be counsellers therein as since they haue beene because indeede the Spaniard intended a most bloody conquest and translation of our state and people But to thinke that the Iesuits were not vrgers thereto and setters forwards to theyr power of that attempt were to contradict all reason and probabilities For first it is most certaine that all the vvorld had very
A REPLIE VNTO a certaine Libell latelie set foorth by Fa Parsons in the name of vnited Priests intituled A manifestation of the great folly and bad spirit of certaine in England calling themselues seculer Priestes With an addition of a Table of such vncharitable words and phrases as by him are vttered in the said Treatise aswell against our parsons as our bookes actions and proceedings ¶ Pro iustitia agonizare pro anima tua et vsque ad mortem certâ pro iustitia et Deus expugnabit pro te inimicos tuos Ecclesiast cap. 4. ¶ Noli esse humilis in sapientia tua ne humiliatus in stultitiam seducaris Ibidem cap. 13. ⧠Justitiae et innocentiae permissu Anno Dom. 1603. The Epistle to the Priests said to be vnited with the Archpriest * ⎠* REuerend and my deere bretheren whom with my soule I loue and honour with my hart I cannot but be sory to see you so vniustly abused by the slights and cunning deuises of the Iesuits and more to see you whom wisedome and discretion should make perfect and expert in the affaires of our poore afflicted Church so applaude their proceedings that worke your bane or at the least by holding your peace to approoue such actions in them as tend to the ouerthrow of your selues Tell mee I beseech you in your owne vnderstandings are you not highly abused in bearing the name of these two late Libells viz. the Apologie and Manifestation in both which not onely the honour of priesthood is impeached and our whole Cleargie disgraced debased and sought to be held in slauery and subiection to the Iesuits theyr creatures but also such vndutifull actions and practises as haue beene attempted by them or any other Catholicke from the beginning of her Maiesties raigne vntill this day are maintained defended excused or iustified whereby your liues are engaged as accessary to all treasons plots practises done or attempted against our Soueraigne and Country by such parsons in that to approue defend or maintaine any action is as you knowe to make the approuer defender and maintainer accessary thereto iudge then what cause you haue to thanke such Maisters for this theyr good office in laying snares to entrappe you withall and thinke whether this deuise be not a plot of purpose to bring you into as great obloquy with your Prince as through theyr own vndutifull practises they haue brought themselues thereby to turne the sword of persecution vpon all as heeretofore for some particuler mens offences Deere brethren if you regard not the wrongs and oppressions doone to vs your brethren and neerer vnto you in all right of reason then the Iesuits are if you regard not the deiection and oppression of your Cleargie which they violently seeke if you respect not theyr actions and attempts against your natiue country and neerest friends yet regard your selues respect your owne liues haue a care to the common and generall good of altogether insiduated and betrayed by them disclaime from such actions wherein you haue no part neither desire I thinke to haue I know your harts to be loyall let them not be stained by a false imputation from a deceitfull Iesuit Beleeue me her Maiestie dooth make difference betwixt practisers in matters of state and religion and therefore suffer not your names to be brought into question for such odious dealings by the cunning policies of Fa. Parsons inrowling thē to the approbations of such hatefull trecheries And if there were n◠difference at all made as I know there is yet were it glorious to die a Cath priest in profession of the Cath fayth without taint or imputation of those foule crimes But some of you happily may be ignorant how farre you are abused in this kinde vouchsafe but the reading ouer of this reply to the latter Libell you shall easily perceiue more danger to be couched therein then you are aware of and thereby see the better what wrong is offered you in publishing the same in your names If in the perusing hereof any word may seeme ouer-sharpe which yet I haue endeuoured to auoyde consider I beseech you the deformity of some matters vniustly vncharitably auerred against vs that all such sharpe words touch onely one man the Author of these iniurious Libels and Architect of this whole businesse and then I hope you will with more ease yeeld pardon to such excesse If any other faults eyther in stile or defectiue handling of matters obiected occur beare with the author this beeing his first worke and hudled vp in hast without such helpes as longer time might haue affoorded him yeelding him in all things as fauourable a censure as you may who is ready to protest in the sincerity of a Catholicke priest that neyther malice anger passion nor desire of reuenge drew him to vndertake this worke but onely a sincere opinion of iustice and innocencie so much impugned by Fa Parsons in defence wherof hee thought himselfe bound as well in respect of the common cause as his owne particuler interest therein to shew his best indeuours Your friend and brother VV. C. ⧠The Preface generall to Catholickes COurteous and beneuolent Catholicks I present here vnto you a reply vnto a certaine Libell intituled A manifestation of the great folly and bad spirit of certaine in England calling themselues seculer Priests which happening into my hands I diligently red ouer hauing without passion perused it and with indifferencie as to my selfe seemed poysing and considering as well the matter deliuered with the forme and manner of the deliuery as also the verity thereof I could not but a little wonder to see a man so mightily inueigh against passion and bitter writing in others shewing so much choler passion yea and impatience as hee doth here And did I not descry the Author thereof to be one particuler Parson not many priests vnder whose names falsly yea and vncharitably it is published thereby to bring them into obloquy with their Prince and state vnto whom the Iesuits practises in state matters heere defended are odious I should much admire to see so palpable vntruths defended so manifest vniust actions maintained and such apparant verities with such boldnes denied but the worke proceeding frō the party it doth hammered in the forge it was I could expect no other then I found therefore my wonder was the lesse and my admiration sooner at an end For why the man is well knowne to be of such a naturall disposition as that if he once enter into any course he will with infinite violence prosecute the same Vpon which headstrong cariage irremouable wilfulnes many straines you know and ouerstrainings must needs follow and many fained inuentions with concealements of truthes yea and in the end open impugnations of verities the better to iustifie former proceedings least happily otherwise the fault might seeme too light where it may in no case be indured Pardon mee deere Catholickes in deliuering the truth with
life or friends will ensue I am not onely patronized therein to defend my selfe friends and Country opposing my selfe against such euils but also am bound thereto Neither therein can I iustly be said to resist or impugne the Catho Religion or defend heresie in that I onely stand directly for that which the law of nature bindeth me vnto And if any hinderance thereby of Cath Religion should follow it were not to be imputed vnto me not intending any such impeachment or damage to Gods Church nor doing any act which of it selfe tendeth to any such end Secondly it is well knowne vnto me that Christ hath left other meanes by preaching teaching and good example of life for the conuersion of Infidels Hereticks or sinners and to me it is not knowne that Christes will is that my Countrey shall be conuerted by the sword and not by his word and such other holy meanes Yea it rather appeareth vnto me that our relapsed Country is to be conuerted by the way and meanes that Christ himselfe and his Apostles vsed and not by such bloody and desperate courses Therefore I may and am bound rather to cleaue vnto that meane then to any other extreame or vnnaturall enterprises Thirdly we see by practise that GOD hath euer disfauoured such attempts to the admirable preseruation both of her Maiestie and our Country which may giue vs iust cause to think that God is not pleased with such violent courses Fourthly whatsoeuer cause may be in a forrainer or in the Pope himselfe to impugne or inuade our country which may make his quarrell iust and lawfull on his part yet am not I to take notice thereof Yea though the cause were euidently iust in my knowledge and conscience yet I am not bound to leaue my countrey and assist him For the common good of my country and weale thereof is to be preferred before the particuler right of any person vvhatsoeuer And hereupon it falleth out that many times the inuader or oppugner hath iust cause to inuade with armes and therein doth no iniustice and yet for all that on the contrarie side the defendants may iustly by force of armes keepe defend themselues and countrey from such hostile incursions their liberties and country beeing more deere vnto them then the righting of any particuler parson For if a priuate person possessing goods or lands in controuersie be not bound in conscience to forsake them and deliuer them vp vnto the owners who by sentence of law hath recouered them vntill such time as by execution of the ciuill Magistrats or sherieffe the possession thereof be giuen from him what reason is there that a whole country wherein alwaies are many innocents not guilty of any iust cause of such oppressions should yeeld vp their rights and become slaues and vassalles to forrainers loosing the rights and priuiledges of their country But you will say vnto me that neyther the Pope is a forrayner in respect of his authority and dominion extending ouer the whole world neither is this cause beeing Catholicke religion his particuler right but the right which ought to be in euery creature To the first I aunswer that notwithstanding that the Pope according to his spirituall authority might be said to be no forrainer yet if he come as an Inuader vnder what pretence soeuer hee may be said to vs a forrayner in that his power consisteth of forrainers and cruell souldiers by whose villanie many miseries and oppressions were sure to light vppon innocents and vtter spoyle vpon our whole country Neyther were I bound to belieue the Pope though hee should affirme the contrary because the wills of souldiers by whō such villanies and oppressions would be committed could not be in his power And therefore I say that if the Pope could bring Christ with him in person or an army of Angels whereby we might be assured that reformation should follow without oppressions or extreame miseries and calamities then we might take part with him but if he come with an armie of men and such men as souldiers are whom all villanies follow he must not blame vs if to auoyd such euils we sticke to the law of nature and defend our selues our Prince and country And heereupon it is that we say wee be perswaded that priests of what order soeuer ought not by force of armes to plant or water the Catholick faith but in spiritu lenitatis et mansuetudinis to propagate and defend it considering the inconueniences which follow armes and inuasions and the little fruit that commeth thereof or the small number of Catholicks that arise thereby so little good example of vertue beeing giuen by souldiers especially Spaniards Yet by the way I may not omit to note againe Father Pars his perfidious dealing in displacing of the word defend saying that no priests ought to plant water or defend vvhich followeth not in our sentence For a man may by armes somtimes defend a thing got which by armes he could not iustlie get As for example Munks or religious men may not get themselues Monasteries or lands by force of armes but hauing iustly got them otherwise and hauing an absolute authoritie within their precincts they may by force keepe them from such forrainers as vniustly inuade thē if otherwise they cannot So may and ought religious men and priests to defend catholick countries from the incursions of the Turke Infidels or hereticks as oft times they haue done But it followeth not therfore that they may goe into the countreys of Infidels in hostile manner with armes onely to plant the catholick faith by force But this is after the old fashion of Fa Parsons iust dealings I could heere vrge him with an obiection which would please him but a little to wit that if euery man be bound to assist the Pope inuading as he would haue him it is for that the cause he pretendeth is iust And then doe I say secundum magis et minus that not onely the Pope but euery Prince or other person comming with force of Armes into any Countrey is to be receaued and assisted by the inhabitants and subiects of the Country if his cause be knowne to be iust vnder payne of deadly sinne Which if it be true why then did not his great Maiestie of Spayne in Paule the fourths time restore Naples vnto the sea of Rome when as Caraff inuaded the same with force of armes The world will say and the Pope himselfe will affirme that he hath more right thereto then the Spaniard how chaunced it then that hee kept it by force frō the Pope still doth See what confusion would follow Fa Parsons doctrine But he will say that religion is not onely a matter of iustice but also of necessity binding all men thereunto To this I aunswer that though it be a thing of necessity yet is not this necessity of force or compulsion but vpon election as Christ left it and euery man hath in his free will whether hee vvill accept
the second or third day after his beeing at Wisbich he much disliked the violent proceeding of fa Westons part and complained of the impatience and importunity of some of them saying that they were ready to pull his cloake from his backe because hee would not heare their clamors Howsoeuer he grew afterwards to fauour them and their proceedings let him looke to it It is true that since that time hee hath prosecuted some matters further then any man in conscience could doe so hath affection blinded or ouer-ruled him as by a letter written by him in the Iesuits behalfes I haue shewed in the first chapter Concerning Fa Garnets politick dealing in those affaires then and in diuers other since I referre you also to the first chapter of this Reply to the Relation it selfe and to all those bookes that haue beene written of our late troubles Wherin if you finde not store of policies and such as I thinke may beseeme a right cunning politician blame my iudgement as very meane and weake And therefore as in the beginning I said so say I still that no wise man will measure euery man by euery good action that proceedeth frō him or euery good word he vttereth but measure his actions and words by their sequels circumstances Because euery defect diminisheth the good and corrupteth the best morall deed of man Otherwise we might truly say hypocrites were the best men because commonly they do at the least publiquely the most morall good deedes VVee may not omit heere the great humilitie hee also noteth in this Fa Weston for his promiscuall sitting at the table sometimes heere sometimes there as it pleased him leauing his proper place which was beneath Ma. Doctor Bagshaw and Ma. Bluet which in the Relation is iustly condemned For before this there was much murmuring amongst his associates that he was not preferred vnto the highest place before the foresaid two priests which because hee could not obtaine hee framed that new fashion of sitting as nouelties alwayes follow pride thereby vnder a colour forsooth of humility to take away the note of his minority to the aforesaid Doct and M. Bluet And let not Fa Parsons after his accustomed manner say that this is a malitious interpretation of his humble act for nouelties neuer follow humility but pride and disdaine Neyther can he auoyd the note of nouelty in this action of fa Weston because religious men vse such manner of sitting in their Monasteries For to introduce into the secular Clergie those things which may be fitly vsed of Friers and Monkes in their Monasteries were both a nouelty and ridiculous And so we account of this particuler action of promiscuall taking place at meales resembling the Puritans consistories where there must be no Bishop nor degree but a democraticall brotherhood all alike which the Church of GOD hath euer detested in her Clergie But if this humble Father would haue shewed true and sincere humilitie indeede he should haue betaken himselfe to his true place in that hee was a religious man haue set himselfe beneth all the priests there at the nether end of the table Neither could bee in iustice challenge any higher place beeing a priuate religious man in his order and no prelate as Father Parsons would haue him to be because he had beene his substitute in England ouer the Iesuits but neuer Prouinciall though wee termed him so in that he was his delegate For his said substitution surceasing hee was but as before a priuate religious man whereas the other priests were are verè pastores And euery man knoweth that the place of a pastor is aboue any priuate religious man though of curtesie somtimes they may vpon opinion of their sanctitie giue such a place vnto them In the 22. leafe hee talketh of wonderfull folly in vs and passionate proceeding in telling you of the greatnes of that societie through all Christendome that many great men both of the Laïtie and Clergie were Iesuits Iesuited and that fa Parsons was an especiall man with the king of Spaine the Pope and Cardinals All which make against vs as hee saith and shew fa Parsons vertues and good parts and the great reuerence esteeme of the whole Societie A strange folly sure this is Cardinall Wolsey was a great man with King Henry the eyght with the Emperour Charles the fift vvith the King of Fraunce and other great Princes and for a time he could doe great matters with them all ergo Card Wolsey was a vertuous and holy man Stay there Ma Parsons you will not say so Frier George in Hungarie was a great man with the Emperour sometimes and with other Princes other times and ruled all the country at his pleasure ergo a good vertuous man It dooth not follow Fa Parsons is or hath beene a great man with the King of Spaine deceiued the Pope abused Cardinall Caietane and other princes many great men haue had a better opinion of him then hee deserued whereby he hath been reputed for a more honest man then he proueth ergo fa Parsons is a Frier George or Wolsey Doth not this conclusion follow as fitly as the other Haue not many times bad lewd men wonne great fauor and credite both with Popes and other Princes What great folly I pray you was it to tell you that father Parsons could doe much with the Pope or other great men with his iugling or that he was great with the king of Spaine by reason of his practizing vnnaturally against his owne Country in his behalfe or what folly is it to tell you that his Order is very powerfull in all Christendome Indeed it is a bugge to many faint-harted Catholicks yea and to some of our brethren to who seeing their greatnes are afraid to encounter with them though their cause be neuer so iust But let them be as great as they can the greatnes of their order power thereof gaineth not sanctitie to euery member I pray God that the conceit thereof make not some of them be bold in going still forward with their most wicked designements which howsoeuer they shall presume to attempt they shall by Gods grace find such as both dare and will to theyr powers withstand those their indeuours notwithstanding all their greatnes As for the auerring of some great men to haue beene Iesuits or Iesuited it is certaine that many great men haue too much fauoured them through an opinion of their sanctitie VVhereby some times they haue beene the easier drawne to like of their proceedings But that euer any of vs said that Cardinall Allen was a Iesuit it is an vntruth of a Iesuit and the same I thinke of Doctor Saunders and Doctor Bristow though they might be too much affected towards them vppon such an erroneous opinion But as for Don Bernardino Mendoza it is known that he was wholy affectionate to thē and it is but an ordinary course with the Iesuits to bind both noble men
said that neither his holines nor any other competent Iudge euer heard of the coggery preiudice and blasphemy done against the sea Apostolicke and the sacred Maiestie of our Prince not that their imprisonment was either coggery preiudice or blasphemy to her Maiestie but that by their imprisonment his holines could not heare of their preiudiciall dealings against our Prince and state nor of their coggery and blasphemy against the Sea Apostolicke all Princes and Prelats in the world being in a sort abused by such dealings As touching fa Parsons returne into Spaine whether by Mendoza his commendations or not which little importeth we will omit as not much to the purpose All the world by experience seeth that his going thether was not for any good to our country but to procure inuasions and to raise a new bloodie title to the Crowne of England I will note but two circumstances in this fathers discourse of this matter not to be omitted the first is that no letter or message passed for many yeeres together betweene Mendoza and him to wit after the desastrous affaire of Ballard and Babbington By this you see that Letters and messengers were wont to passe between them before this desastrous affaire and so it is very probable that fa Parsons was made acquainted with all those practises wherein Mendoza had dealt concerning Throgmorton Babington by those letters and Messengers The second obseruation is that when Mendoza some yeeres after returned to Madrill there passed great expostulation betweene them two about that affaire of Babbington and some other such matters Wherein the said Embassador had beene thought to haue beene ouer-much ledde by the forward men and their mates Doth not this shew first that Mendoza was a subiect to the Iesuits by some hand or other or else why should Father Parsons a Iesuit expostulate matters with a Duke a Prince an Embassador to so great a King How durst he otherwise haue noted by way of expostulation which sheweth an authority his beeing ouermuch misled by the forward men which insinuateth a dislike or checke for following too much the aduise and directions of such men blaming the manner and circumstances but not directly the matter Doe not these circumstances leaue a suspicion of Fa Parsons consent to that plot though he disliked that Mendoza was ouermuch ledde therein by the forward men See how God will that father Parsons should bewray himselfe An aunswer to the fift Chapter concerning our pretended folly and malignant spirit in obiecting certaine bookes to father Parsons which tend to his commendation and of his confutation of a little Treatise in answer to his booke of Succession NOw are we come at length to the fift chap of bookes obiected to Fa Parsons which he will haue to increase his credite Of these bookes he citeth 4. in number vrged by vs to wit Philopater the ward word the high counsell of Reformation or Memoriall as hee termeth it and the booke of Titles or succession to the Crowne These hee nameth but leaueth out the scurrilous pamphlets of Perneus and Greene coate or Leisters common-wealth with such other of that rabble full of exasperations against the Queen state and very scandalous as conteyning infamous slaunders against both and in particuler against some of the counsell which could not but giue occasion to incense them beeing in power and authoritie against all Catholicks and priests in England And all England knoweth that the booke against the Earle of Leister did mightily auert him from all Catholicks in generall But it is a true saying which often I haue heard spoken of father Parsons that hee will rather lose his friend then his iest it is verified in all his proceedings For if once he apprehend a course he wil thorow with it though all the world smart for it of so violent and pernicious and head-strong a nature he is But to come to the bookes which by himselfe are cited Of the two first viz. Philopater and the Ward-word he saith no more but that they be in defence of the Catholicke cause the first against the rigorous Edict the second against a bloody-minded Knight As for the first it is full of most bitter rayling arrogant exasperations as euery man that hath read it can tell besides foolish scoffings against great persons which no man of wisedome and charitie would haue vsed in these times vnlesse he had meant to whet a double edged sword to cut Catholicks throats The second was a fond and foolish reuiuing of a dead matter not worth a rush no man either thinking or regarding the follies of such a pamphlet But by his raking againe in the old forgotten dunghill he hath raised vp such new stirres and drawne such persons into the matter that as euery man may see the dead matter is now new on foote and aliue againe and in a more hurtfull sort then before Let him see what the Deane of Exceter Ma. Doctor Sutcliffe hath written in aunswer of his Wardword and iudge whether the wound be not worse then before The Knights obscure toy no man regarded but I dare not say so of Ma. Doctor Sutcliffs booke And this was the wisedom of this good Fa in aunswering the Watchword needes he must haue his iest though it cost him deere As touching his third pamphlet of Reformation it is a world to see the pride of the man to take vpon him to meddle with all estates and giue rules and directions what must be done as well in the Court as Country Clergie as Laïty And when forsooth must this be done Mary when our Country is reduced againe to Catholicke religion But when or how must that be doe you know Presently forsooth by a Spanish conquest For you must vnderstand that this worke was hatched about the same time or immediatly after the booke of Titles if not before so that you see the booke of Succession was for the conquest and this for Reformation to follow What simplicity was it for a man of wit or vnderstanding to thinke that after a Spanish conquest hee should haue the managing of matters for our Country to prescribe orders lawes as though the Spaniard would haue deliuered all matters into Father Parsons hand and hee must haue beene Lycurgus to direct all Alas poore man or rather mad man how great a conceit soeuer you haue of your selfe and how much so euer you presume of your greatnes with the Spaniard you must giue me leaue to thinke that when that time had come as God forbid it euer should Ma. Spaniard would haue as little regard to Fa Parsons in those affaires as to any of vs. I will omit his fond supposall of easie reformation because both our Clergie and Catholickes hauing liued in persecution all this time would willingly concurre to a holy and perfect reformation as who would say that all difficulty in that point should remaine in the priests and Catholickes of our owne nation and not rather in the
vniust and vncharitable iniuries vexations wrought thereby may not very vnfitly be applied to himselfe For the deuill where he commeth is alwaies busie thrusting the party on to mischiefe and the greater more mischiefe a man doth the more doe we suppose the deuill to be busie with him Now hee that shall consider fa Parsons continuall contentions from the beginning with all men euen of his owne order as hath beene shewed as also his mighty and great attempts in matters of state whereby hath risen great vexations of innocent Catholicks his detestable diffamations not onely of our poore scholers in Rome but also of our whole nation in them his setting of our quiet Cleargie together by the eares a worke proper to the deuill with infinite wrongs to particuler men may tell me at leysure whether the parable of the vncleane spirit seauen more returning might not be retorted vpon himselfe But we rather wish his reformation then any such oppressions of seauen spirits as vncharitably he chargeth vs with His speech of S. Hillary proficit semper c. might also be returned to the manifesting of his owne follies daily more more in that notwithstanding the euidencie of our cause proued by vs and still by him reproued he still opposeth him selfe which in the end will prooue wilful indiscretion Also his often commending of himselfe and vrging of his owne good deedes and benefits done to vs argueth no great wisedome Sure I am that many of vs neither euer saw or tasted of his great bounty but many haue felt the smart of his exorbitant actions But to passe ouer this trifling induced thereunto by his example in the progresse of his discourse hee canuaseth an humble and good religious peticion of Ma. Watsons wherin hee desireth charitable remembrance of his poore sinfull soule in such sort as he sheweth very little charity or religion rather scoffing at the speech with words of disdaine as sinfull sudds c then otherwise And when hee commeth to his person he bewrayeth no small enuie and gall by describing him with such disdaine so falsly also as all men that know him may see that it seemeth it grieued him that hee vvas made a man and within the number of reasonable creatures Afterward and conformable heereunto doth he goe about to taxe his minde an higher enuy then the former with a vaine bragge and proude assertion of the Iesuits in generall as men of contrary life spirit iudgement will workes and manners to him by a sequell as it were involuing suspicions as vsually the Iesuits doe of I know not what imaginations of disorderly life most falsly and most vncharitably But let fa Parsons temper this kinde of suspicious and vncharitable writing or wee will promise him we will open such matters of his holy bretheren as shall make both him and them ashamed thereof Yet are wee not willing to rippe vp the liues of any knowing that the infirmities of euery Christian should rather be pittied and relieued by prayer then reioyced at or reuealed as the Iesuits vse to doe in what they can by all that oppose theyr proceedings discrediting the persons of those whose cause they cannot infringe which is a tricke rather of a Machiuilian then a good Christian This course wee haue hetherto auoyded as all men can witnes neuer entring into the particuler liues of any Iesuit or fauourite of theirs and wee wish not to be vrged vnto it against our wills by such kinde of dealings least happily fa Parsons and all his company repent that they euer prouoked vs therevnto After his vncharitable descriptions of his body mind he falleth to flat railing against him calling him a lost ladde the staine of his religion and order permitted by God and vsed by the deuill and the like vncharitable stuffe with no lesse vncharitable surmises of his peace made with my L. of London as though it had beene for some trechery or other All which calumniations discouer enuie malice without reason For it is well knowne by such as dealt for him that his peace was made vpon honest conditions and most lawfull and that he stoode both nice and scrupulous about the admittance of the offer at the first which argueth that it was neither sought by himselfe nor accepted vpon any base or vnlawfull conditions Besides it is well knowne that since his comming in and his peace made hee hath done much good as well to diuers in particuler yea and some of the Iesuits friends who little deserued it at his hands if hee had respected persons or sought to requite wrongs as also to the good of all the Catholicks in generall And whereas father Parsons noteth out of Cominaeus that in time of sedition the worst men grow fastest who in a quiet state should not be respected it seemeth to be a great touch of his owne credite who as wee haue noted before neuer loued in his life to be out of factions and garboyles raysing and maintayning tumults in all places in the world amongst English Catholicks wheresoeuer hee came and continuallie tempering in our English affayres as well against our prince state and whole country as our Clergie Colledges both which he and his haue tossed and turmoiled from time to time with such seditious plots practises and garboyles that it is a world to consider his busie working humor in these affaires By which meanes chiefely hee hath made himselfe famous and infamous to the world See how well father Parsons hath profited by his example out of Cominaeus For Ma. Watson all men know that he hath been in very great esteem amongst Catholicks abroade before these troubles more then now he is by reason of the Iesuits good words against him calling him into suspicion and iealousie of trechery in respect of his supposed peace made with the state which argueth that he hath not so much growne by trouble or factions as indeede Fa Parsons hath done After all this to shew more his particuler malice against him hee runneth backe vnto his first going beyond the seas and his comming to Rhemes whether comming as hee sayth a poore begging boy he was taken in of charity and his first allowance was for a good time pottage onely and licking the dishes which other men had emptied before and afterwards was admitted to serue at the Table and carry away dishes and then to make beds and such other offices in which kinde hee serued one Ma Boast a Priest c. All this he spitteth out against Ma. Watson wherein you may note a particuler malice against the man as he shewed before in the Apologie against Ma. Doct. Bagshawe For you must note that those alwayes that most stand in this Fathers way on them he layeth loade as if all his powers were recollected to wreake his teene as the saying is or worke reuenge But this kinde of fashion will sooner discouer his malice amongst wise men then procure him credite in his raylings For if
whose secret actions priuate workings tended vnto the subuersion of the Prince and Countrey or Magistrate and Citty and that this being vnknowne to the Prince or Magistrate affection would not suffer them to see their owne danger and the danger of their Countrey Common-wealth or Citty it were not only lawfull for me to disclose the particuler actions of the said party though priuate thereby to giue occasion vnto the Prince or Magistrate to be more vigilant vnto themselues and their estates and more obseruant of the aforesaid dangerous person but also an act of allegeance to my Prince and of loue vnto my Country vnto which euery man is bounde in duty and conscience So in our case if any particuler actions of the Iesuits be discouered they are but matters of proceedings with particuler men that thereby you might learne by particularities and matters of lesse moment to conceiue the better what how dangerous their practises be in matters of greater waight and how theyr proceedings hold one and the selfe-same course both in particuler and generall affaires in matter of lesse and greater moment And this so long as we obserue truth in our relations is both lawfull and necessary as the case now standeth with the Iesuits and their actions in England and we are free both from the note of detractors in reuealing theyr exorbitant proceedings penalties thereby incurred The like cannot be said in theyr behalfe for defaming of vs. For they haue not onely vniustly and vntruly detracted from our good names and credits in these matters of our proceedings as all the world now seeth but also entred into our particuler liues most falsly going about to touch therein our good names which no way is excusable in that if any such thing had beene true in any of vs yet could it not beeing a secret infirmitie haue tended to any generall hurt of any whole body or common-wealth but onely to a particuler hurt of a mans selfe which by no law of conscience could be reuealed by them Neither haue wee done so by them though I thinke no man will recken them all saints But those secret diffamations proceeded doubtlesse of a machiauilian ground and not of iustice or charitie Now let vs come at length vnto the booke of Important considerations at which our deere Father spitteth no lesse then fire with words of folly frensie fury mutinie warre and defiance parasiticall pernicious erroneous hereticall wicked reprochfull trayterous ridiculous impious base and wickedly minded proctors for hereticks accusers against persecuted Catholicks transformed with passion enuy malice sold our tongues to the cōmon enemy vnited in wicked attempts contemptible to all Catholicks of discretion the like Certes this good mans zeale was great when in his heate of choler hee vttered so many fierie and passionate speeches But yet I must needs craue pardon at his hands to runne ouer this matter a new and request his patience that wee may examine the booke againe and see whether it deserue so mightie blame as hee maketh shew of Belieue me if it doe we will cancell it and blot out his date but if it proue otherwise hee must be content to let it passe with a more fauourable interpretation and not wrest matters into worse sence then euer the Authors intended In the very first entrance into this booke I wish you to note a cunning falshood of this Father in the relating of the title of this booke which he setteth downe thus Important considerations to mooue all true Catholicks that are not wholy Iesuited to acknowledge all the proceedings of the state of England against Catholicks since it excluded the Romaine faith and fell to heresie to haue beene not onely iust but also mild and mercifull c. In this altered title which is not verbatim with the title of the booke Fa Parsons sheweth himselfe not a little first in foysting in of the world all before proceedings thereby to take aduantage of euery petty matter that hath happened perhaps sometimes by the knauery of some Pursuiuant or other odd fellow without commission or warrant as also in adding with a Parenthesis since it excluded the Romane fayth and fell to heresie therby to make the matter shew more hatefull and haynous Whereas in very deede as euery man may see that list to read ouer the Treatise the intention is not to excuse or iustifie euery particuler action of the state as the action may be in it selfe considered without further respect then to that particuler bare action For who will or can iustifie or excuse the killing of a priest as a priest or confiscating or hanging of a Cath as a Cath meerely for religion This I say is not intended in that booke as all the world may see for therein is lamented the hard course taken as well against Priests as Catholicks neither for ought I see doth the state make shew of persecution quo ad vitam et necem for matter meerely of religion and conscience but vppon pretence of treason or attempts against her Maiesties person or state or at the least vpon the feare thereof Now then all the end and scope of this booke is none other then this to excuse the state from such generall imputation of infamie layd vpon it especially by the Iesuits who haue been the chiefest causers of those vehement afflictions as though the state without all cause or shew of cause had made lawes against innocent men and there-vpon persecuted them vnto death no true occasion of exasperation hauing euer been giuen from any such person eyther to prince or state To take away I say this vnderserued infamie this treatise was written of purpose to lay the fault truly where indeede really it hath beene humbly desiring at the feete of our Soueraigne that we being innocent in such actions may not sustaine the burden of their offences but may obtaine so much fauour in her gratious sight as to be numbred amongst her loyall subiects and those that hate such vnnaturall and euer accursed practises least otherwise we be inforced to say lamenting our case with the Prophet patres nostri peccauerunt et non sunt et nos inquitates eorum portamus This I say is the whole scope and intention of this worke and therefore doth the author giue reasons by particuler mens actions and vndiscreete attempts as well by writings as practises that the state hath had iust cause to feare when it perceaued such dealings and there-vpon was moued to prouide by lawes and premunitions against the like afterwards And if by these lawes and prouisions it happened that innocent men sometimes were wronged as in all generall lawes it happeneth sometimes yet was not the state all causes first giuen considered so much to be condemned nay rather it was to be excused in that it is most certaine that it hath not proceeded with that rigor vpon such causes giuen as otherwise it might haue done to the extirpation of all such persons from
whom or from whose degree such actions proceeded And I would but aske Fa Parsons because I know him to be a great statist this one question whether in his conscience he doe think there be any Prince in the world be he neuer so catholicke that should haue within his dominions a kind of people amongst whom diuers times he should discouer matters of treason and practises against his person and state whether he would permit those kind of people to liue within his dominions if he could be otherwise rid of them and whether hee would not make straight Lawes and execute them seuerely against such offenders yea and all of that company and quality rather then he would remaine in any danger of such secret practises and plots I thinke Fa Parsons will not for shame denie this especially if he remember the examples of the French religious men for the like practises expelled England generally in a Cath time and by a Cath Prince and theyr lyuings confiscate and giuen away to others The like was of the Templars both in England and Fraunce Yea to come neerer vnto him was not all their order expelled Fraunce for such matters and yet the King and state of Fraunce free from imputation of iniustice in that action If these things proceeded from Cath Princes iustly against whole Communities or orders of Religion vppon such causes wee cannot much blame our Prince and state being of a different Religion to make sharpe lawes against vs and execute the same finding no lesse occasion thereof in some of our profession then the fore-said Princes did in other religious persons whom they punished as you see But you will say that there is no reason that the innocent should be condemned for another mans fault if some one Cath or Priest were faulty in this kind all were not so how then can the actions of the state against such be iustifiable To this I aunswer that you cannot think that euery particuler French Monke was guilty of treason in that Kings dayes when all were expelled nor is it like that all the Templers were so irreligious as some of them were neither doe I think that all the Iesuits were accessarie or consenting vnto their practises in Fraunce yet all you see payd for the delict of some Princes are iealous and haue cause so to be there depending so much vpon their safety as there doth When therefore they find trecherie in any Communitie they will be sure to prouide for the worst and rather extirpate that Cōmunitie then liue in feare thereof Doth it not so happen alwayes when the Gouernours or Magistrates of a Cittie counite or concurre vnto any treason doth not the Cittie presently lose all her priuiledges and the Prince seaze vpon the same and take all into his owne hands gouernment suppressing the whole state of the Cittie for the faults of a few onely vvhat meruaile then if this hath happened in our case where there hath been such difference in religion And then iudge whether we that haue beene innocent in such practises as GOD and our conscience can witnes and yet haue felt the smart of such proceedings haue not great cause to cleere our selues to exclaime against such as will neuer leaue to irritate our Prince and state and to make known vnto her Maiestie and our state the innocencie both of vs of our ghostly children who haue beene pressed with the burden of afflictions by reason of such vndutifull attempts in some few vnrestrained persons most humbly crauing at her sacred hands some redresse for such miseries that the stroke may light where the offence hath been giuen and not henceforth vpon the necks of poore innocents If there be any offence in vs towards her Maiestie or her proceedings it is onely in matters of religion which beeing a thing not onely proceeding of mans will but by a light from God informing first the vnderstanding and then the will and therfore not to be altered or disposed as other indifferent actions or conceits may be wee hope may and will be more excusable in her gracious sight But for matters of practising against her person crowne or state that is a thing onely proceeding from a peruerse and passionate will the vnderstanding still remayning sui iuris able to discerne ad vtrum libet eyther of the cōueniencies or mischiefs of such affaires which no way can be excusable Now whereas some woorthy men are touched with such vndutifull proceedings in the afore-said Treatise you must vnderstand that thereby the persons of the men are not condemned but rather theyr facts or they onely in those facts yet worthy men in themselues And you must vnderstand that good men yea Saints haue had their errors as these proceedings in these woorthy men must be acknowledged neither may we approue such errors because the Authors of them were Saints No man approueth the defence of rebaptization in Saint Cyprian because S. Cyprian is a Martyr and yet whilst hee liued he defended the same very earnestly practised it with great contention against other Bishops Dauids fact of murthering Vrias must not be excused because he was secundum cor Dei and now a Saint no no passions and errours haue raigned in Saints whilst they were vpon the earth yea euen amongst the Apostles and disciples of Christ whilst he was with them Therefore let no man be scandalized that good men and worthy persons are condemned in some particuler facts sith no man liueth on earth without error But you will say it is commaunded in the Law non reuelabis turpitudinem patris tui the two sonnes of Noe were cursed of God for reuealing and laughing at theyr fathers nakednes therefore we should rather haue buried such defects of our worthy parents in perpetuall obliuion vnder ground then haue published them thus to the world Alas I would to God it had beene in our power to haue hid these things without the mischiefes before expressed belieue vs assuredly the world then should neuer haue had knowledge of them but it was not in our power their facts were so publique to the world better known vnto our state then to our selues But it will still be said if such men of worth and great vertue dealt in such matters why should wee so much exclaime against the Iesuits Is their fault so haynous therein aboue the others To this I aunswer that the Iesuits faults are much more as you also will confesse if you cōsider all circumstances well For first what was done by these worthy men was done almost in the first heate of change of Religion wherin both more passion might mooue and greater hopes of recouery of religion stirre them vp to such attempts Besides their hopes of sincere dealing in such as should haue concurred in those actions meerely for religion not of ambition might draw them on to follow such deuises For as then the ambitious intentions of the Spaniards were not discouered vnto them which