Christian Kingdomes it is altogether idle as all that haue any vnderstanding may easily perceiue For it was neuer heard of from the Churches infancie vntill this day that euer any Pope did command that any Prince though an Heretike though an Ethnike though a Persecuter should be murdered or did approue of the fact when it was done by any other And why I pray you doeth onely the King of England feare that which none of all other the Princes in Christendome either doeth feare or euer did feare But as I sayd these vaine pretexts are but the Trappes and Stratagemes of Sathan Of which kind I could produce not a few out of ancient Stories if I went about to write a booke and not an Epistle One only for example sake I will call to your memory S. Gregorius Nazianzenus in his first Oration against Iulian the Emperour reporteth That he the more easily to beguile the simple Christians did insert the Images of the false gods into the pictures of the Emperor which the Romanes did vse to bow downe vnto with a ciuill kind of reuerence so that no man could doe reuerence to the Emperours picture but withall he must adore the Images of the false gods Whereupon it came to passe that many were deceiued And if there were any that found out the Emperours craft and refused to worship his picture those were most grieuously punished as men that had contemned the Emperour in his Image Some such like thing me thinkes I see in the Oath that is offered to you which is so craftily composed that no man can detest Treason against the King and make profession of his Ciuill subiection but he must be constrayned perfidiously to denie the Primacie of the Apostolike Sea But the seruants of Christ and especially the chiefe Priests of the Lord ought to be so farre from taking an vnlawfull Oath where they may indamage their Faith that they ought to beware that ry the Great hath written in his 42. Epistle of his 11. booke Let not the Reuerence due to the Apostolique Sea bee troubled by any mans presumption for then the state of the members doeth remaine entire when the head of the faith is not bruised by any iniurie Therefore by S. Gregories testimonie when they are busie about disturbing or diminishing or taking away of the Primacie of the Apostolique Sea then are they busie about cutting off the very head of the faith and dissoluing of the state of the whole body and of all the members Which selfe same thing S. Leo doeth confirme in his third Sermon of his Assumption to the Pope-dome when he saith Our Lord had a speciall care of Peter and prayed properly for Peters faith as though the state of others were more stable when their Princes minde was not to be ouercome Whereupon himselfe in his Epistle to the Bishop of Vienna doth not doubt to affirme That he is not partaker of the Diuine Mysterie that dare depart from the soliditie of Peter who also saith That hee who thinketh the Primacie to bee denied to that Sea hee can in no sort lessen the Authoritie of it but by being puft vp with the spirit of pride doeth cast himselfe headlong into hell These and many other of this kinde I am very sure are most familiar to you who besides many other bookes haue diligently read ouer the visible Monarchie of your owne Saunders a most diligent writer and one who hath worthily deserued of the Church of England Neither can you be ignorant that most holy and learned men Iohn Bishop of Rochester and Thomas More within our memorie for this one most weightie head of doctrine ledde the way to Martyrdome to many others to the exceeding glory of the English Nation But I would put you in remembrance that you should take heart and considering the weightinesse of the cause not to trust too much to your owne iudgement neither be wise aboue that is meete to bee wise And if peraduenture your fall haue proceeded not vpon want of consideration but through humane infirmitie and for feare of punishment and imprisonment yet doe not preferre a temporall libertie to the libertie of the glory of the Sonnes of God neither for escaping a light and momentanie tribulation loose an eternall waight world to wonder with me at the committing of so grosse an Errour by so learned a man as that hee should haue pained himselfe to haue set downe so elaborate a Letter for the refutation of a quite mistaken Question For it appeareth that our English Fugitiues of whose inward societie with him he so greatly vaunteth haue so fast hammered in his head the Oath of Supremacie which hath euer bene so great a Scarre vnto them as hee thinking by his Letter to haue refuted the last Oath hath in place thereof onely payd the Oath of Supremacie which was most in his head As a man that being earnestly caried in his thoughts vpon another matter then hee is presently in doing will often name the matter or person hee is thinking of in place of the other thing hee hath at that time in hand For as the Oath of Supremacy was deuised for putting a difference betweene Papists and them of our profession So was this Oath which hee would seeme to impugne The difference betweene the Oath of Supremacie and this of Allegiance ordained for making a difference betweene the Ciuilly obedient Papists and the peruerse Disciples of the Powder-Treason Yet doth all his Letter runne vpon an Inuectiue against the compulsion of Catholikes to denie the authoritie of Saint Peters successors and in place thereof to acknowledge the successors of King Henry the eight For in King Henry the eights time was the Oath of Supremacie first made By him were Thomas Moore and Roffensis put to death partly for refusing of it From his time till now haue all our Princes professing this Religion successiuely in effect mainteined the same And in that Oath only is conteined the Kings absolute power to bee Iudge ouer all persons aswell Ciuill as Ecclesiasticall excluding all forreigne Powers and Potentates to be Iudges within his Dominions Whereas this last made Oath containeth no such matter onely medling with the Ciuill Obedience of Subiects to their Soueraigne in meere Temporall causes And that it may the better appeare that whereas by name hee seemeth to condemne the last Oath yet indeede his whole letter runneth vpon nothing but vpon the some other authority of the Church and Sea of Rome yet by other meanes with others helpe he may depose our King That the Pope may dispose of his Maiesties Kingdomes and Dominions That the Pope may giue authoritie to some Forrein Prince to inuade his Maiesties Dominions That the Pope may discharge his Subiects of their Allegiance and Obedience to his Maiestie That the Pope may giue Licence to one or more of his Maiesties Subiects to beare Armes against his Maiestie That the Pope may giue leaue to the King his Subiects to offer violence
Triplici nodo triplex cuneus OR AN APOLOGIE FOR THE OATH of Allegiance Against the two Breues of Pope PAVLVS QVINTVS and the late Letter of Cardinal BELLARMINE to G. BLACKVVEL the Arch-priest Tunc omnes populi clamauerunt dixerunt Magna est Veritas praeualet ESDR 3. ¶ Authoritate Regiâ ¶ Imprinted at London by Robert Barker Printer to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie ANNO 1607. AN APOLOGIE FOR THE OATH of Allegiance WHat a monstrous rare nay neuer heard of treacherous attempt was plotted within these few yeeres here in England for the destruction of his Maiestie the Queene their Posteritie the whole house of Parliament and a great number of good Subiects of all sorts and degrees is so famous already through the whole World by the infamy thereof as it is needlesse to be repeated or published any more the horror of the sinne it selfe doth so lowdly proclaime it For if those a Gen. 4 10. crying sinnes whereof mention is made in the Scripture haue that Epithet giuen them for their publique infamie and for procuring as it were with a lowd cry from Heauen a iust vengeance and recompence and yet those sinnes are both old and too common neither the world nor any one Countrey being euer at any time cleane voyd of them If those Sinnes I say are said in the Scripture to cry so lowd What must then this Sinne doe plotted without cause infinite in crueltie and singular from all examples What proceeded hereupon is likewise notorious to the whole world His Maiesties Iustice onely taking holde vpon the Offenders and that in as Honourable and publique a forme of triall as euer was vsed in this Kingdome 2. For although the onely reason they gaue for plotting so heinous an attempt was the zeale they caried to the Romish Religion yet were neuer any other of that profession the worse vsed for that cause as by his Maiesties gratious Proclamation immediatly after the discouery of the said Fact doeth plainely appeare Onely at the next sitting downe againe of the Parliament were there Lawes made setting downe some such orders as was thought fit for preuenting the like mischiefe in time to come Amongst which a forme of Oath was framed to be taken by all his Maiesties Subiects whereby they should make cleare profession of their Resolution faithfully to persist in his Maiesties obedience according to their naturall Allegiance To the end that hereby his Maiestie might make a separation not onely betweene all his good Subiects in generall and vnfaithfull Traitors that intended to with draw themselues from his Maiesties Obedience But specially to make a separation betweene so many of his Maiesties Subiects who although they were otherwise Popishly affected yet retained in their hearts the print of their naturall duetie to their Soueraigne and those who being caried away with the like Fanaticall zeale that the Powder Traitors were could not conteine themselues within the bounds of their naturall Allegiance but thought diuersitie of Religion a safe pretext for all kinde of Treasons and rebellions against their Soueraigne Which godly and wise intent God did blesse with successe accordingly For very many of his Maiesties Subiects that were Popishly affected aswell Priests as Layicks did freely take the same Oath whereby they both gaue his Maiestie occasion to thinke the better of their fidelitie and likewise freed themselues of that heauy slander That although they were fellow professors of one Religion with the powder Traitors yet were they not ioyned with them in Treasonable courses against their Soueraigne whereby all quietly minded Papists were put out of despaire and his Maiestie gaue good proofe that he intended no persecution against them for conscience cause but onely desired to be secured of them for Ciuill obedience which for Conscience cause they were bound to performe 3. But the deuil could not haue deuised a more malitious tricke for interrupting this so calme and clement a course then fell out by the sending hither and publishing a Breue of the Popes countermaunding all them of his profession to take this Oath Thereby sowing new seedes of iealousie betweene his Maiestie and his Popish Subiects by stirring them vp to disobey that lawfull commandement of their Soueraigne which was ordeined to be taken of them as a pledge of their fidelitie And so by their refusall of so iust a charge to giue his Maiestie so great and iust a ground for punishment of them without touching any matter of Conscience throwing them needlesly into one of these desperate straights Either with the losse of their liues and goods to renounce their Allegiance to their natural Soueraigne Or else to procure the condemnation of their soules by renouncing the Catholicke faith as he alleadgeth 4. And on the other part although disparitie of Religion can permit no intelligence nor intercourse of Messengers betweene his Maiestie and the Pope yet there being no denounced warre betweene them he hath by this Action broken the rules of common ciuilitie and Iustice betweene Christian Princes in thus condemning him vnheard both by accounting him a Persecutor which cannot be but implyed by exhorting the Papists to endure Martyrdome As likewise by so straightly commanding all those of his profession in England to refuse the taking of this Oath Thereby refusing to professe their naturall obedience to their Soueraigne For if he thinke himselfe his Maiesties Iudge wherefore hath he condemned him vnheard And if he haue nothing to doe with the King and his gouernment as indeed he hath not why doeth he mittere falcem in alienam messem to meddle betweene his Maiestie and his Subiects especially in matters that meerely and onely concerne Ciuil obedience And yet could Pius Quintus in his greatest furie and auowed quarrel against the late Queene doe no more iniury vnto her then he hath in this case offered vnto his Maiestie without so much as a pretended or an alleadged cause For what difference there is betweene the commanding Subiects to rebell and loosing them from their oath of Allegiance as Pius Quintus did and the commanding of Subiects not to obey in making profession of their Oath of their duetifull Allegiance as this Pope hath now done No man can easily discerne 5. But to draw neere vnto his Breue Wherein certainly he hath taken more pains then he needed by setting downe in the said Breue the whole body of the Oath at length whereas the onely naming of the Title thereof might as well haue serued for any answere he hath made thereunto making Vna litura that is the flat and generall condemnation of the whole Oath to ferue for all his refutation Wherein he hath as well in this respect as in the former dealt both vndiscreetly with his Maiestie and iniuriously with his owne Catholicks With his Maiestie in not refuting particularly what special words he quarrelled in that Oath which if he had done it might haue bene that his Maiestie for the fatherly care he hath not to
one to another Which Charitie as it is very greatly to be desired of all faithfull Christians So certainely is it altogether necessarie for you most blessed Sonnes For by this your Charitie the Power of the Deuill is weakened who doeth so much assaile you since that Power of his is especially vpheld by the Contentions and Disagreement of our Sonnes We exhort you therefore by the Bowels of our Lord Iesus Christ by whose Loue we are taken out of the Iawes of eternall Death That aboue all things you would haue mutuall Charitie among you Surely Pope Clement the eight of happy memorie hath giuen you most profitable Precepts of practising brotherly Charitie one to another in his Letters in forme of a Breue to our welbeloued Sonne M. George Arch priest of the Kingdome of England dated the 5. day of the moneth of October 1602. Put them therefore diligently in practise and bee not hindered by any difficultie or doubtfulnesse We require you that ye doe exactly obserue the words of those Letters and that yee take and vnderstand them simply as they sound and as they lie all Power to interpret them otherwise being taken away In the meane while we will neuer cease to pray to the Father of Mercies that hee would with pitie beholde your afflictions and your paines And that hee would keepe and defend you with his continuall Protection whome wee doe gently greete with our Apostolicall Benediction Dated at Rome at S. Marke vnder the Signet of the Fisherman the tenth of the Calends of October 1606. the second yeere of our Pope-dome THE ANSWERE TO the first Breue FIrst the Pope expresseth herein his Sorrow for that Persecution which the Catholiques sustaine for the faiths sake Wherein besides the maine vntrueth whereby the King our Master is so iniuriously vsed I must euer auowe and maintaine as the trueth is according to mine owne knowledge that Her Maiestie neuer punished any Papist for Religion but that their owne punishment was euer extorted out of her hands against her will by their owne misbehauiour which both the time and circumstances of her Actions will manifestly make proofe of For before Pius Quintus his Excommunication giuing her ouer for a Pray and setting her Subiects at libertie to rebell It is wel knowen shee neuer medled with the blood or hard punishment of any Catholique nor made any rigorous Lawes against them And since that Time who list to compare with an indifferent eye the manifold intended Inuasions against her whole Kingdome The forraine Practises The internall publike Rebellions The priuate Plots and Machinations poysonings murthers and all sorts of deuises Et quid non dayly set abroach and all these Wares continually fostered and fomented from Rome Together with the continuall corrupting of her Subiects as well by temporall Bribes as by faire and specious promises of eternall felicitie And nothing but booke vpon booke publikely set foorth by all her Fugitiues for approbation of so Holy designes Who list I say with an indifferent eye to looke on the one part vpon those infinite and intollerable Temptations And on the other part vpon the iust yet moderate punishment of a part of these hainous Offenders shall easily see that gracious Prince as free from persecution as they shall free these hellish Instruments from the Honor of Martyrdome 5. But now hauing sacrificed if I may so say to the Manes of my defunct Soueraigne as well for the discharge of my particular duetie as for loue of Veritie I must next performe my duetie to his Maiestie present in testifying likewise the truth of his Actions in this matter Wherein I must for the loue of Veritie confesse That whatsoeuer was her iust and mercifull Gouernement ouer the Papists in her Time his Maiesties Gouernement ouer them since hath so farre exceeded hers in Mercie and Clemencie as not onely the Papists themselues grewe to that height of Pride in confidence of his mildenesse as they did directly expect and assuredly promise to themselues libertie of Conscience Equalitie with vs in all things But euen we I must truely confesse his Maiesties best and faithfullest Subiects were cast in great feare and amazement of his Maiesties Course and proceedings Euer prognosticating and iustly suspecting that sowre fruite to come of it which shewed it selfe clearely in the powder-Treason How many did his Maiestie honour with Knighthood His Maiesties Benefits and Fauours bestowed vpon the Catholiques of knowen and open Recusants How indifferently did his Maiestie giue audience and accesse to both sides bestowing equally all Fauours and Honors on both Professions How free and continuall accesse had all Rankes and Degrees of Papists in his Court and Companie And aboue all how frankely and freely did his Maiestie free Recusants of their ordinarie payments Besides it is euident what straite order was giuen out of his Maiesties owne mouth to his Iudges to spare the Execution of all Priests notwithstanding their Conuiction Ioyning thereunto a Gracious Proclamation whereby all Priests that were at libertie and not taken might goe out of the Countrey by such a day his Maiesties Generall Pardon hauing bene extended to all conuicted Priests in prison whereupon they were set at libertie as good Subiects And all Priestes that were taken after sent ouer and set at Libertie there But time and paper wil raile me to make enumeration of all the Benefits and Gracious fauours that his Maiestie hath bestowed in generall and particular vpon Papists In recounting wherof euery scrape of my penne would serue but for a blot of the Popes ingratitude and Iniustice in meating him with so hard a measure for the same So as I thinke I haue sufficiently or at least with good reason wiped the a Magno cum animi moerore c. Teares from the Popes eyes for complaining vpon such persecution who if he had bin but politikely wise although hee had had no respect to Iustice and Veritie would haue in this Complaint of his made a difference betweene the times of the late Queene and his Maiestie nowe present And in his commending of our Soueraignes Moderation in regard of former times might haue had hope to haue moued his Maiestie to haue continued in the same clement course For it is a true saying That alledged kindnesse vpon noble mindes doeth euer worke much And for the maine vntrueth of his Maiesties persecution it can neuer be proued that any were or are put to death in his Maiesties time for cause of Conscience except that now this discharge giuen by the Pope to all Catholiques to take their Oath of Allegiance to his Maiestie be the cause of the due punishment of many which if it fall out to be let the blood light vpon the Popes head who is the onely cause thereof As for the next poynt conteined in his Breue concerning his discharge of all Papists to come to our Church or frequent our Rites and Ceremonies I am not to meddle The intendement of this
to his Maiesties sacred person or to his Gouernement or to some of his Subiects That if the Pope shall by Sentence Excommunicate or depose our King his Subiects are not to beare Faith and Allegiance to his Maiestie If the Pope shall by Sentence Excommunicate or depose his Maiesty his Subiects are not bound to defend with all their power his Maiesties Person and Crowne If the Pope shall giue out any Sentence of Excommunication or Depriuation against the King the Subiects by reason of that Sentence are not bound to reueile all Conspiracies Treasons against the King which shal come to their hearing and knowledge That it is not Hereticall and detestable to holde that Princes being Excommunicated by the Pope may be either deposed or killed by their Subiects or any other That the Pope hath power to absolue his Maiesties Subiects from this oath or from some part thereof That this oath is not administred to his Maiesties Subiects by a full and lawfull Authoritie That this oath is to be taken with Equiuocation mentall euasion or secret reseruation and not with the heart and good will sincerely in the true faith of a Christian man These are the true and naturall branches of the body of this Oath The affirmatiue of all which Negatiues doe neither concerne in any case the Popes Supremacie in spirituall causes nor yet were euer concluded and defined by any complete generall Councell to Touching the pretended councell of Later See Plat. In vita innocen 3. belong to the Popes Authoritie and their owne schoole Doctours are at irreconcilable oddes and iarres about them And that the world may yet farther see his Maiesties and whole States setting downe of this oath did not proceed from any new inuention of theirs but as it is warranted by the word of God so doth it take the example The oath of Allegiance confirmed by the authoritie of Councels from an oath of Allegiance decreed a thousand yeeres agone which a famous Councel then together with diuers other Councels were so farre from condemning as the Pope now hath done this oath as I haue thought good to set down their owne words here in that purpose wherby it may appeare that his Maiestie craueth nothing now of his Subiects in this Oath which was not expresly and carefully commanded then by the Councels to be obeyed without exception of persons Nay not in the very particular poynt of Equiuocation which his Maiestie in this oath is so carefull to haue eschewed but you shall here see the said Councels in their The ancient Councels prouided for Equiuocation decrees as careful to prouide for the eschewing of the same so as almost euery poynt of that Action and this of ours shall be found to haue relation and agreeance one with the other saue onely in this that those olde Councels were carefull and strait in commaunding The difference between the ancient Councels and the Popes counselling of the Catholikes the taking of the same wheras by the contrary hee that now vaunteth himselfe to be head of all Councels is as carefull and strait in the prohibition of all men from the taking of this Oath of Allegiance The wordes of the Councell bee these Heare our Sentence Whosoeuer of vs or of all the people thorowout Concil Toletan 4. can 74. all Spaine shall violate the Oath of his fidelitie which he hath giuen for the preseruation of his Countrey or of the Kings Person or shall go about by any Conspiracy or endeuour to touch the life of the King or shall vsurpe by any power or Tyrannicall presumption the Soueraigntie of the Kingdome let him be accursed in the sight of God the Father and of his Angels and be holden an Alien from the Catholike Church which he hath profaned by his periury together with all Fidelitie in their mouthes when they holde an impious perfidiousnesse in their mindes And f Concil Tolc 4. Cap. 75. againe They sweare to their Kings that thereupon they may preuaricate in the fidelitie which they haue promised Neither doe they feare the volume of Gods Iudgement in the which the curse of God is threatned vpon them which doe sweare in the Name of God deceitfully To the like effect spake they in the Councell of a Concil Aquisgran sub Ludou Pio Greg. 4. can 12. anno 836. Aquisgran That whosoeuer from the highest to the lowest of the Cleargie shall make defection from the Orthodoxe Emperour Lodowicke or shall violate the Oath of Fidelitie made vnto him or shall adhere to his Enemies let him bee depriued of all Honour and Dignitie And now to come to a particular answere of his Letter First as concerning the sweet memorie hee hath of his old acquaintance with the Arch-priest it may indeed be pleasing for him to recount But sure I am his acquaintance with him and the rest of his societie our Fugitiues whereof he also vanteth himselfe in his preface to the reader in his booke of Controuersies hath prooued sowre to vs and our State For some of such Priests and Iesuites as were the greatest Traitours and Fomenters of the greatest Conspiracies against her late Maiestie gaue vp Father Robert b Campion Hart. See the conference in the Tower Bellarmine for one of their greatest authorities and oracles And therfore I doe not enuie the great honour hee can winne by his vaunt of his inward familiaritie with an other Princes Traitours and Fugitiues whom vnto if he teach no better maners then hitherto he hath done I thinke his Fellowship are little beholding vnto him And for desiring him to remember him in his prayers at the altar of the Lord If the Arch priests prayers proue no more profitable to his soule then Bellarmines counsell is like to proue profitable both to the soule and body of Blackwell if he would followe it the authour of this letter might very well be without his prayers Now the first messenger that I can finde which brought ioyfull newes of the Arch-priest to Bellarmine was he that brought the newes of the Arch-priestes taking and first appearance of Martyrdome A great signe surely of the Cardinals mortification that he was so reioyced to heare of the apprehension imprisonment and appearance of putting to death of so old and deare a friend of his But yet apparantly he should first haue bene sure that he was onely to be punished for cause of Religion before hee had so triumphed vpon the expectation of his Martyrdome For first by what rule of Charitie was The Cardinals charitie it lawfull for him to iudge the King our Soueraigne a Persecutour before proofe had bene made of it by the saide Arch-priestes condemnation and death What could hee know That the said Arch-priest was not taken vpon suspition of his guiltinesse in the Powder-treason What certaine information had he then receiued vpon the particulars whereupon he was to be accused And last of all by what inspiration could he foretell
whereupon hee was to be accused For at that time there was yet nothing laide to his charge And if Charitie should not be suspitious what warrant had hee absolutely to condemne our Soueraigne of vsing persecution and tyrannie which could not but bee implied vpon his Maiestie if Blackwell was to be a Martyr But surely it may iustly bee said of Bellarmine in this case that our Sauiour CHRIST saith of all worldly and carnall men who thinke it enough to loue their a Matth. 5. 43. friends and hate their enemies the limits of the Cardinals charitie extending no farther then to them of his owne profession For what euer he added in superfluous charitie to Blackwell in reioycing in the speculation of his future Martyrdome hee detracted as much vniustly and vncharitably from his Maiestie our Soueraigne in accounting of him thereby as of a bloody persecutour And whereas this ioy of his was interrupted by the next messenger that brought the newes of the said Arch-priest his failing in his Constancie by taking of this Oath hee needed neuer to haue bene troubled either with his former ioy or his second sorrowe both being alike falsly grounded For as it was neuer his Maiesties intention to lay any thing vnto the said Arch-priests charge as he hath neuer done to any for cause of Conscience So was Blackwels constancie neuer brangled by taking of this Oath It being a thing which hee euer thought lawfull before his apprehension and whereunto hee perswaded all Catholikes to giue obedience like as after his apprehension he neuer made doubt nor stop in it but at the first offering it vnto him did freely take it as a thing most lawfull Neither meanes of threatning or flatterie being euer vsed vnto him as himselfe can yet beare witnesse And as for the temperature and modification of this Oath Except that a reasonable and lawfull matter is there set downe in reasonable and temperate wordes agreeing thereunto I know not what he can meane by quarrelling it for that fault For no temperatnesse nor modifications in words therein can iustly be called the deuils craft when the thing it selfe is so plaine and so plainely interpreted to all them that take it as the only troublesome thing in it all be the words vsed in the ende thereof for eschewing Equiuocation and mentall reseruation which newe Catholique doctrine may farre iustlier be called the deuils craft then any plaine and temperate words in so plaine and cleare a matter But what shall wee say of these strange Agrestes whome of with the Satyre we may iustly complaine that they blowe both hote and cold out of one mouth For Luther and all our bolde and free speaking writers are mightily railed vpon by them as hot brained fellowes and speakers by the deuils instinct And now if we speake moderately and temperately of them it must be termed the deuils craft And therefore wee may iustly complaine with CHRIST that when wee a Matt. 11. 17. mourne they will not lament and when we pipe they wil not dance But neither Iohn Baptist his seueritie nor CHRIST his meekenesse and lenitie can please them who builde but to their owne Monarchie vpon the ground of their owne traditions and not to CHRIST vpon the ground of his Word and infallible Trueth But what can bee meant by alleadging That the craft of the deuill herein is onely vsed for subuersion of the Catholike Faith and euersion of S. Peters Primacy had need be commented anew by Bellarmine himself For in all this Letter of his neuer one word is vsed to prooue that by any part of this Oath the primacie of Saint Peter is any way medled with except Master Bellarmine his bare alledging which without prouing it by more cleare demonstration can neuer satisfie the conscience of any reasonable man For for ought that I knowe Heauen and Earth are no farther asunder then the profession of a Temporall obedience to a Temporall King is different from any thing belonging to the Catholike Faith or Supremacie of Saint Peter For as for the Catholike No decision of any point of Religion in the Oath of Allegiance Faith can there bee one word found in all that Oath tending or sounding to matter of Religion Doeth he that taketh it promise there to beleeue or not to beleeue any Article of Religion Or doeth hee so much as name a true or a false Church there And as for Saint Peters Primacy I know no Apostles name that is therein named but the name of our Soueraigne Iames though it please him not to deigne to name him in all the Letter albeit the contents thereof concerne him in the highest degree Neither is there any mention at all made therein either conceptis verbis or by any other indirect meanes either of the Hierarchy of the Church of Saint Peters succession of the Sea Apostolike or of any such matter But that the Author of our Letter doeth brauely make mention of Saint Peters succession bringing it in comparison with the succession of Henry the eight Of which vnapt and vnmannerly Similitude I wonder he should not bee much ashamed For as our King Henries successour whom by he meaneth neuer did nor will presume to create any Article of Faith or to be Iudge thereof but to submit his exemplary obedience vnto them in as great humilitie as the meanest of the land So if the Pope could bee as well able Farre more easie to proue his Maiesties succession from his Aucestors then the Pope from S. Peter to prooue his either Personall or Doctrinall succession from S. Peter as hee is able to proue his lineall descent from the Kings of England and Scotland there had neuer bene so long adoe nor so much sturre kept about this Question in Christendome Neither had a Bellaâ— de Rom Poâ—t lib. 4 cap 〈◊〉 Bâ—llar de Rom Pontif. lib. 2 cap. 12. M. Bellarmine himselfe needed to haue bestowed so many sheetes of paper De summo Pontifice in his great Bookes of Controuersies And when all is done to conclude with a morall certitude and a pie credendum bringing in the b Bellar de Rom. Pontif. lib. 2. cap. 14. Popes that are parties in this cause to be his witnesses And yet their Historicall Narration must be no Article of Faith And sure we are that his Maiestie our Soueraigne doeth vertuously imitate the worthy Actions of his predecessors In whom their Vertues doe more brightly shine then can be well proued the Popes in our age to be similes Petro especially in cursing of Kings and setting free their Subiects from their Allegiance vnto them But now we come to his strongest Argument which is That he would alledge vpon our Soueraigne a Panick terrour as if he were possessed with a needelesse feare For saith the Cardinall from the beginning of the The Cardinals waightiest Argument Church his first Infancie euen to this day where was it euer heard that euer a Pope either commanded to be