men not as Gods in these cases knowing that the words inuasion and hostile power denotate a generall subuersion population and ouerthrow of the whole common wealth and state with slaughter of body soule and all together and not the conuersion of any one no nor preseruation or safetie of the already conuerted for so said the Duke of Medina in plaine termes scil I will respect neither one nor other if I haue them once vnder my sworde for I meane to make roome place and space there for my master c. Neither in very deede in such a case could he almost choose to doe otherwise though he had a more compassionate religious and humane hart then any Spaniard seemeth to haue For how should he knowe a catholike from a protestant in the open field where is no time to bow nor kneele vnlesse it be against their wils But when besides this it is manifest by the Dukes speeches yea and the Iesuits too at sundry times affirming the same as father Southwell at Wisbiche did confesse no lesse in the hearing of diuers priestes there prisoners that though the inuaders might yet would they not spare one catholike in England more then a protestant nor so much as they would spare the puritanes The reason whereof may be this in their barbarous policie scil least vnder that pretence if shew of religion might saue their liues all for the time becomming wholy catholikes would be too many and too strong a partie to remaine on liue and readie vpon euery the least occasion offered to rise in armes and take the crowne off from the inuaders head if inuested therewith thrust all forraigners out of the realme and set vp a catholike king of their owne countrie and nation againe Therefore seeing that to preuent this inconuenience the inuader whosoeuer will make sure worke if once he got footing without sparing of man woman or childe besides those traitors of Iesuits or puritanes that shall escape perhaps for a time as comming in vnder his banner to betray their natiue countrie into his hands I hold that man for woorse then mad that will runne vpon his owne death euery way as those English doe be they of what religion or profession soeuer that should vpon any false perswasion or feare of excommunication or otherwise oppose themselues against their natiue prince and countrie And if when no such danger was of vtter subuersion and destruction of all yet in these temporall and martiall causes we finde that no excommunication suspension or interdiction did take place so but that those punished by ecclesiasticall censure did still prosecute to death their prince and countries cause were the said excommunications or other ecclesiasticall censure iustly or wrongfully inflicted which when hot bloods are vp is not regarded of any as in the strife betwixt prince Lewis of Fraunce and king Iohn of England and his sonne after him king Henry 3. and the Baliol and Bruse of Scotland and sundry other examples it may appeere euen in catholike times when there was no religion but one then à fortiori in the case proposed like to a Danois conquest when the pretence is coloured with a religious maske and the pretendor intendes notwithstanding a generall massacre of all indifferently to plant a new people there with vtter extirpation of the ancient inhabitants there is no sense religion nor signe of humanitie in that English hart that would so vnnaturally be deluded with scruples doubts and sophisticall buzzes put into his head in the premises as not to resist Secondly an other interrogatorie point or question in the article proposed is that supposing the Iesuits and Archpriest had right on their side in the matters of contention betwixt them as they seeme to make the case as cleere for them as the seculars doe on the contrarie that thereupon they should iustly procure an excommunication with other ecclesiasticall censures to be inflicted according to the qualitie of the person the occasion giuen vpon the part of the appellans and all their adherents for their contempt disobedience c. formally reestablishing ratifying and confirming ad amplius the saide Archpriestes authoritie whether then ought not the seculars and all other catholikes obey and surcease from further pursuite against either the Iesuites or Archpriest or no And to this I answere that a supposed proposition must haue a supposed solution scilicet that supposing all were right iust lawfull and necessarie on the Iesuits part and the quite contrarie on the seculars then were the seculars not onely bound to obey and surcease but also to cry peccauimus and submit themselues to doe such penance as should be inioyned them c. 2. in the case proposed although they were to surcease from pursuite of the appeale in that matter yet were they not bound to let fall their plea on the behalfe of the Catholicke Church and common wealth in generall or of their owne natiue countrey in speciall for that the matters of contention betwixt the seculars and Iesuits being of two kinds the one proper as cōcerning the iniuries wrongs done one to the other and the other common as concerning the iniuries and wrongs done to the whole Church the common wealth the supreme power and soueraigne Maiesties in both states they being instrumentall agents and yet withall liue members of the two bodies misticall and politicall were bound to respect Bonum publicum before priuatum and by consequent not to desist from prosecuting the appeale in those cases wherein the interest is in the whole Church and commonwealth and not in themselues alone 3. I say the supposition is but a meere metaphisicall or rather chymericall supposall or conceite neither doe I thinke that there is any Iesuite in England this day but in his owne conscience he knowes he is in the wrong and that the seculars haue the right on their side as well in the particular as generall action and by consequent it is impossible as I said in the former article but that if euer the matter come to pleading it will goe on the seculars side against them 4. I say more that admit an excommunication should be gotten procured suggesto mendacio against them for the one cause or the other yet were the excommunicated suspended c. onely propter obedientiam to forbeare comming at or hauing the vse of the Sacraments But no further so as in prosecuting their appeale or doing of any other act for the furtherance of their cause they were as free as before from all sinne or other offence in not obeying any charge laide or commandement giuen them to the contrary 3. A third interrogatorie point doth seeme to import thus much in this article scz whether an excommunication suspension c. being gotten quo iure quaue iniuria against the seculars and their adherents hanging the appeale were it to be obeied or not in forbearing to come at the altar or Sacraments Whereunto I answere 1. That Post
Iesuites and neuer to trust a word they speake in commendation of the Spaniard and discommendation of other people or nations compared with them as also vpō the said kings Queenes and Archduke and Duchesse c. When they pretend any thing either on the catholike church or the Iesuites behalfe and by consequent shall doe an act of high merite iustice prudence and policy if they I meane all other christian princes and states expell these seditious factions turbulent irreligious persons out of all their territories seigniories regalties and dominions that haue pesterd the Church of God with such wicked doctrine as the proiect of that booke imports As none will iudge otherwise of them but as of most conscienceles careles and bloody minded men when they shall heare first of one booke set out as Greenecote is wherein the Author doth manifestly demonstrate that no different religion be it heresie or whatsoeuer ought to depriue a lawfull heire in fee simple of his fathers inheritance being but a subiect and a forraigner then in princes rights titles to kingdomes it must and ought to hold saith father Parsons in that place bringing in sundry examples how that neither in England catholikes by that name were debard of their lawfull inheritance vnder her Maiestie since the change of religion here neither the Puritanes in Scotland vnder the Queene Regent a catholike there neither in Fraunce Germany or else where was it euer heard of that any were disinherited for religious causes c. and then againe of an other as Parsons Doleman is together with his Appendix Philopater and others that quite discard all heretikes as he termes them from all interest pretend or title to any crowne Noe not if in case hereafter they should be catholike at the attempting of such an exploit or when they should see there were no remedy This last conceite with these hote spirited Puritanian Iesuiticall faction is holden so farre wide and contrary to the former as if the parties be not catholikes euer at the instant when their fatherhoods would haue them be you fully assured for no zeale of religion but of meere machiuilian policy either thereby to exasperate them against others or others against them and so to bring all a flote in fire and sword which is the onely thing they long for they must be censured iudged and condemned presently for reprobates atheists impostors to be conuerted and men be they Princes or whosoeuer vtterly of God forsaken This doctrine when princes and other men of learning iudgement and experience in such pragmatical platformes do perspicuously looke into and withall perceiue that religion is abused and Gods holy name blasphemed as being not his honor but their owne vnder a maske of catholike zeale they wish for they enter further into a deepe detestation of their Pharisaicall proiects iealously had of their owne naturall subiects and princely feare of their royall estates When they heare a man pretend as father Parsons doth on Spaniardes behalfe make a claime neuer heard of in any age to another mans lands in whose actuall quiet and apparantly rightfull possession by lineall discent from the father to the sonne for many hundred yeeres space times and ages past it hauing continued is now diuoluted to the present incumbent or prince regnant from his auncesters whose state title and regall honour he hath possesseth and peaceably enioyeth that so ancient renowned indubitate a right should now be called in question and that vpon the bare worde of a claymorous claime exceeding al meane modestie and measure made by an arrant traytor to God his Prince his countrey and to all lawes of God of nature of nations or of man and generally misliked of by all graue discreete prudent learned wise religious true harted catholikes especially for this his sodaine camelion vnexpected vndeserued vngrounded exorbitant passionate apostrophall change of a foisted in pretend audaciously presuming without buls breue billet ticket worde or warrant of any authoritie to charge all men to allow admit ratifie and confirme without all gainesay controlment or contradiction such a Soueraigne as he the said father Parsons will appoint them otherwise to be noted for Atheistes fooles rebels malicious politikes and aduerse to his catholike Maiestie and forsooth the common cause this this is that most odious scandalous irreligious treacherous erronious doctrine which is so preiudicial to the king catholike and his pretended cause as whiles Spaine is Spaine England England Fraunce Fraunce and Rome Rome will it neuer be forgotten nor forgiuen nor the iealousie thereof put out of all princes harts So as iustly father Parsons may be pointed at for woorse then a fabling libeller and were woorthie were he not a priest to be set vpon the pillorie and that euen by his catholike Maiestie for bearing the world in hand that he was set on to write those libels by warrant and priuitie of the said surmised pretendor whereas all circumstances both in the same bookes and scheduls together with those plotcasters speeches in secret to their friendes and the many dangers damages indignities discommodities accrewing to the king and his royal estate doe argue quite contrarie This is that venemous law will pearce the king catholike to the very naked hart if his Maiestie permit it to passe currant without due punishment inflicted vpon the presumant scribe and speedie abolishment of so polypragmaticall a platforme no lesse dangerously cast then traitorously laide to intrap all princes in Christendome in a Templars snare and as preiudiciall if not more in chiefe to the crowne and safetie of his royal person to his family in esse and to his successors for euer hereafter as to any other prince or monarch whosoeuer For let his Highnes winke at this doctrine and seeme to authorize it and then what better warrant or more plausible can be deuised when minds of people in all nations as ruefull experience doth tell vs are now a daies so quickly exulcerated with grieuous sores of gustes and discontent easily corrupted with maladies of contention and hastely set on horsebacke with superfluous humors of nouelties innouations ambition disdaine reuenge thirsting after bloud desirous of liberty and greedily affecting soueraignty then thus to authorize all and euery Prouince vnder his gouernment to rebell against him at their pleasure and auouche maintaine and defend for lawfull all their outragious insurrections malepert mutinies and contagious crimes against his highnes and soundest part of his nobles and subiects euery where but especially in the Low countries vnder this counterfeited conference holden at Amsterdam amongst the States there Yea by this colourable doctrine of Fa. Parsons hotch potch prodigious common wealthes authority when it comes to reasoning standing the premises without the kings controlment they may lawfully auerre al their practises proceedings and deeds past they may admit his maiestie peacebly to gouerne and raigne ouer them with this condition that he shall mantaine the course by them begun for gouernment
affliction and calamity then any of these their young maisters euer yet tasted of And last of all the fire bursting out there first though first enkindled at Rome as earst I sayd then began the like of fresh at Rome againe where it burst out into so furious and mercilesse a consuming flame for fire and water haue no mercy as sundry reuerend Priests burnt therewith haue deepely protested they would rather chuse if it were in their choise to liue captiues vnder the Turke for security of their soules then vnder the Iesuits gouernement or rather indeede captiuity the temptations suggested by them are so many dangerous intricate and difficult which way to ouercome them And so by succeeding turnes Spaine Fraunce Flanders and all England became infected with these Iesuiticall contentions and garboyles the grounds originals causes and continuance whereof were onely wholly and absolutely the Iesuits ambitious aspires fallen downe now vpon their heads to their owne destruction that were the first plotcasters of their innocent brethrens ruines THE II. ARTICLE VVHether the Seminarie Priests or the Iesuits haue giuen greater scandale by publishing of matters abroad in proiects to the worlds theater concerning these contentions before in secret at the first vnknowne to the Catholike Laity and much lesse to any Protestant or other of a contrary Religion and which side part or faction was the first beginners of spreading abroad infamous letters and libels against the opposits to their designments THE ANSWERE THe Iesuits were both the beginners of the contentions as before is shewed the fewell cariers to the seditious fire-feedings and the first brokers breathers and brochers of them abroad both to Catholikes Protestants Cleargy Laity men women children home-borne and foreyners as by sundry of their letters libels and other infamous seditious and inuectiue writings is yet extant to be seene aswell in printed bookes as in many manuscripts of maister Blackwell father Parsons Creswell Currie Gerard Martin Array Baldwin Lyster and sundry others whose false malitious and most exorbitant dealings to detect defame and vtterly exterminate the name fame and memory of the Seminarie Priests and Cleargy aswell in generall as in speciall will be brought out in deposition against them when competent iudges may be had and the cause iustly tried Nay when did euer any Priest write and much lesse commit to the impression of a pamphlet any one word against them The most part euen of those that had suffered most longest and greatest disconsolation and wrongs put vp at their hands accounted that the touch of any Catholike Priests good name was tangere pupillam oculi sui so dainty nice and precise a conscience had they to detract defame or speake euill of any man or woman yea though the reports were true And vntill all was in an vprore all Priests that sided not with the Iesuits in all things were brought into obloquie contempt and disgrace all shunned auoided and such slanderous speeches raised by the Iesuits faction against them as they knew not possibly how to liue quiet or to liue in truth at all by them Vntill then I say they winkt kept silence and let passe all their letters libels and iniurious slanders vnanswered They sayd little or nothing to those erronious and yet to the Iesuits most plausible bookes of choise of ghostly fathers They let passe that erronious speech in the Wardword to Sir Francis Hastings watchword making Iesuits Christ his equals in a way of absurd comparison and insinuating Seminarie Priests and other Catholikes to be but the Churches refuse They friendly admonished the Author of the 3. farewels of the soule giuing to the Iesuits that which no religious order would accept of or durst desire to cease from publishing such grosse errours which otherwise had gone to the presse and print as extolling the Iesuits therein to the skies aboue all possible humane deserts vnder the title of religious persons distinguished thereby from meere secular Priests as they tearme the rest but neuer did they publish anything against it They suffered with patience that long lowd lye to passe vnrecalled wherein the Cardinals and by Cardinall Caietane the Popes Holinesse was informed that the cause of sending to the Sea Apostolique to haue superiours appointed ouer the English Priests was grounded vpon great and dangerous contentions risen vp betwixt the Seminary Priests and the Catholike laity in that nation knowing in their owne conscience there was no contention mouing thereunto but betwixt the Seminarie Priests and themselues and those of their and the Spanish faction They sought not to controule that seditious false infamous booke intituled Against the factions in the Church applied directly by the Archpriest to the secular Priests and those that sided with them on the Catholike Church and their natiue countries behalfe They labored not to call in question those stained records with all falshood impiety and arrogancy on the Iesuits behalfe of the memorable acts done by their society forsooth here in England viz. how that they onely were persecuted and not the Seminary Priests how such and such and in generall all that opposed themselues against their proceedings had suffered disgrace and shame and came to miserable ends notwithstanding and they cannot deny it neither are they ignorant thereof that there be a whole browne dozen twice ouertold of glorious Martyrs all Seminary Priests all defamed by them all noted for malecontents as opposits to their proceedings These indignities calmuniations iniuries lies and irreligeous vanities with many the like vnchristian practises did they let passe and neither did neither euer would haue set hand to paper to write of these contentions betwixt them vntill their long silence condemned them all as guiltie and the Iesuits preuailed and did what they list by backbiting and writing most opprobriously against them THE III. ARTICLE WHether the Seminarie Priestes gaue any scandale or committed any sinne or incurred any danger of falling into schisme by resisting the Archpriest after the first sight or hearing of the Cardinals letters and now of late since the generall admittance of him vpon sight of the Popes Holinesse his Briâ—fe whether they incurred the like offence by writing Apologies in their owne defences or was or is it no sin scandale nor offence at all in them so to do THE ANSWERE IT neither was nor is any more sin schisme scandale nor offence in the one or the other they being in iustice charitie loyaltie and obedience for defence of Christs church and their countrie bound to both then for a guiltlesse man condemned to say you do me wrong or for an appellant against a knowne Rebell in act word or thought conuinced by demonstration vel à priori vel à posteriori i. either of the cause or of the effect to haue intent to say thou art a traitor For who of common sense would not haue bene touched with scruple if but hearing of a plaine simple man vnexperienced either in the Church or his countries affaires as liuing
Priest preacher If euery Priest shold take place agreeing to their Vice-gerencie vnder Christ there could be no order kept all being of equall power in respect of Priesthood therfore was it well prouided by the lawes and proceeded of institution deuine as may appeare by our Sauiours giuing of preheminence to Saint Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles that were as well as he all equally Priests that the power of iurisdiction should be a note to take their place by aswell amongst themselues as amongst others abroad in the world or Doctor of Diuinitie before a Knight c. And finally although in regard of the same order a Nobleman or his sonne take place of all these yet alwaies Ioels sentence stands inuiolate ratified confirmed and augmented with many sacred sanctions priuiledges and prerogatiues due to the priesthood now which were not so before in regard whereof the highest honour temporall on earth is no whit dishonoured but rather hath an augment of honour by his Priesthood which to confirme that holy Bishop Saint Ambrose was bold being moued by the Emperour and in his princely presence to drinke to the best man at the table to take the cup with a wassall to his Deacon saying all peace health honour and happinesse to you my Lord Emperour your Maiestie knoweth that a Priest represents the person of Christ and his Deacon supplies the place of an Angell and seeing the lowest Angell in heauen is farre to be preferred before the highest dignitie on earth pardon my dread Soueraigne if I haue done your Highnesse command and preferred my poore Deacon in the cup before the Imperiall Regalitie of Caesar Yea what else but onely this doth it meane that the poorest Priest on earth if admitted to heare the Popes Emperours or any other King or Prince his confession sits couered in his chaire while the other kneeles bare headed at his foote to receiue absolution at his hands But enough of this matter THE VI. ARTICLE WHether may or ought a man to seeke the like praise preferment or aduancement for another of his societie or company equally as for himselfe or whether fitter in pollicie if he seeke it for himself or his speciall friends to do it per se vel per aliam scil quartam vel tertiam personam c. THE ANSWERE IN matters wherein there is some difficultie daunger losse reproch or shamefastnesse a man may and a true friend will often attempt act and performe that for his friend which he would neuer dreame of nor wish to himselfe and then by consequent it is cleare that a man may do equally and as much for another as for himselfe in the case proposed in the former article And a simple politician is he that will do it either immediatly for himselfe or his friend For alwaies the farther off it is contriued by a fourth fifth or tenth person and that a thousand miles a sunder the more cleanely politically Machiuilean-like coÌ„ueied it is An example wherof that ignoble Polipragmon father Parsons though to the condemnation of his Atheall proud aspires yet to the high commends of his naturall ingeny may be to all posterity in his practise for a Cardinals hat The deuice for which was as followeth After many practises of father Parsons and his fellowes against her Maiesty and the English Crowne Kingdome and State whereof we will speake anone aswell by his agents in England it selfe as also in Italy Spaine and Flanders finding the secular Priests at Rome and in England alwayes opposite to his wretched designements most vnnaturall attempts and treasonable practises Cardinall Allane being now dead and Doctor Worthington homo secundum cor Parsoni ruling all the rost in the Low-countries amongst the Seminaries as that couertly sullen surly Prelate father Holt did amongst the souldiers and other pensioners there hauing deuised many shifts for father Parsons aduancement and all failing at length the King of Spaine was made acquainted therewith and how that the students others of our nation were bent against the fathers for his sake forsooth in that they sought the establishing of the English Crowne to his royal issue whereupon his Maiesty wrote earnestly to his Holinesse Pope Clement that now is A very â—â—kâ—â— lâ—t to this is their now proceedings here in England to get bowes and giâ—les vagrant fellows and such as â—ee by these scolâ—â—â— â—â—ilings against seculars 〈◊〉 it euery 〈…〉 what a part waâ— it for the 〈◊〉 to write 〈◊〉 â—â—â—terly against such blessed men as the Iesuits are whâ—â—only vphold religion amongst â—s he 〈◊〉 England whâ—â—h otherwise 〈◊〉 â—quaâ—le c. and to other Cardinals that in any case they should support beare out and mainaine the credite of the Iesuits against the complaints of the English who without all cause reason and sense but by being seduced by the Queene of England did greatly calumniate these holy fathers that sought their countries good and happinesse as he affirmed Whiles this was a hammering in drawing the kings affection from all the English seculars to the Iesuites in generall the aboue named agents like gallant states men father Holt and Doctor Worthington drew a very formall letter petitionall or supplicatiue in the names of all the common souldiers laborers artizens and pentioners aswell men as women equally without difference yea the yery scullians landresses and seruants were not omitted in that pitifull complaining shewing to his Maiesty the king of Spaine the present calamities that England stood in most humbly beseeching his Catholike Maiesty in regard of the great affection and care of our country and the afflicted English he would vouchsafe to deale most earnestly with the Pope to preferre that vnworthy dishonorable Prelate father Parsons to the dignity of Cardinall affirming it to be the only way to bind and vnite the English to his Maiesty Miranda canunt sed non credeÌ„da portae But what was the issue nunc spectatum admissi risum teneatis amice In expectation of the same preferment and for what causes else is to himselfe best knowne are not much material this good father went to Rome on pilgrimage you may please to imagine out of Spaine very deuoutly or rather directly in the yeare 1597. Where he no sooner arriued but presently he was visited or rather courted with two Cardinals at his lodging to wit Cardinall Baronius and the other a Spaniard This extraordinary curtesie and honor done vnto the poore man gaue present occasion of some speech in the city that out of all doubt father Parsons should be made a Cardinall But the conceit begun thus in Rome ended there also with a merry iest For father Parsons being counselled by the Phisitians to keepe his stomacke warme sent his brother for scarlet to make him a stomacher who of likelihood so soone as euer he heard the name of scarlet he was possessed vpon the sudden with so affectionate an opinion of his brothers aduancement that forgetting his intent to haue
right stampe hath be laboured with his pen to winne vnto his byace and to bring her Ladiship in dislike of the secular priests as others haue sought but all alike preuayled she being both too wise constant and vertuous to be carried away with gloses you would maruell that euer any bearing the face of a religious man would write so exorbitantly as he there hath done to his vtter shame and discredit as you shall well perceiue when it once comes foorth in Print with the discouery of his arrogancy ignorance lies on the one side and of his malice slāderous toong contēpt of the secular priests on the other side But to returne to our former speech These circumstances of Parsons actions and names giuen to offenders demonstrating a soueraigntie or superioritie in cheefe to be in Master Blackwell it followeth that he being notwithstanding all this subordinate or for feare or want of wit experience and knowledge due to such a superior as he takes vpon him to be at the command of Fa. Garnet betwixt whom by a priest of their owne faction it hath been told that there is continuall intercourse once in euery 24. howers at least there can no lesse be aymed at by the Iesuits in this Isle then a supreme power imperialty and dominion ouer all And so I conclude that they ayme at the succession themselues to rule vnder the Spaniards or rather to cloake their intended ambitious aspires vnder the Spaniards wings a while vntill they haue gotten all subiected vnder them Sed caueat Hispania praelio partu venditur proelis fides THE VI. ARTICLE VVHether then seeing they shoote at the whole monarchie of great Britanie together with Ireland Doe they intend any thing against Fraunce or not Or whether their practise for England may hinder or further their attempts for Fraunce more then their like practises for Scotland one while and for Ireland another while may do or no THE ANSWERE ENgland is made the maine chaunce of Christendome as our countries heauie case is at this present by seditious factions tampering and aspiring heads Wherefore we haue iust cause so many as loue to liue in quiet to pray hartely for the preseruation of her Maiesties life For afterward great calamities are we sure to see so many as liue to that wofull hower by all probable coniecture And by consequent then it followeth that England is the onely butte marke and white they aime at as well in intention as in execution of their pretended expedition exployte and action Which failing farewell a Iesuits monarchie for euer But holding their plots cast for England then haue at all Fraunce and other nations by peece meale in succeeding turns of conquests And therefore standes it both the state ecclesiasticall and temporal vpon of England in chiefe of Fraunce next and so of all other states and princes to looke to them in time and to ioyne in aide fauour and assistance of the Seminarie and secular priests in this their appeale This conclusion needes no further better nor other proofe then a relation with aduisement of this discourse Quodlibeticall First for that as you may gather by the second reason in the last Article and perceiue more at large if you read father Parsons Dolemanian succession he bringeth all his chiefe and strongest arguments for intituling the Lady Infanta to the English crowne from that head scil for that she is the right heire of Brytaine and France c. Now then if she be the heire of France and Brytaine as in precise termes he calleth her in his Appendix and that thereby she be intituled to our English crowne then questionles if once she get or I should haue said they get possession of this Isle in her right which they aime at in chiefe their title therunto comming by this meanes it standes with no sense that they shoulde giue ouer their clayme on her graces behalfe to that kingdome whereof they say she is already heire hauing obteined that monarchy whereunto she is intituled by the foresaide claime of heritage and whereby withall reciprocally she is againe reintituled to the same French kingdome and crowne Neither will the law Salique keepe them out from aduauncing her royall ensignes in the middest of them For I holde it but for a kindly canuase banding bob or taunting effect to confront with France for Burgundy Britany and other states and seigniories of old depending vpon the French crowne affirming as father Parsons doth in Doleman that though by the law Salique the Lady Infanta may be defeated and put from her rightfull title of inheritance and lawfull claime to the whole kingdome of France in concreto or in sensu composito as a man may terme it yet no reason saith he there but that so many states prouinces as came to the crowne of France by heires generall or women but that the same should diuolue vnto the Spaniard by women heires againe Which if he can bring to passe for all those seigniories come by women then shall the French be so fleeced in abstracto or in sensu diuiso as let them rest assured to be distracted out of their wits ere the Spanish Iesuiticall faction haue left them vnlesse they surrender vp the whole into their hands and yeelde perforce to abrogate the authoritie of their Salique lawes it holding no way either in piety or policie with father Parsons principles that taking vpon him in his said booke of titles and high counsell of reformation to abolish vtterly the auncient municipall lawes of this lande which were established by highest authoritie then the lawe Salique of France and that before euer the saide lawe was heard of amongst them that they should not tender thrust vpon and compell the French to chaunge their forme of gouernment lawes customes and all at his designement Secondly although during the time of their I meane the Iesuits rebellious practises conspiracies against the last king Henry the 3. of France of the house of Valois and this king regnant Henry the 4. before king of Nauarre it was not directly knowne that the Iesuits had cast at the crowne and whole kingdome of France in those warres then maintained by aide of the Spaniard but as a great part of catholikes heere in England in former broiles and conspiracies as well by the dukes of Norfolke and of Guise as also by captaine Stukeley and doctor Saunders aided with Italians and Spaniards c. and finally by the attempt in the yeere 1588. did thinke that the Iesuits and their faction had done all of zeale though indiscretely and for the aduancement of Gods glory and the catholike cause pretended by them to be religion So the French catholikes many of them of ignorance folowing the parts of Spaine and other rebels against their Soueraigne and country by Iesuiticall perswasion hauing had the like good opinion of these religious men and thereupon following their direction at an inche yet since their expulsion thence for their treasons and
Portingals and Spaniards continued kept the honours point for Martiall exploits these latter yeares but who shall carie away the price in the cadences of the Spaniards God only knoweth Thus came the foure Patriarkes of Hierusalem Antioch Alexandria and Constantinople by succession of honor wealth and fame in Gods Church to rise and fall one after another and now all decayed dead and gone from their auncient state renowne and dignitie in the Church of God here militant on earth Thus came all Monasticall Heremiticall and religious orders of Saint Anthony of Saint Basill of Saint Augustine of Saint Hierome of Saint Benedict of Saint Bernard of Saint Dominicke of Saint Frances of Saint Clare of Saint Briget and sundrie other religious orders of men and women to haue their generation and corruption by the freedome left of God in humane actions and mans choise to be good or bad vertuous or vicious and to rise and fall by succession one after another by merited fame and iust desert of their life manners and graces giuen and employed by them to Gods glorie In few thus came the spirituall Knighthoods of the Templers the Knights of Saint Iohns the Knights of Rhodes and now of Malto by a lineall succession of fame renowne and worthinesse to haue panigericall histories set foorth of their prayses And the like is of later orders and societies of Carmelists Carthusians Capouchians Theatines Iesuits Bonhommes c. all which set vpon the worlds Theater represent a mournfull tragedie of mans miserie how like to flowers they haue now one and then another order companie or societie burgened blossomed bloomed and flourished and yet subiect to the fates of free-will in all humane wights their deriuatiues are strayed abroad haue left and are gone from the obedience deuotion pietie pouertie chastitie charitie humilitie patience and religious zeale which was in the primitiues and founders of their Orders What shal we say more the whole body mysticall of Christ consisting of the three estates Ecclesiasticall Temporall and Monasticall do auerre the Peripateticall Prince his principle to be true in all things depending vpon chance and chaunge concerning the conuersion of countries people and nations to the Catholike faith For was not the generation or beginning of the Mosaicall law a plaine corruption fall and decay of the law of nature all the Gentiles presently vpon the Orient rise bright shine and flourish of the Israelites Church and their Hebrew Monarchie being giuen ouer into infidelitie and Idolatrie contrarie to the law of nature vnder which the faithfull had liued aboue two thousand yeares without distinction of Iew or Gentile vntill this Mosaicall law began And when for the Iewes sinnes and offences the period of their Monarchie and end of their synagogues and temples honour and religion came did not then the primitiues of the East Church amongst the Christians carry away the auriflambe of all religious zeale After that when the heauie cadens of the East Church came did not also then the Sonne of iustice tanquam sponsus procedens de thalamo suo spread abrode the bright beames of his spouses glorie in a transparant light throughout these our West Ocean cloudes of heathenish darknesse and giue to these Northren Isles the prerogatiue regall of Prime-birth to his inheritance if the Britons and afterwards the English Saxons could haue kept it When by succeding turnes the most part of Asia and Affricke was corrupted and fallen away and all Europe conuerted to the sacred Apostolicall Romane faith when Monasteries began in this North Christian world to be built and great multitudes of Monkes Friers Canons regulars Nunnes and other sacred Saints and holy persons to consort themselues together when Emperors Kings Queenes Princes Lords and Ladies of all degrees fled from their regall Palaces to priuat Cels and left the triumphes of their conquests the trophees of their loues and pompes and pleasures of their Courts to who so would possesse them when here an Anchoresse there an Hermit and in euery wood wild and desert some sacred virgine valed inuested interred dead to the world was to be found when all fertile soyles all places of pleasure profite and content all earthly wealths and reuenues of most woorth were turned into Abbey and Church lands liuings and liuelyhoods when holy emulation was who might giue most all gaue of the best and made this flourishing Isle our Ladies dower when Kings and Queenes Priests and Prelates Lords and Ladies Monkes and Friers sacred Virgins and chast Matrons and all sorts of persons knew their duties first to God to his Church to her Priests then to their Prince to the Commonwealth and to her Peeres and lastly each one to another how when and where to commaund or obey when all things sorted to so sweet a sympatheall harmonie in English hearts as England by a prerogatiue royall of grace diuine merited to be called Anglia chara Deo gens when flying fame of their rare Angelicall conuersation had fronted the coasts of furthest countries and occupied with great admiration of mind the mouthes of most men in the world when England Fraunce and Flaunders Italy Bohemia and Germany Spaine Portugal and Hungary Sicilie Naples and Cyprus Denmarke Poland and Sweden Scotland Ireland and Norway did striue for a supremacie to carry away the garland of vertue deuotion and religion on all sides Then inimicus homo enuying at mans felicitie to conforme by permission diuine Gods concurrence with secondarie causes to the Philosophers prescript of generation and corruption in tract of time corrupting all these Northren and Westerne parts of the world with contention ambition Turcisme heresie and Pharisaisme a new generation of Catholike truth and religion begins to labour and bring soorth their children amongst the Indians Antipodies and new found world before vnknowne vnto these Northren and Westerne parts discouered first by Portingals and Friers and after proceeded in by Spaniards and Iesuits And now listen what followed Amongst many other cadences and fals the heauiest of all the rest hath bene iudged by many to haue bene our English calamities begun at first by the ambitious aspires of Cardinall Wolsey who affecting the highest Soueraigntie in causes Ecclesiasticall on earth made a great breach by his contrarie plotting betwixt King Henry the eight of famous memorie and the Sea Apostolicke And afterward when vnder her Maiestie Queene Elizabeth our Soueraigne now regnant sundrie persons of rare indowments graces and abilities had retired themselues to places of studie and seruice of their Lord God beyond the seas where they liued in diuerse Seminaries and Colledges leading there a right Monasticall and religious life in a most perfect state of religious profession calling and order as both all other religious Orders and Ecclesiasticall persons that conuersed with them or knew their manner of life and whereunto their whole studie tended did acknowledge somtimes in teares proceeding after their returne hither in simplicitate cordis with all humilitie patience
tooke a farre better and more polliticke course in that they sought by disputation setting out of bookes and other priuate conferences to make as many close Catholikes which you quoth he call schismatickes as they can and yet not bring any of these into the Church vnlesse here one and there one as may seeme in pollicie conuenient for keeping a memorie of Catholike ceremonies and vse of sacraments and sacrifice To the same effect were the words of their great Polipragmon Fa. Parsons who audaciously durst presume to affirme that it stood not with pollicie to haue libertie of conscience graunted neither did he wish it that persecution should cease in England in afflicting of Catholikes which passages of speech drawne into one proposition setting Atheisme for a medius terminus betwixt that honorable Lords opinion and this disgracefull Iesuits censure all English hearts may conceiue in these words foure points of importance one that the Iesuites make religion a matter of State and pollicie to draw people vnto them by plausible hypocrisie and shew of zeale not a matter of conscience to direct them aright another that they care not how many soules perish so they may winne their hearts and affections vnto them for the time present either by admiring them for rare prudence learning and gouernment or adoring them for peerelesse pietie perfection and holinesse a third that in stead of meekenesse mercie and compassion which of all other ought to shine out most clearely in a religious heart these men haue put on a sterne harsh and cruell hardnesse void of all pittie mildnesse or remorse saue onely Cateolinian carrying their countenance in their hands to sob and smile in a trice and so care not what miserie affliction or persecution fall vpon poore distressed Catholikes in these heauie times of our common sadnesse whilest they liue secure who are the chiefe workers of our generall incestant calamities by their figure-flingings plot-castings and libellings against their natiue countrie and present state of English gouernment in other countries And the fourth and last is their mischieuous bloudie and vnnaturall practises in that it is apparant that the onely cause why they wish persecution of their poore afflicted country-men and brethren to continue and no relaxation leaue or libertie to be graunted them is of purpose to make our Soueraigne her honorable Councell and Peeres of the present State seeme more odious tyrannicall and hatefull to all Christian nations and thereupon to publish libels and other seditious pamphlets of conspiracies for conquests and inuasions And this is that good reuerend religious esteeme which the Iesuits brokers should indeed haue cried with an O yes in euery street court and corner that they haue merited of the Catholike church Englands commonwealth since their first comming into this land Thirdly I might adde as of all other articles so of this many sundry causes reasons and proofes of the Iesuits impietie but I must infringe my speech perforce to dispatch other matters onely this whosoeuer knowes the Iesuits practises as none liuing knowes them all and few but know too few of them may easily coniecture that where any of their faction may be heard speake and be beleeued there must needes be a stop stay and hinderance of that soules conuersion For they that haue the art to inchaunt the already conuerted to make them refuse the benefite of the sacraments to the endaungering of their soules rather then to come at any Seminary or secular Priest that is not a current of their damnable doctrine thinke you they haue not the same skill of figure-flinging to withdraw all those that want the serpeÌ„ts wit to auoid their charmes from comming at any such as are opposite against them Noâ— questionlesse they want neither art nor euill will nor yet malicious meanes to effect it as hauing vsed from the beginning more Machiuilean deuises Atheall practises in secret conference by their inferior Agents with Schismaticks yea and with our common aduersaries then with Catholiks they that can delude any one Catholik put him or her in feare and to haue a scruple of conscience to receiue any Catholike Priest that is not of their faction or at least not against them it is wonder if all Schismatickes be not ouertaken and misse-led in conceit by them THE X. ARTICLE VVHether then the case standing so as in all these 9. precedeÌ„t Quodlib articles it appeares most plaine that the Iesuits haue raised much sedition wrought great mischiefe occasionated sundrie afflictions of all Catholike Recusants and most mightily and daungerously eclipsed the Churches glorie Is it like that these contentions the premises considered will be any way beneficiall to Catholikes and the whole Church of God or else hurtfull c. THE ANSWERE This Quodlibeâ— deciphering the extreme malice and mischieuous intent of the Iesuits in the former Quodlibets discouered doâ—â— closely insinuate here what greaâ— griefe it will be hereafter to many deuout Catholikes to remember how mad and senselesse they were to beleeue that such and such Priests were suspended excommunicated c. and that none might come at them and onely vpon the bare word of a Iesuit or one of his faction Wherupon perceiuing that it was spoken of meere malice sacrilegious consinage of these hypocrites those that are now deluded by them will be readie to eate their owne nailes for anger that they should haue bene so credulous and vnkind in beleeuing their enemies false reports against their dearest friends and spirituall fathers that yet still are ready to spend their bloud on Gods behalfe for them ALthough for the time it may seeme hurtfull yet questionlesse when these masqued religious Iesuits are once made knowne what and who they are there can no harme come thereof but on the contrarie to euery one it will be very beneficiall in the end and as great a comfort to all true Catholike harts as now it is a griefe First for that it was neuer yet seene but that presently vpoÌ„ such deadly coÌ„tentions risen amongst Gods seruants and Priests there appeared some blazing starre comet or light of a rare bright shine of the Churches wonted glorie So was it in the coÌ„tention amongst the Apostles when they stroue together for a supremacie euen in our Sauiour Christ his presence So was it in the time of the Arrian heresie when the whole Church and chiefe prelates seemed to be at daggers drawing with infamous libels put vp by Bishops against Bishops Priests against Priests one religious against another before that pious Emperor of all worthie memorie Constantine the great and so hath it euer bene no doubt but now so it will be God sweetly so disposing Secondly of all Axiomes in Philosophie this is holden for one of the truest most certaine and infallible rule that nullum violentum est perpetuum VVherupon Christian Philosophers haue defined that though there were no Scripture nor Catholike church authoritie to confirme it yet by this phisical position
except it be with the flap of a fox tail shal neuer be able to do them any seruice Besides in the said decision I haue touched sundrie of the exceeding great base and most vile standerous and contemptible indignities wrongs and reproches neuer in honor to be put vp by any of a Dacres bloud offered by the Iesuits faction to the now Lo Dacre his euer honorable house name Yea one of his own c. was brought into such a forwardnesse of following these holy fathers taught withal her lesson how to vse the art of dissembling according to the Iesuits rule of sweating and forswearing in a contrarie sense and meaning that she was as bold and resolute as rash and impudent vnnaturally to maintaine that she would not for father mother sister brother nor all the friends she had in the world besides euer yeeld to forsake the companie of one Iesuit a Pearle for a Ladie let it hap as hap would Iohn Gerrard yet afterwards being charged therwith or to that effect that she should haue no dealings with any of them she deeply protested by a letter backe vnto his Lordship that she had not neither would haue notwithstanding that about the same time her said Iesuiticall father was either with her or shortly after came vnto her and since hath she had all wholy such as she knew to be of the Iesuits faction in plaine termes affirming it that there should none of the other side meaning the secular priests come to her knowledge wittingly and willingly within her doores Of all which with other practises in the North as the secret confederacy made by that faction against his honor I had intended to haue informed his Lordship if the foresaid partie had not disclosed a letter which I sent to insinuate as much vnto him and to giue him a caueat c. I will say no more here but that this third kind of coÌ„sorts or factious heads set on by the Iesuits against the secular Priestes are of the proud ambitious and aspiring minds that hoping to clime high when these Realmes of England Wales and Scotland shal be all one Monarchiall I le of Iesuits they are not much to be blamed if they pleade their cause and prosecute their quarrell with tooth naile Thus you see that there must needes be many seduced by them and especially deuout women poore soules who mightily dote and runne riot after them Now what kind of people they are that liue so and by what art and meanes these seditious plot-casters do worke it you shall in the end find to your griefe In the meane while I must tell you this withal that of the more graue wise and truly more ancient Catholickes and religious sort of both cleargie and laitie men and women they loose daily more and more as by their owne confession the case is manfest and cleare For whereas they sayd about a three yeares agone that there were but three or foure of the factious Priestes so like lozels this Iesuiticall faction termed the secular Cleargie they now acknowledge and cannot denie it because the names of so many are in printed bookes for the appeale that there are thirtie and yet we wil find twise thirtie moe And for three or foure noble men and gentlemen of the laitie on our side as then they sayd we had no moe and those but of green heads and shallow wits God wot we will account vnto them so many scores And the like is for women which daily also increase of the better and grauer sort more ancient Catholike and matronlike behauior as is manifest by those noble Ladies some of honor others of worship born wherat their saucy factious Iacks scoffingly do enuie to wit that any such matchlesse matrons by any of theirs should modestly defend or speake in behalfe of their ghostly fathers or else very like it is that their malice doth rise of this that these rightly to be termed herein prudent virgins carrying the oile of Catholike Christian charitie which their foolish virgins want about with them in their timerous and tender hearts could not be drawn to raile and scold with their pure spirited soules a qualitie said to be naturally proper to a woman but yet neither proper commendable nor allowable to any gentlewoman of honour or worship borne but a staine to that sexe and a dishonour to womanhood yea and also to their profession if they reade or rather heare S. Pauls Epistles read against women tatlers and Gospellers wherwith he was troubled as now the secular Priests are to reuile the Iesuits with reprochful words as their seeming saints haue the secular Cleargie euerie where Well let it passe as the number of the Seminarie and Secular fautors do increase on all sides so questionlesse it will do stil And when these hot holy Ladies that now fume out flames of a Iesuiticall and seditious zeale against Priests shall lay their hands a little heauier on their hearts with Mea maxima culpa they will remember what they haue said and done and thereupon be as readie not to defame for we desire it not but to forsake their wicked seducers the Iesuits that haue set theÌ„ on to detract contemne and despise Christ his Catholike annointed Priests THE VII ARTICLE WHether the Iesuits or secular Priests are or ought sooner to be beleeued and why the one sooner or rather then the other THE ANSWERE Out of this quodlibet is inferied made knowne the great folly wil full scruple of many Catholiks that will beleeue a false hearted cousining Iesuit or Iesuiticall broker sooner then they wil do their owne ancient known ghostly father or other secular Priest so vpon a false suggestion that any authoritie be it lawful or vnlawfull inferior or superior without difference being once obtained ought to be obeyed by consequent that none may come to confession c. to a secular Priest because forsooth an hereticall in this point Iesuit saith so being in very deed themselues with their Archpresbitery in that danger of suspension excommunication and Gods curse by their wicked courses which they would cast ouer to the secular Cleargie in shew of the people not caring what damnable â—â—â—â—e they liue in so as the blinded with their errours do not know it THe secular Priestes as worthier and superiour persons are euer to be credited and preferred before the Iesuites in matters of any account either pertaining to the Church or Common-wealth First because the secular priests represent in themselues the whole eccesiastical state which as a prime branch of a Common-wealth is euer one and the first of the two called States ecclestiasticall and temporall or the spiritual and temporal subiected vnder euerie Christian Prince and King Monarchial throughout the world Secondly for that the lawes of this land concurring herein with the Popes canons and Caesars codes a secular Priest his word is accepted of in counteruaile of twelue other witnesses wheras I
and least of all merited any thing at Englands hands vnlesse it be the guerdon of traitors for their conspiracies against both Prince State and Peere And a happy thing it had bene to this land and especially to all Catholikes if neuer any of them had bene borne THE VIII ARTICLE VVHether any other order of religion be so mightily impugned of all professions as their society is or no THE ANSWERE I Thinke none at all at this present What mischiefe falshood heresie or other impiety but hath bene bolstered oâ—â— with authority of Scripture and examples to confirme 〈◊〉 with all which being turned backe vpon the wicked sets them rightly forth in their proper colours Yet notwithstanding non quia res agatur apud Graecos impetrabunt Demosthenem Let them not thinke that all goeth wholly on their sides because they are repugned on all sides as they vainely make their vaunt of nor thinke their cause to be any whit the better because Catholikes aswel say they as heretikes do speake and write against them No no let father Parsons recall his vaine vaunt and ostentation made in his Ward-word to Sir Francis Hastings Watch-word Let him cease from comparing himselfe with his and our Lord and maister Christ for his comparison is odious if it had bene but in that sense he there sets it downe in with a meere mortall man of Christ his rare indowments abstracted from his diety Let him returne vpon his owne turbulent seditious irreligious head and heart all his allegations and examples out of Saint Paules Epistes and other places falsly applied by him to the secular Priestes and Catholike laity that are in opposition against the Iesuites For if he esteeme euery Catholike to be a Diotriphe that is against him vtterly dislike of his course and condemne in his best thoughts many of his assertions as heresies or at least most grosse and impudent errors he must esteeme so not onely of the secular Priests in England with the whole Cleargy here The Iesuites reprochfull speeches against all Catholikes in generall built vppon these 2. erronious principles scil one that it is a testimony of their sanctity holinesse rightfull cause c. because they are persecucuted of all men most the other that it shewes all those to be inclined to heresie that speake or write against theÌ„ because all heretikes do so These 2. proud Luciferian assertions in arrogating a preheminence of all excellencie to themselues with contempt of all opposites vnto them declare a most dangerous downefall of theÌ„ all into some horrible blasphemous heresie it being morally impossible otherwise but that what peculiar order society corporation of company soeuer should follow singularly in opposition and controlment of all other orders fellowship yea and the whole state of Gods Church as the Iesuits do affirming all to be amisse erronious and out of order but where they are and goâ—â—â—nâ— must consequeÌ„tly become heretikes the very proporsion of arrogating all vnto themselues in this sort necessitating these sequels following scil ergo the truth is onely with them ergo the Church only theirs and where they are ergo no truth nor Church without them ergo all the secular Priestes are schismatikes and heretikes ergo no Catholike amongst them ergo no faith no religion no Church no Pope but a Iesuit an indubitate piller of truth in all things but the Sorbonists in Fraunce with the whole Cleargy there yea and throughout Christendome all for the most part disliking of them the Dominicans in Spaine with al religious orders there the Franciscans in Italy with all Friers obseruants there the Benedictines in Cicily and Naples with all the religious Monkes there In few name me that nation people profession or order that I may omit here to recite the temporall state or to name King Prince or other Noble in Christendome that is not a Iesuit in affection or faction but mightily dislikes of them but doth impugne them but wisheth either their amendment or speedy downefall ere they bring all to ruine and destruction with them Therefore neuer let them boast of this that it is a testimonie of their vertue of their holinesse of their religious zeale of their painfull indeuors and of twenty odde cogging trickes they haue to bewitch the people with all in making themselues famous their quarrell good and their cause iust against the secular Priestes For if the Zuinglians rising vp in armes in Germany though they had many moe thousands to take their part against the Lutherans then I hope the Iesuits shall euer haue against the secular Priestes could not thereby iustifie themselues or perswade any but their owne faction that they had right on their side because not onely all the Catholikes in Christendome spoke and wrote against them but also all the Protestants and others that were departed from the Catholike Romane Church aswell as they if the Mahumetanes in Turkey howsoeuer they flatter themselues cannot make others beleeue that they haue the right because they are not onely impugned of all Christians throughout the world but also and most bitterly by the Persian Mahumetane and diuerse others so deadly a contention being amongst them about the body of Mahumet and rightfull heires of Ella as in the open streetes they haue fallen together by the eares and murthered one another in the strife and contention about that matter One saying this was the heire of Ella and another this And yet who is ignorant of it that they are moe Mahumetanes then Catholikes and then à fortiori many moe then there are Iesuits If finally it were no argument worthy the answering that because during the time of the Arrians the Donatists the Sabellianists the Manichees the Nouatians or other Arch-heretikes there rising vp some fine fingerd figge-boyes in the Church that would teach a new tricke which neither the Catholiks whom they seemed and did to outward shew in all things side with all neither yet those heretikes gone before out of the Church could either allowe or like of that therefore the same new maisters should thinke all men would bee bewitched by them Or if in case they could winne moe vnto them then either the former Catholikes or other sectaries could as ordinarily it hath fallen out so cum sit natura hominum nouitatis auida that therefore that was an argument of the truth to be in all things on their side But rather quite contrary that they comming in with new innouations did directly prepare the way to some new heresie as the experience of all ages doth make apparant Then let the Iesuites take vp in time and vaunt if vaunt they will of some thing else more to their credit and driuing of suspition iealousie and irremoueable conceit to be had of some monstrous heresie to be in brewing amongst them the common saying being not more old then true that that which one or two reports may well be false but that which all men say must needes be true And
iniuries done vnto him more probable they caused the same to be openly promulgated out of the pulpit in the Colledge at Rhemes The second particular calumniation amongst an hundred now to be omitted may well be that against Doctor Lewis a man so fauoured by diuerse Popes as first he was made Montseigneur then Bishop of Cassana afterward Nuncio for Gregorie the fourteenth to Lucerna and then Visitor generall of Rome and all the Popes dominions Note here these base Polititians ingratitude they hauing receiued by him many very extraordinarie benefites as by his procurement they got the Rectorship of the English Seminarie in Rome Furthermore when 22. of them were to be banished out of the citie of Perugio for their cousinage to haue enriched themselues there one of them being notoriously detected for alluring a Gentlewoman to giue them a very rich chaine of gold without her husbands priuitie as a very like case fell out at Leege in low Germany these fine fingred figge boyes are so nimble about Ladies and Gentlewomens iewels this prudeÌ„t good Bishop being their generall Visitor vsed such meanes as all was hushed vp and they continued there still Notwithstanding all which with many like benefits receiued at his hands A vile part of Fa. Parsons and others that because the blessed man this good Bishop now in heauen disliked of the Iesuits gouernment and their gouernors in the English Col. at Rome they should publish libels against him here in England after his death notwithstanding that the holy Bishop within foure houres before his death vpon occasion protested that he had bene most falsly charged with vpholding and maintaining of the Students in the English Seminarie against the Iesuits Yea it is well knowne that whilst he was aliâ—â— he might haue curbed many of that insoleÌ„t crew being their Visitor generall But a milder man liued not nor more apt to put vp and forgiue al iniuries and eueÌ„ of purpose he refrained to visite that crew because knowing their hard coÌ„ceits of him he would not giue theÌ„ any occasion to say he was partiall if he had dealt so roundly with theÌ„ as they deserued yet all was one nay it is far better to be an open enemie to their cursed designments then to conniue and be a flattering current of their fatall course For it is a rule with them Quinon est nobisâ—â—â— contra nos est c. yet the kind fathers could not endure him and this only because he disliked their courses practises in their garboiles at Rome about the Students in the English Seminarie And so extreme is their malice where they once take displeasure as their wrath and indignation is intollerable though it be for neuer so small a trisle which this good Bishop found most true For whilest he was aliue they caused their disciples to raile vpon him most spitefully calling him a factious seditious and most partiall man And a little before his death they cast out a libel against him wherein they had laid many horrible crimes to his charge and amongst other things made this deuout prayer for him full like their charitie towards all good men scil aut mors aut Turca aut Deus aut Diabolus eripiat cum à nobis which cursed letter came to his hands who heartily forgaue it theÌ„ But being dead when in all humanitie their hatred should haue bene buried with him yet ceassed they not to follow the pursuite of their impietie in persecuting his happie memorie with their Iesuiticall calumniations that most irreligiously Yea that impious caitise Fa. Parsons in a letter dated the 13. of Iuly 1598. and sent into England not to be kept secret writeth of this good Bishop thus after his slie fashion scil A third cause saith Father Parsons there was meaning of the Students opposing of theÌ„selues against the Iesuits no lesse important perhaps then any of the rest or more then both together which was a certaine disgust giuen at the very foundation of the Colledge vnto a certaine principall man of our nation and his friends then resideÌ„t in Rome Who afterwards not affecting greatly the gouernment or gouernors of that Colledge was euer in re or in opinion a backe to them that would be discontented c. Where by the way all men may see that the secular Priests here in England haue not alone disliked of the Iesuiticall gouernment gouernours and politicall or rather Atheall designments A third calumniation in particular was of that most renowned Prelate and blessed Cardinall Doctor Allane a man in whose very countenance was pourtraid out a map of politicall gouernment indeed stained with a sabled dye of grauitie sublimated with a reuerend maiestie in his lookes yeelding fauour and forcing feare the true allurements of affections in admirable aspects of worlds wonders as the memorie of former glorie of these and honour of future ages one most reuerenced of our nation and worthily reuerenced of vs one or two actions excepted whereunto he was drawne by Fa. Parsons exorbitant courses and impudencie of whom Pope Gregorie of holy memorie said to his Cardinals Venite fratres mei ostendam vobis Alanum as much to say as I will shew you a man in Anglia borne to whom all Europe may giue place for his high prudence reuerend countenance and purport of gouernment This blessed Cardinall then whom all admired and none could iustly blame yea euen our common aduersaries did commend his mild spirit in comparison of Doctor Saunders both writing about one time but with a farre different drift intent and manner of proceeding His Grace neuer liked of inuading conuersions of countries with bloudy blades And howsoeuer he was drawne as weried out with impostors exprobrations and expostulations of father Parsons and others of that hote spirited vnnaturall tribe of Dan. Coluber in via to some odious attempts against his dread Soueraigne and deare country both which he with no lesse loyalty honored then dearely affected in his best thoughts yet afterwards he retired himselfe from those seditious courses mightily condemning and contemning all such factious dispositions in his very hart as apparantly was knowne before his death His words writings and all his actions did euer tend to lenity so as he was often wont to say that seeing England was lost gone from her ancient faith by reason of our forefathers offences neither cleargy nor laity secular nor religious noble nor ignoble man woman nor child being free it was to good sense that we and all their posterity should be punished and remaine in desolation vntill by vertuous and good life it might please our most mercifull Lord and redeemer to auert his wrath from our country and to incline our Soueraigne Lady and Queene to looke vppon our afflictions and to commiserate our miseries we seeking for none other worldly ioy nor comfort here on earth Note here the malicious pollicies of these wicked men the Iesuiticall faction against Cardinall Allane for retiring himselfe froÌ„ their
for euen so they deemed nothing lesse of him then their wordes imported but what they did said therein was to hinder the Bishop from the preferment they feared would be laid vpoÌ„ him And thus like Pharises do they deale Sed pece â—â—ori dixit Deus quare tu enarras iustitias meas sedeÌ„s aduersus fratrem tuum loquebaris a luersus filium matris tuae poâ—ebas scandâ—lam c. and loued his memorie in their hearts as a holy shrine how beneficiall his Grace had bene to their Colledge how highly he was esteemed of and respected of all princes in Europe that either knew him by sight or else had heard of him by any passage of memorable speech how dearely accounted of and deepely affected of sundrie Popes aswell his Holinesse then in supreme esse as his predecessours of all holy memorie How all his whole studie chiefe endeuours and greatest care was euer bent for the good of his countrey for reducing of the same to the Catholike faith and for the comfort of the afflicted here and there and euery where To what high dignities he was aduanced how well he merited his place and calling and how greatly honoured in the Court of Rome how much admired at by the rest of the Cardinals in what possibilitie to haue beene Pope and how reuerenced by themselues the Iesuits c. Thus charitably they dealt with the good Cardinall after he was dead and that they were sure their praises giuen out of him could not then obfuscate obscure nor abolish one iot of their preheminence or mirificall designements The like example to this might be a correspondent and euident fauour shewed to the said Bishop after his death as the former was after the Cardinals death For according to the philosophicall Axiome as contraria iuxta se posita magis elucescunt so vertue and vice hauing such a dissocietie by consequence of kind that the one followes the other like form and priuation Hereupon it comes that faith and hope failing charitie neuer dieth but goeth to heauen with the happily possessed therewith so his opposite vice enuie neither euer dieth but goeth to hell with the cursed soule infected therewith at her death For this cause then it is plaine that as these men neuer spoke well of the Cardinall after his death for any loue they bare vnto him so neither did they vse the like good speech of the Bishop for any entire affection towards his Lordship but that which they did was thereby to hinder and discountenance the said Bishop of Cassanaes nephew Montseigneur Hugh Grissin Which to performe stratagemically they commended his said Vncle exceedingly to insinuate thereby that he did farre degenerate from his Vncles vertues And a very like canuasse is all the whole discourse of Fa. Parsons in Doleman conferred with his practise about the bequest of the English Crowne now extolling Scotlands title to the skies and then abasing it in the presence of Spaine To day all wholly for the house of Austria to morrow as forward for the house of Parma Now fawning vpon Derbie to bring Earle Ferdinand to destruction and then vpon Essex to stirre vp Earle Robert to rebellion and still in the meane by entercourse of parlee with anie who either by their greatnesse may comport with his ambition or whom he by his platforme may couple withall to bring this whole Isle to a popular confusion In all which treasonable practises seeing he hath alwaies vsed one to anothers disgrace by praise and dispraise as time and occasion pricke him forward with affiance in one more then in another for his societies aduancement not sparing Spaine it selfe when any hope was by any other meane but to insinuate in plaine tearmes that his aduice was for the mobile vulgus in England to choose and set vp a Soueraign it made no matter who amongst them when oportunitie should be offered affirming boldly that he liked not of the Spaniard as heretofore he had liked neither saw any hope to come by their meanes Yet making the royall issue of King Philip still his dogbolt when all other hopes did quaile and helpes did falle him there is none that reades his libels and conferres them with his practise but shall easily discerne that he would not be improuident of setting downe this statute of Retractation of slaunder as a prouiso in that high Councell of Reformation for England that being the maister trump he had to play for the maine chaunce of his conceited Monarchie and the onely bolt that would serue his turne if anie could in time of neede to driue the bunting to the baye I might here adde a fourth example of this prouiso out of the practise of that simple mis-led man Maister George Blackwell the new Archpriest of England nay the Subuiceroy rather of all the Isles of Albion Maister Blackwell a plaine simple man alwaies full of sentences in his writings as one who hath very probably flores sententiaruus tum PhilosophoruÌ„ c. by reason wherof wanting a head for inuention discourse or iudgement his sententious letters are ofteÌ„ euill couched in deliuerie of his mind by a long passage written togetherward of one matter But of nature being at the first for many yeares together by report of those that knew him very humble scrupulous and affable became some 3. or 4. yeares before his miraculous aduancement so testie peremptorie c. I will leaue it there that there was no ho with him no seruant could dwell in the house with the widow questionlesse a vertuous Gentlewoman otherwise where he liued no nor yet her owne children haue but what he iudged meete for them c. was not so hot against the Iesuits especially Fa. Parsons in time of his naturall and priestly secular mildnesse but now is become as furious against the said seculars since his heart was smitten by Mercuries melancholie yet Iesuitically guilded caduceus Thus times go by turnes honores mutant â—ores sic transit gloria mundâ— to men of no deserts This plaine Polipragmon as none more elated in conceit of their owne proper excellencie then an ignorant body aduanced to immerited vnexcepted and inconceited dignity hauing either heard of or belike had receiued this statute of Retractation sent froÌ„ Rome by hart or a like vnto it taught him per coeur For before that time none seemed to mislike more of the Iesuiticall course proceedings then he nor spake more suspiciously against some of them in particular especially against Father Parsons by name whose comming into England being knowne Maister Blackwell bewailed the same very tenderly to a friend of his then in prison saying that the President at Rhemes meaning Doctor Allane played a very vndiscreete part to send him hither as being an vnfit man to be employed in the causes of religion And being asked why he was vnmeete for that employment he answered because his casting out of Baliol Colledge and other articles and matters depending vpon it
betwixt him and Doctor Squire then liuing were very likely to be renewed and so to worke great discredite both to him and the cause Catholike Thus stood the case then with Maister Blackwell now see the canuasse for Retractation of this slaunder giuen out of so stately a Polipragmon This simple man quite altered in nature manners and conuersation by reason of strong drinke priuate close liuing and familiaritie with some fathers of that societie became an officious Agent libeller-like to Rome by writing against his brethren the seculars enticed I make no question of it by some cony-catching deuise of Fa. Parsons thereby intending to be his bane at length as his new magisteriall office at his procurement instituted will be no doubt of it the onely meanes to plague him in reuenge of his former speeches vsed against the said father Who should quite forget himselfe his principles of Machiauell and all his rules of pollicie if Maister Blackwell scape scotfree after all the Iesuits turnes are serued by such a blockish instrument as cannot perceiue their mumbling meaning as resting wholly at their deuotion to stand or fall Yet so it is now as whether drowned in vaine delight of his new supremacie or otherwise inueigled to be a close Iesuit as sundry such there are which going vnder the name of seculars make the said seculars cause seeme more odious weake and exorbitant or howsoeuer it comes to passe Maister Blackwell sings now placebo domino meo Parsonio in terra viuentium for the time and layeth me on loade vpon euery opposite to a Iesuites designement Now he condemneth all as suspended and irregular persons that either directly or indirectly maintaine write or speake in defence of the censure of Paris which cleared the seculars from schisme sinne and all other crime or offence in the first resistance of his Archpresbitership and then againe threateneth all with thundring sentences of Ecclesiasticall censures that speake conferre procure or seeke for any redresse against his ignorant crueltie appointed of purpose and either doth not or will not know it to be slagellum fratrum suorum yea a scourge to himselfe and all England besides It is strange to consider how now he be labors himself in laying about him on all sides to defend the neuer heard of more impudent shamefull and palpably ignominious It is but a signe of a dastardly mind and most vnfit to be in authority to persecute those most whome all men note to be freest froÌ„ offence and yet such as by reason of a humerous tender and scrupulous heart they carry are easi iest ouercome and forced to yeeld For exaÌ„ple whereof get and read all the passage by letters and messages betwixt the Archpriest and Ma. More c. reprochfull and abhominable facts of Fa. Parsons and the rest of the Iesuits And especially he tyrannizeth if he find a sweete nature and mild disposition any way opposite vnto him such a one as Maister Thomas More a very reuerend secular Priest of many good parts and abilities who as I haue heard of late hath fared worse for my sake which I am very sory for though outwardly there was made no shew of it for I could tell perhaps why I can no lesse admire how that euer wise men should be so blinded as not to discerne which many do not then smile in my sleeue to thinke how brauely they haue bobd this double diligent M. Blackwell with this statute of Retractation of slaunder whereby if euer it come to hearing he is as sure to be hoysted ouer the barre for an ambidexter by comparing his former speech to his present proceedings as I am sure to haue written and set it downe here for a looking glasse vnto him with this emprise aboue it tristitia vestra trust to your self good Ma. Blackwell and forsake in time that seditious company who moue you to act write and speake you know not what against your selfe as one day you will find it I could here particulate this statute but it were too tedious to do so more exactly in discouerie of M. Blackwels ignorance simplicitie Who whiles I was in Scotland sent out an inhibition against all such bookes printed per Biennium c. by any Catholikes meanes or procurement within these two Realmes of England or Scotland as either might exasperate our common aduersaries here or otherwise preiudice the worthie labourers in our common causes that had merited so well of their countrey and all Catholikes as Father Parsons had for he was the famous man and I the infamous wretch whom all men iudged that speech to be intended for as no doubt it was and that by instigation of his good spirite Fa. Garnet to stop thereby the answer to Fa. Parsons Doleman of succession to the English Crowne which then they knew I went about A copie of which schedule being sent vnto me by a friend out of England to Edenborough where then I lay I could not tell well whether to laugh or be angrie to see the slinesse craft and pollicie of the Iesuits to put such a sharpe sword of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction into a rawe simple and mad mans hands as if the point had not bin blunted and the edge turned by abuse of his authoritie neuer rightly had and many wayes since iustly lost as wil be proued against him he wold haue kild all that euer came in his I should say the Iesuits way and himselfe vnnaturally therewith as I feare he hath already For amongst other errors committed by him in that inhibition this was one scil that he would suffer all Parsons seditious bookes to passe current as his Philopator speaking most rebelliously against her Maiesty and the whole State and Nobles of this land his Doleman entituling most traiterously the Spanish Infanta to the English Crowne together with his Appendix fathered on Cardinall Allane being dead his Letter to the Marques Huntley to creepe in againe with Scotland but sent through England to be huffed ruffed and vanted of and sundrie other of his confederates libels letteâ—s and messages matter enough to haue moued a Saint to anger much more a mortall wight to be exasperated therby and knowing as he could not chuse but know it that I sought nothing lesse then to exasperate either my Soueraigne or present State but all quite contrary to confute all and whatsoeuer he had written leauing the question vndecided and fault where it was in him his clearely to be seene yet he to forbid both printing and reading of mine and extolling the other to the skies what a man should thinke hereof it may be easily discerned An other error therein was in that his authoritie if he had any and that it were not lost againe did extend onely to the censure allowance of such bookes as were of matters of Religion and Ecclesiastical gouernment and discipline so as this booke I then was thought to be in hand withall was out of his commission to meddle or deale
with either in allowing or forbidding the reading or printing of it A third was his presumptuous boldnes in that he would by vertue of his authoritie suppose it were such so great and so inuiolate as he takes vpon him to haue it intrude himselfe to meddle with forbidding bookes to be either read or printed in Scotland without either asking leaue or at least giuing the Catholike Bishop of Glasco to vnderstand thereof beforehand A fourth was the insinuated suspition of a Premunire he hath incurred alreadie he may thank his good fathers for it by his authoritie to be increased hereby as seeking by this inhibition of printing or reading of anie booke that may touch a Iesuite especially that so daungerous a Polipragmon Father Parsons he shewes plainely that he would haue all the treasonable practises concealed not regarding what daunger of both bodie soule and common-wealths wracke happen to anie so as these new Fathers may haue their wicked designements Many other particular points haue I noted as being collected by necessarie sequele to ensue vpon that Letter whereof in the Apologie I intend to imptint of mine owne peculiar purgations I meane to treate at large Onely this for the present he may please to know that I neuer writ nor spake word in my life that I dare not publish in anie Court of Christendome concerning these matters so farre I am from all feare of exasperating anie Prince or Peere or incurring of anie daunger either in England which I am bound in all respects to my dread Soueraigne and natiue land to be most warie of offending or hurting anie maner of way or elsewhere And if as I haue suppressed the printing of that booke and sundrie others for a time let him not thinke it came vpon anie account or reckening I made of his suspension for that cause but for other reasons which he and his may and yet do both misse of though some of his assistants haue taken vpon them to know the causes why And hereupon one of them of a brauado hath made his vaunt since my returne last out of Scotland that he another maner of man then I poore wretch to deale with Princes hath written to his Maiestie King Iames exhorting him to embrace the Catholike faith and religion Were it not that the Iesuits haue a special priuiledge in two things one is to make all things to be beleeued as Gospell be it neuer so fals that they speake or write another to make al things to be iudged false be it as true as the Gospell it selfe that any other shall write or speake without their approbation But if directly against them out vpon it it is not to be heard spoken of or once looked vpon If these were not and withall that the vilest parts that can be played are counted acts of zeale amongst them if done by a Father so as it may be any way couered with either of their two principles scil propter bonum societatis vel ordine ad Deum otherwise I should greatly muse at the faire glose of father Southwell concerning father Parsons birth and education It being most vntrue that Fa. Southwell reports of him scil that hauing placed the vttermost of his ambition in the contempt of honor and the highest of his wealth in voluntarie pouertie will easily acknowledge his birth to haue bene of more honest then great parents Yet were they not so meane but they were able to affoord him such education as might haue made his good parts a way to no small preferment c. All which is most false a bastard he was vnhonestly begot basely borne a Wolsey in ambition a Midas in mundicitie a traitor in action which here I had not touched had he spared his owne Soueraigne and bloud royall of this land which if he do then all all all euery true Catholike should take his part for the English Crowne by this new statists procurement But what answer he had let himselfe report I thinke it will be but a scorne and he laughed at for a stale in shewing his exorbitant audacious folly I may not here forget a fifth Statute which I make no question of but that Father Parsons would be most carefull to haue it throughly perfected in that high Councell of Reformation for England and it is to be thought that it goes also vnder the tenure of a prouiso for legitimation of bastards For we may not imagine that Father Parsons was ignorant of his owne base estate as being a sacrilegious bastard in the worst sense scil a spurias begotten by the Parson of the Parish where he was borne vpon the bodie of a very base queane This then being so and he not so senslesse as to thinke but that he will find the Canon law more strict in dispensatiō with him for his irregularity then the Ciuill or common law wil be for dispensation to inherite c. which may be a good caueat to him to looke to his orders lest otherwise he lose his Rectorship perhaps a better thing besides there is no question to be made of it but that some close statute and prouiso was closely made and couertly foisted in for enabling some bastards in the spitefulle◠sense to be capable of any honour or dignitie either in the Church or Common wealth And true it is that this good Fa. Parsons altas Cowbacke filius populi filius peccati or the verie fiend him selfe might be chosen to a kingdome by his doctrine if any people would be so mad as to chuse him for their king because the said fury can translate himselfe into an Angell of light for an houres space though he turne into his hellish vgly shape within a minute of an hower after c. Happie were some men if they might haue a sight of that statute booke or huge volume of the high councel of reformation for England no doubt but he should find notable stuffe in it that would serue for many purposes But here I make an end concluding out of the premises 1. That the Iesuits would take it in scorne to haue any poore secular or Seminarie Priest cōpared with them in prudence pollicie considering that they dare beard the greatest and highest persons on earth in all things 2. That in generall England for this age were able to set Nicke Machiauell to schoole either in a good or a bad sense of pollicie 3. Yet taking Politia as S. Thomas and Diuines do for a chiefe branch of prudence with relation to gouernment of a bodie politicall or common wealth ciuill there are that excell both Machiauell and the Iesuits their politia being but an extrauagant or apocriphall vertue at the vttermost 4. But take it as a she craftie dissembling wilinesse with a relation to Atheisme or a non religion and then therin the Iesuits do farre passe Machiauell and I verily thinke any whomsoeuer of and in this age THE III. ARTICLE VVHether then if this kinde of Iesuiticall pollicie tend to
honor est in honorante say Deuines in exposition of the princely Prophets speech Omnis honor regis ab intus in fimbrijs aureis c. And for that the questioÌ„ is not of admittance into the nuÌ„ber of nobles or geÌ„tles but being once matriculated cataloguated registred in that KaleÌ„der whether that then being but a Gentleman of proper merite onely and not of bloud coat-armor or auncestrie the foresaid wants and defects do more disable the subiect wherein they are inherent to aduancement ecclesiasticall or ciuill that is whether a Priest by function or an Esquire by creation ought more to conceale and hide his faults and which of them may be soonest hindred from preferment to higher dignities as from an ordinarie Priest to be a Pastor Vicar Deane Archdeacon Bishop c. and from a Gentleman of coat-armor to be a Knight Baron Lord baron Vicount and Earle c. Wherein because it is presupposed that they are both in the way to preferment the one as a consecrated Priest by his spiritual the other as a created Esquire by his temporal gentrie the difference by consequent must needes follow thereupon to be this that being once admitted by dispensation legitimation c. those things most in request with a Priest afterward must be learning vertue gouernment c. None of which in our speech of meanes to aduancement are so exactly required in a temporall Gentleman and on the other side the graces and abilities expected at a temporall mans hand must be parentage valor comelinesse of person and wealth sufficient to maintaine his estate c. which may cause his good fortune by marryage and otherwise none of which are required so precisely in a Priest and perhaps not at all necessities his preferment standing not vpon mariage or ostentation of his wealth friends and temporall abilities but vpon the managing of the thing he hath or is to take in hand wherein wisedome prudence and other ciuill politicall and morall vertues are required And so by consequent it followeth that as both are to maintaine their honour renowne and credite to the vttermost so both may conceale such defects as may hinder the same preferment which otherwise might and would accrew vnto them alwaies respecting time place person and other circumstances as may preiudice either one or other thereby which to explane how that may happen I will set the case downe in these few examples following Saint Augustine rightly called the Apostle of England because sent hither by blessed Saint Gregorie the Great to conuert as he did this countrie to the Catholike Romane faith sending for the Welch or Briton Priests fallen into Apostacie and Pesagianisme to come to conference with him concerning sundrie of their heresies and grosse errors obseruing well his actions and behauiour towards them vpon the speech of a false prophet or Pelagian Hermit they all that came to parlee presently left him before the first encounter because he did not rise and giue them the chaire place or honor point at their meetings mightily condemning him for an arrogant proud man But yet was it no pride in him at all because he both came in all humble wise submitting himselfe to the meanest in all Kent vntill he had conuerted them and also for that he should by giuing them place coming as he did an Apostle haue preiudiced the See Apostolike and the Popes Holinesse from whence as an ambassadour with Legatiue power he came and also he should therein haue preiudiced the Regall Maiestie of King Ethelbert of Kent by name who then hauing receiued the Catholike Romane faith at Saint Augustines hands whom for that cause his Maiestie had highly priuiledged they did not send for him but he sent for them by authoritie from the said King who afterward also compelled them to receiue the same faith and to renounce their heresie with the death of two thousand Monks of Bangor Abbey at one time procured by the King of Kents exciting the King of Northumberland and others to warre vpon them c. Conformable to this example in another kind may very well be the secular and Seminarie Priests comming into England with like Apostolicall authoritie as did Saint Augustine and therefore as they are to humble themselues in all respects wheresoeuer they come in England as he did in Kent vnder any ciuill magistrate vnder her Maiestie and not to contend for a cappe or a knee where is readie prepared for them a racke and a halter by course of lawe in this land through the Iesuites mischieuous practises bringing all the rest to be had in iealousie thereby so are and ought they to stand vpon points when they come in place where their priesthood is called in question Aâ—â—â—e 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 weâ—l â—e two â—â—â—â—ble â—â—â—â—â—â—es of 〈◊〉 N◠〈…〉 boâ—â— hâ—â—â—â—â—d aâ—â—bâ—â—h 〈◊〉 â—â—all men Th◠〈◊〉 was aâ—â—oâ—re shewâ—â— by the Lord â—â—d Dâ—cre â—o Capt. Stukeâ—â—y whâ—ch Stukeâ—â—y tak ng vpon him to be â—n extraordinary gâ—â—aâ— person desireâ—â—he â—â—â—le Dacre is 〈◊〉 on a time to gâ—ue him countenance and the place of 〈◊〉 where eâ—â—â— hâ— staâ—â—◠〈…〉 checks 〈◊〉 it told hiâ— â—oâ— and further if he once esteâ—ed to take either place or titlâ— of honor vpon him in his presâ—nce he would maâ—â— him know him selfe as too â—reat â—n indignity 〈◊〉 so highly â—â—scenâ—ed of that honor he was of 〈◊〉 hâ— bloud to be suffered thâ—t be should well know that honour consisted not in popular applause nor yet 〈◊〉 excesse furâ—â—it of worldly â—ches The other example was of a Noble mans son who being prisoner to a Knight fâ—r that the said Knight had enâ—red into some â—â—aiâ—â— with 〈◊〉 concerning hiâ— Noble bloud be tooke him by the sleeâ—e as they wâ—re in goâ—â—g ouer a stile passing ouer before him said Know you Sir H.B. I am W. sonne of W Lo. S. and though I gaue you place before yet hereafter I will not neither can I without preiudice of my house and honour do it c. and vsed with contempt either of their function or of the Sea Apostolike by whose authoritie they pleade Marrie yet herein also with a different respect had to an aduersarie of an other profession and religion whom in these times to contend withall it were in vaine and but an occasion of moe dangers many blasphemies greater sinnes and to one that is of the same religion the secular Priest is of A verie fit example agreeing whereunto was of late shewed by one secular Priest to three sundry persons all Catholikes and one a Priest Iesuited to the first being a Gentleman but yet meaner of calling then either of the other he gaue place at table hand wall and stile because he saw it proceeded of simplicitie inciuili lâ— rudenesse in him though perhaps entermingled with some spice of sâ—lâ— conceit and sawcinesse and withall there came no contempt of Priesthood direâ—tly thereby The second hauing also before time alwayes giuen place because he was
earth His words are these When I came to Rome saith he I found the Colledge as a field with two hostile campes within it father Generall and his assistants wholly auersed and throughly resolued to leaue the gouernement c. And taking vpon him to shew the causes of those long troubles in the Colledge he saith Some thinke that it is in great part the nature of the place that ingendereth high spirits in them that are not well established in Almighty Gods grace For comming thither very young and finding themselues presently placed and prouided for abundantly This speech had bene fitly applied to father Parsons himselfe and may iustly be returned vpon him and his society and acquainted daily with sights and relations of Popes Cardinals and Princes affaires our youthes that were bred vp at home with much more simplicity and kept vnder by their parents and maisters more then the Italian education doth comport forget easily themselues and breake out into liberty I meane such as haue run astray and lost respect to their superiours in Rome And this opinion of the circūstance of place is greatly increased by the iudgement of strangers both Spanish and French Flemings and other nations who affirme that they try by experience that their people which liue in Rome if they be not men of great vertue do proue more heady afterwards and lesse tractable then others brought vp at home But yet to this other men of our nation adde a second reason for the English Colledge which is at Rome being a place whereunto many young men do resort onely vpon a desire of seeing nouelties When any come thither of the English nation find such a commodity of study and maintenance themselues in want and misery they made suite for that whereunto perhaps they had no true vocation from God nor due preparation in themselues to so holy and high an estate and so being once admitted fell afterwards into disorder and to put out of ioynt both themselues and others c. Thus farre this impious father sheweth it to be the want of grace in some and want of true calling in others that they disagreed with the Iesuits But now to heare his report of the estimation that our English students and Priests haue gotten by their being at Rome I thinke it will make all parents afraid and all our youth abhorre comming at Rome amongst them euer after vnlesse their parents wish or themselues intend to haue them all Iesuits or at least Iesuites bondslaues to sweare to whatsoeuer they say to trot and trudge whither and when they please and to runne their most traiterous race and cursed courses inhumane odious hatefull to God and man In good faith deare Catholikes Lords Ladies Gentles or whosoeuer you be that haue your children or other friends vnder the Iesuits tyrannicall yoke in bondage beyond the seas pardon for Gods loue pardon my vehemencie on your behalfe against these malignant wretches I could not with patience set hand to paper after I had read this letter following but walked two or three turnes vp and downe in my chamber trēbling in anger with my heart as high as my head to thinke on the villany of this bastardly runagate Parsons cursed be the hower wherein he was borne this filius peccati sacrilegij iniquitatis populi Diaboli how euer he durst come at Gods holy Altar after his blasphemies and outragious speeches and writing against the secular Priests and Students most falsly irreligiously and Pharisaically laying his owne sinnes and the rest of the Iesuits seditious vprores and more then heathenish impietie vpon the innocent most cruelly persecuted by them all and by him in speciall aboue al the rest as most cruell Iewish harted vnnaturall His words are these Lo this wretch There is no true humilitie obedience nor other vertue but in a Iesuite or his bondslaue Baconius saith he and that was one of the Cardinals that came comport him at his lodging often told me that our youthes bragged much of their Martyrdome but they were refractarij that was his word had no part of Martyrs spirit which was in humilitie and obedience His Holinesse oftentimes told me that he was neuer so vexed with any nation in the world For on the one side they pretended pietie and zeale and on the other shewed the very spirit of the Diuell in pride All the world knoweth these things rightly to simbolize with Parsons and the rest of the Iesuits contumacie and contradiction c. and euer now and then his Holinesse would put his finger vp to his braine signifying that there stood their sicknesse and so would most of the Court when they talked of them saying the English were indiauoluti and like words His Holinesse added also that he knew not what resolution to take for on the one side to punish them openly would be a scandall by reason of the heretickes and if he should cast them foorth of Rome some had told him that they would become heretickes c. Lo what a long lowd lye this Puritane Iesuite hath brought to a loose end falsely fathered on his Holinesse against the seculars all the world knowing the Iesuits to be the men most like of any other in the world this day to fall into the most blasphemous heresie and apostacie as these that are become alreadie incorrigible of any Prince Prelate or people And againe he saith that I haue heard his Holinesse often and diuerse Cardinals more often report with exceeding dishonour to our nation the headinesse and obstinacie of our youthes So as now many great and wise men begin to suspect that the sufferings of our blessed Martyrs and confessors in England was not so much for vertue and loue to Gods cause as of a certaine choller and obstinate will to contradict the Magistrates there c. O monster of all other for so I may well tearme thee because I imagine thou art an irregulate Priest by reason of thy aspiring hart which probably wold neuer permit thee to seek for dispensatiō of thy bastardly base bloud Sundrie mischieuous practises of impiety are amōg the Iesuites yet of all their maximes this is one of the most inhumane bloudy cruell and mercilesse to wit that whosoeuer doth not approue and aduance Fa. Parsons and some of his fellowes conceits and courses touching our country nation though they be neuer so foolish rash furious scandalous dangerous nay though men be desirous to sit stil and meddle nothing with them nor against them one way or other yet if he do not ayde assist thē yea be currents of their fatall course in al things it is lawfull yea meritorious to haue such persons infamed by casting out any calumniation against them that may discredite them the practise wherof how many poore Priests in England haue tasted nay who hath not there being not one secular Priest whō lesse or more they haue not defamed yea no Prince Prelate Lord
or Iudge Paramount on earth vnder the Diuell in hell must denounce the sentence following out from his infernall seate Forasmuch as the secular Priests durst presume to appeale to Saint Peters chaire against my faithfull seruant George Blackwell instituted at my appointment designements and instructions giuen to the Pope of Rome to make him Archpresbiter and Protonotharius c. in and throughout the great Kingdomes of Albion or great Britaine to do lawe and iustice vpon such rebels against my louing brother the King Catholike of Spaine as in that Imperiall Isle it should seeme meete iust and necessarie in his wisedome to haue sharpely rebuked chastised and punished and for that also I did prescribe the manner how the said Pope was to proceede according to the tenure of my abstract of statutes lawes orders and actes enacted by me and my Generall in the high Councell of Reformation for England with a prouiso that my forenamed seruant Maister Blackwell should haue nothing to do with the fathers of the societie I thought it meete in my experience and wisedome not onely to exempt all my brethren and confatherhoods the Iesuites in England Scotland or elsewhere from being vnder the Archpriest but moreouer and besides to will and commaund my said seruant Maister Blackwell vnder paine of officipard to do nothing without my Prouinciall Garnets counsell designements and decrees who being an especiall illuminate and hauing a more neare familiaritie with God then any of the rest by reason of his place and calling he the said Blackwell thus directed by him shall be so farre and free from error or doing any thing amisse in acting all things vnder obedience to my Prouinciall as whosoeuer should contradict any thing by him decreed I hold it sit that he be noted for an Ethnicke a reprobate and one that was neuer established in the grace of God c. All these lawes statutes and acts with prouisoes thus enacted forasmuch as the seculars contemptuously haue violated infringed and broken the very marrow center and quintessence of their contempt accrewing to the preiudice of the holy societie and therein to Father Parsons in chiefe it stood his Prouinciall Garnet vpon to lay about him on the behalf of Blackwell to make his cause and quarrell his owne and this to be outwardly in shew Clement the eighth his Holinesse the Pope of Romes in managing and menacing and inwardly in intention to be Parsons that bastardly vicar of hell his in the platforme plotcastings and practises And so for all the world neuer imagine nor dreame of any kind of temporall gouernement by a Puritane Iesuit to be otherwise intended then as a Puritane Minister said in Edenborough God and the Kirke against the King and his Councell and outher ney King or ney Minister in Scotland As much to say and as Knoxe that seditious traitor did write to her Maiestie that those Princes who will not subiect themselues to their infernall and damnable discipline yea and submit themselues to be ruled by the Puritanian Ministerie might iustly and shold be deposed and depriued both of Crown gouernement and life at their pleasure Wherein you may please to note by the way that the Puritanian Ministers made the Gospell and the blacke Kirke of Scotland their pretence for aduauncing such a man to the Crowne as should wholly subiect himselfe and sweare and subscribe to the defence of their doctrine And yet all the world knoweth it that they would bring all into a Swisserly popularitie or a Geneuian gouernment void of Prince peere or other Noble or at least will neuer yeeld to accept of any King that shall not be ruled by theÌ„ And euen so the Puritanian Iesuits must needs intend do make shew of aduancing none to the English Crowne but such a one as is conuerted to the Catholike Church of Rome making the Gospell and spouse of Christ their pretence therein But yet their platforme allowes no King power or potentate aboue them and by consequent seeing notwithstanding yet needes they must haue the countenance of some great Monarch for a time to gouerne by in the state temporall as now they make his Holinesse for a while their sconce and buckler in the state ecclesiasticall it were no pollicie in them to haue an absolute Soueraigne to raigne in this land no not euen the Infanta who questionlesse Parsons made choise of before her father or brother the King of purpose to haue her gouernement subordinate either vnder him or the Emperour but as they haue gotten an Archpriest to be as it were a Vicar generall subordinate vnder his Holinesse in causes Ecclesiasticall and yet his said Holinesse onely to be a shadow or cloake but to haue no medlings or dealings nor to know any thing of the affaires of his Church here further then they shall please to informe him of so will they neuer admit of other gouernement but a Viceroy to be as it were a Prorex or King homageâ— subordinate to Spaine or Austria in causes temporall And yet the said Prorex must stand at their deuotion and not be able to informe anie thing to the King absolute further or otherwise then as they shall appoint him which if he do or attempt the contrarie he is sure to be deposed and loose his life for it either such a new King homager chosen by the Prince absolute at their assignement or else no King euer after but a king Cardinall and Pope Iesuit THE X. ARTICLE VVHether then is it dangerous or not to haue any of the English bloud royall either maryed to one of the Iesuiticall or Spanish faction which I perceiue is all one in the generall pretence though not in the intention or practise either within or without the land or otherwise conuerted to the Catholike faith if God so giue them grace by any Iesuite or Iesuited Priest of their faction THE ANSWER THe daunger you make a question of may be two wayes taken one spiritually and the other corporally In neither of which daungers any one can be said properly and directly to be in the act of either mariage or conuersion Because as I said at the first these seditious turbulent factious Iesuites here in England howsoeuer they may be in foro conscientiae and before God excommunicated suspended irregular or otherwiâ—e haue incurred any ecclesiasticall censure by their absurd grosse erronious opinions practises and proceedings yet for that they liue hitherto as visible members of the Catholike Church and neither do neither dare publikely teach much lesse obstinately defend any thing contrarie to the Catholike Churches doctrine and beleefe and further forasmuch as there is no sentence as yet denounced from his Holinesse against them or if denounced yet not here made knowne or if knowne yet no Bull nor Briefe come for assurance thereof or if any such yet not publikely promulgated therefore in foro externo all these circumstances considered and that the Church doth iudge secundum allegata probata as
meanes to worke on their behalfe to haue them accepted of as Generall of the armie in that exploit expeditionall against England intended Therefore in regarde hereof they are questionles often at daggers drawing amongst themselues whether some English or Scots or Spanish or German Generall should haue the name of Emperor or Dictator for the time of the conquest The Scots men knowing that if any of their nation should haue the preheminence then should their Critons their Gordans and other Iesuits of their nation be highest promoted the English not doubting but that if any of our owne nation should sway the scepter royall by their meanes that then their Parsons their Creswels their Garnets and others should haue the preheminence ouer the rest of the Iesuits and so if a Spaniard had the honor point then the Iesuits of Spaine if the Archduke then those of Germany should be most aduanced And thus ambition and affecting of soueraigntie doth so tickle them all with vaine and fantasticall hopes of England as quot homines tot sententiae amōgst them for the particular action by whom it should be chiefly acted And I verily thinke the first manner of proceeding as Doctor Cicill insinuates makes it apparant that the hot contentions wranglings brabbles and brawlings betwixt father Parsons and father Criton about the next successor was not absolutely for defeating the Scots title and aduancing of the Spanish which both as it seemeth by Critons speech in Master Cicils apologie did seeke for But the question in secret betwixt them was whether it were fitter to haue the Scots king or some other noble of Scotland preferd as vice-roy vnder the Spaniard or else the Earle of Arundell or Darby or Essex or some other of the English nobles had they title or had they none to the English crowne And so both like traitors against their soueraignes and countrie cogd the one with the other in their ambitious aspires pretending a beares loue each one to his countrie for his owne paunch A third way of the Iesuits agreement in statizing may be taken as it is an humor in these kinde of men that are ambitious to be alwaies loth to liue in subiection vnder any or to acknowledge any superior aboue themselues though of their owne order societie or companie where they liue And this aswell in regarde that they would not be crossed in their designments for any the least touch of contradiction strikes a proud selfe conceited body dead at hart as also for the humorous delight they take in commanding in chiefe where they liue though but ouer three or fower persons at the vttermost for a king of crickets a bedle of beggers and a Pigmay captaine in a conquest of cranes will straight driue pride into a conceit of a supremacie to be in himselfe sance pere And by reason of this naturall inclination in most of those that are Iesuits for amongst these three sorts of men whereof I told you before to wit wise wealthie or worshipfull onely admitted to be of their societie there is a great question which should goe away with the soueraigntie wit wealth and worship being al three incentiues of aspiring And you shal not finde any that hath spirit in him but howsoeuer he vaunt of obedience as the onely way to winne others to be obedient vnto him and doth indeede actually submit himselfe in all things to his superior Iesuit appointed ouer him yet will he seeke so much as is possible to get his necke out of the coller his head out of the halter and his vowed obeisance from vnder the yoke of commandants ouer him by setting foorth himselfe so as he may seeme to be fit either to be a state Counsellor for his grauitie a prouinciall for his policie a rector for his gouernment a courtier for his complements or an intelligent for his impudencie And in all these he must shew himselfe to haue a busie stirring head full of inuentions innouations and nouelties and so comming to aduancement he is freed in a sort from ordinarie controlment That this is a third cause or kinde of statizing wherin the Iesuits doe mightily disagree and are often at open warres by brawlings wranglings contentions and chidings amongst themselues defaming backbiting slaundering and supplanting one an other to omit what I haue heard of their ciuill broiles hatred and emulations in other countries as also what hath beene already saide out of Parsons owne writings and other things handled obiter in this treatise especially whiles Doctor Lewis Bishop of Cassana was visitor generall to whom I told you before how they put vp complaints against one an other I referre you for this time to one or two treatises penned and published by some very learned and graue catholike priestes wherein you shall finde a large discouerie of one of these Rabbies ruffling shuffling flourishing iars and iumblings to exempt himselfe from controlment of any superior and to be an absolute statesman paramount peregall peremptorie to command all others as actor independent of any to act all his actions I meane the great emperor illegitimate irregular abstract quintessence of all coines coggeries and forgeries Parsons the bastarde of Stockersey beyond Cosmage in Sommersetshire How cruelly and Machiuillianlike he ouerthrewe the credit of father Heiwood for presuming forsooth to equall himselfe with him at their being together in England and how flying hence being loden with the spoile of many poore catholikes he practised to be exempted from the checke of the Parisian prouinciall vnder pretence forsooth that the Queene of England had hired certaine persons to murther him there and since that time hath euer giuen himselfe to the studie of state matters This is that famous conqueror who hath bathed all England by his seditious libels in priests blood This is that woorthy excellent that lies dissembles and equiuocates at euery word This is that learned counseler that must rule ruffe range through euery state This is that same Parsons whom pope prince and peere with all true English harts haue cause to hate This is he of whom his owne generall reported that he was more troubled with one English man then with all the rest of his societie This is he of whom Cardinal Alan held this opinion that he was a man very violent and of an vnquiet spirit and of whom M. Blackwell now his darling said that his turbulent head and lewd life would be a discredit to the catholike cause And in few the generall conceit of all that euer haue throughly conuersed with him is this that he is of a furious passionate hot chollerike exorbitant working humour busie headed and full of ambition enuie pride rancour malice and reuenge whereunto through his latter Machiuillian practises may be added that he is a most diabolicall vnnaturall and barbarous butcherly fellowe vnworthy the name nay cursed be the howre wherein he had the name of a priest nay of an irreligious parson nay of a temporall lay man Iesuite nay of
effects we now behold both clergie and laitie highly offending so the succceding occasions of erronious conceipts hath been our owne faultes in treading our forefathers steps in this point of priuate respects selfe conceits and high aspires So as iustly we may say Non sumus digni à Deo exaudiri but rather and most true it is that nostris demeritis meremur puniri and that the fault is not in her Maiestie nor honorable Councell nor ciuill magistrate nor all nor any of our aduersaries but in our selues that England is not yet conuerted and our persecution of long time still encreased scil by reason of some seditious persons and others that followed them with indiscreet zeale and those that were in expectance of great matters by a change conuerting their thoughts from heauenly hopes to earthly hazards imploying their studies how to compasse their owne ambitious aduancements God highly offended to see his blessings and graces lost and taken from amongst vs for our forefathers sinnes to be gone about by the like and woorse proceedings to haue it restored againe It could not otherwise choose but greeuously offend the diuine maiestie and vntill the archplotters of this preposterous course for our countries conuersion were either cut off or otherwise had humbled themselues and surceasing from all ambitious aspires sought sincerely the health of soules not heapes of gold England should neuer be conuerted But we all die and pine away leauing the atchieuement to those that shall succeede in our places when we are all dead and gone That the Iesuits of the more fiery hot and Puritanian humor may not snuffe at the quiet that catholikes are here said to haue liue◠in eleuen yeeres you shall heare the very words of two of their great Rabbies Parsons Creswels speaking to her Maiestie in a Puritanian stile as followeth In the beginning of thy kingdome thou didst deale something more gently with catholikes none were vrged by thee or pressed either to thy sect or to the deniall of their faith All things in deede did seeme to proceede in a farre milder course no great complaints were heard of no extraordinarie contentions or repugnancies Some there were that to please gratifie you went to your churches But when afterwards thou didst beginne to wring them c. Which whensoeuer it was we were the cause as the attempts in Fraunce and Scotland make it manifest This then being the course and cause of humane hopes our harts doe bleede to reade and heare as sundry of vs haue what hath beene printed and published out of Italie in the life of Pius Quintus concerning the indeuors of his holines stirred vp by false suggestions to ioine with the king of Spaine for the vtter ruine and ouerthrow both of our prince and countrie Would God such things had neuer beene enterprised and more that they had neuer beene printed but most of all that they neuer had fronted our natiue shores And if Parsons and his associates had not busied themselues with that they should nor then had we not now medled in this place with that we would not as whereunto for a iust defence of all loyall catholike subiects ignorant of Parsons and his complices drifts we are now constrained to make appeales apologies and replies For what good soeuer the first or againe renewing of the excommunication the printing reprinting of state bookes and other practises may bring hereafter to the Church of God we neither see it neither knowe it But sure we are that for the present nothing hath done vs greater harme nor giuen our common enimies greater aduantages against vs. It is elsewhere set downe how that her Maiestie vsed vs kindly for the space of the first ten yeers of her highnes raigne the state of the catholikes in England that while was tollerable and after a sort in some good quiet Such as for their conscience were imprisoned or in durance were very mercifully dealt withall the state and change of things then considered some being appointed to remaine with such their friends as they themselues made choise of others were placed with Bishops and others with Deanes and had their diets at their tables with such conuenient walkes and lodgings as did well content them They that were in ordinarie prisons had all such libertie and commodities as the place and their estate could affoord them yea euen thus much and more doth Parsons confesse in his Philopater as also father Creswell in his Scribe to the like effect though both very rude peremptorie and sawcie in their speech to her Maiestie with thou didst this and thou didst that c. And Parsons in Grenecoate makes the case cleere especially for state matters though he turne his passage there against the Earle of Leicester to a wanton speech as deliuered from a Lady of the Court how great quiet the state and Court was in for twelue yeeres space no talke of treasons nor conspiracies no iealousies nor suspitions no enuie nor supplantations no feare of murtherings nor massacrings no question of conscience nor religion all liued in quiet content and right good fellowship was amongst them both Lords and Ladies wiues and maidens nobles and gentles knights and esquires married and single of all degrees a ioy it was to haue been in the Court in those daies saith Parsons in that Ladies name whose words mooued much the company where she was as women saith he are potent in moouing where and when they please she did deliuer her mind with so sweete a countenance and courtly a grace c. Now whiles you were say our aduersaries thus kindly vsed of her highnes how trecherously was she dealt withall by you For what had you to doe being catholikes and religious priests as Iesuits terme themselues with spreading pamphlets libels and other fooleries abroad of any misdemeanor in her Maiesties subiects and peeres of the realme You might haue left such scoggerie as Parsons hath set out in Greenecoate to Tarleton Nashe or else to some Puritane Martin Mar prelate or other like companions And for you it was to haue handled grauer higher and more important matters and that concerning soule points not subtilties nor new deuises much lesse to haue dealt against her Maiestie and the state in so traiterous a manner as in a late treatise set out by our brethren doth at large appeere Where to our vnspeakable greefe the world shall see that we our selues who would be termed catholikes and that of all sorts haue beene the true causes of all our owne calamities When I was examined before some of the high Commissioners at the Gildhall about 14. yeeres agone concerning matters of state and especially about the six Interrogatories which we commonly called the six bloodie articles knowing my selfe innocent from the beginning of any the least disloyall thought I haue often since much mused with my selfe what should haue mooued her Maiesties honorable Councell to haue proposed these articles to priests but most of all why
such straite lawes were made for comming into England of Seminarie priests bringing in of Agnus Dei crosses medals graines c. reconcilement perswasions to the catholike faith and the like All which when I saw the bookes of the excommunication of her Maiestie by Pius Quintus diuers others tending to that purpose written since and withall had well considered what the Iesuits dealing had beene how that they had procured these indulgences pardons to serue their owne turne therewith I then wel perceiued vpon what grounds the said six articles were built And Master Bales a blessed martyr shall witnes with me at the latter day how woe my hart was vpon the last speech he and I had together in the house of an honorable person where we met about those and other matters my last words being these vnto him scil that his holines was misinformed and indirectly drawne to these courses by Iesuiticall meanes And therefore of all other orders of religion were I to goe into any I would neuer be Iesuit whiles I liued And this may suffice for the matter in question to conuince any catholikes true meaning hart that the circumstances well considered with all humble obedience to the See apostolike be it spoken there neither was due circumstances in the Bull of Pius Quintus to binde any to withdrawe their allegiance from our Soueraigne neither and much lesse was it conuenient that the same excommunication should haue beene renewed againe THE IX ARTICLE VVHether then seeing her Maiestie and the state knew such practises were by priests and other catholikes vsed and put in execution and yet were ignorant who were of that faction more one then an other till now of late that God hath most strangely and in very deed as it may he termed miraculously reuealed the truth which long hath beene hidden to discerne who are innocent and who free may not then her lawes and proceedings against all catholiks in generall from the beginning of her Highnesse raigne to this present discouery of the treasons and traitors that vrged it be truely counted both milde and mercifull And that howsoeuer of her owne accustomed innate royall disposition benignitie clemencie her Highnesse may and we shoulde wrong our owne conceits in preiudice of her sweete and Princely nature if we should not thinke she would now at length take pittie of such her owne catholike subiects as haue manifested their loyaltie innocencie and ignorance of what was intended against her royall person and state Yet whether in tendring the afflictions which the innocent both secular priests lay persons haue sustained by making such lawes or prouisoes and adding them to the lawes alreadie made as may free both the priests and those that receiue them from the paines and penalties before by statute enacted against them all in generall may not for all that the sayd former statutes penall lawes and actes enacted be thought to stande in force against the Iesuiticall faction and no reason or sense to haue them repealed but both to haue beene made with great moderation and also to stand and remaine with as great pollicie in all or any wisemans iudgement that shall duly consider the Iesuits practises and other her Highnes enimies against her person state and kingdome in the course precedent of all this time THE ANSWERE I Holde directly the affirmatiue part heerein scil that both her Maiesties lawes and proceedings against all sorts of catholikes haue bene milde and mercifull the opinion and iudgement of her Highnesse in religion one way and their foresaid practises against her another way duly considered and also that all the appellants and other priests and catholikes that ioyne with them in prosecuting that appeale as there is iust cause and many reasons which we doubt not of but that to her high prudence and Princely wisedome they will present themselues in laments submissions and teares on our behalfes and in pollicie mercy and iustice on the part of her Highnesse towards vs why some prouisoes should be made for securing of them the said appellants and their associates together with those that do or shall receiue them heereafter from danger of the foresaid penall lawes so haue they and we all that be catholikes in England this day as great motiues causes and reasons moouing vs to admire that euer any of vs are left on liue to make knowne to all posteritie what hath hapned in our daies the like woonders hauing neuer hitherto as yet beene seene as our wretched age hath left recorded to those shall follow vs by succeeding turnes of natures course to the worlds end And by consequent we cannot vrge an absolute repeale of any former statute or penall law so long as any Iesuit or other priest or lay person of their faction which I hope would be very few if any were after they were gone shall remaine within the land but thinke our selues happie and deepely bound to her Maiesty if a prouisoe onely may be made in forme aforesaid to keepe the innocent harmeles though with an other prouisoe also or stricter statute if stricter may be for the vtter expelling of all Iesuits out of the land And for to make this my opinion sinke the deeper into all catholikes heads and harts that either are infected with the Spanish pip or otherwise Iesuited in affection or faction I must and do craue pardon for enlarging my selfe a litle in handling this subiect to the purpose and agreeing to their capacitie Often haue many wise learned and prudent greatly mused what should haue beene the cause in morall sense to speake to men of the heauie and sore affliction of catholiks in England for many yeeres yea it hath beene thought of many great clerkes yet with pardon craued ignorant of our English cases as heereafter will appeere that the circumstances considered as the occurrents came to their minds that their persecution in the primitiue church was not greater if so great respecting the danger of soule-wracke then the persecution in England hath beene for these twenty yeeres space and vpward to wit since the infortunate arriuall of the Iesuits in this land The causes moouing many to admire thereat and in multitudes of vollees in morneful sighes and sorrowes hurled out with wailings one to another greeuing when wise deuout true compassionates of their countries miseries met together that for our owne and our forefathers sinnes so heauie a scourge shoulde be laid vpon our nation our deere countrymen our flesh and blood our neerest linckt vnto vs often times our greatest lothers Amongst others these were the causes of their woonder how it should be First they considered with how great a sympathie all concord naturall incline and reciprocall affection It is no maruell though the Iesuits be so egar of England as they are and that they hazard body soule and all they haue or can be able to make to haue it wholy theirs For considering the poore lodgings scarcity of victuals and vncomfortable trauell
of a lyon becom a lambe In few we see in Polony in Sweden in Scotland in Flaunders and euery where that catholikes are together with those of other professions sects and opinions vnlesse it be where onely the Consistorian Caluinian Cartwrightian puritans rule the rost and that a company of ministers or exorbitant superintendants ouertop both Prince prelate and all as in Scotland and at Geneua c. Otherwise all kings and princes of this age haue iudged it in pollicie the fittest wisest safest and most honorable and princely course they could haue taken to graunt libertie of conscience to their subiects Which seeing our soueraigne Queene Elizabeth hath not granted and yet is knowne to be in her owne high towring princely wisedome of as high a pitch sound and deepe conceite censure and iudgement in reach not to be seconded of any of these adding heereunto that for gouernment of her land for policie in her state for noblenes in her court her Highnes hath the choice of as fine delicate and daintie breed of gallant graue quicke wits as Europe nay as Afrike nay as Asia nay as the world this day enioyes The Italian the Spaniard the Polonian the Sweden the Moscouite the Turke the Persian and who not is willing to aduaunce her Maiesties meanest sort of subiects sometime to the highest types of honor to winne them wholy to be theirs to learne witte sleight and pollicie out of their practise and experience These Boreas blasted lads borne vnder the Britaine Ocean able to fire with their wits the hotte climatical Southerne Sages witnes our Stukeleyes our Candishes our Furbishers our Drakes our Hilles our Sherleys our Parsons c. All these circumstances duly weighed that this heauie yoke should be laide by so mercifull wise and prudent a prince vpon the weake neckes of her poore subiects with weight importable for them to carry vnlesse her highnes should stretch foorth her accustomed Atlantike armes of clemencie to support them before they sinke downe right vnder their burthen That this seueritie should be more vsed against catholiks in England then either any catholike king or prince of other professions either Christian or heathen vse against either subiects or forrainers of contrary religions vnto the said princes throughout the worlde this day This is the point which many stande vpon in admiring how euer things should haue come to that passe they are at in England concerning the affliction of catholikes and cannot finde out the causes This then to make manifest to all the world by an historicall discourse and that howsoeuer we haue matter enough against our aduersaries euen for religions sake yet neither to aggrauate more then is necessarie nor to accuse further then is expedient nor to excuse more then is conuenient nor yet to lay the fault of any that is faultlesse therefore shall it be made knowne that as the affliction of catholiks in England hath beene in very deed extraordinary as is heere set downe and many an innocent man lost his life so also hath the cause thereof beene extraordinary and so farre beyond the accustomed occasions of persecution giuen to any prince in christendome or monarchie that is or euer was in the world to this hower vnlesse the Puritanes of Scotland which may in some sort equall the offence heere to be set downe as rather it is to be woondred at all things duly considered that any one catholike is left on liue in England then that our persecution hath beene so great for name one nation I know none can vnder heauen where the subiects especially if they were catholikes euer sought the death of their Soueraigne though of a different religion frō them the conquest of their natiue land the subuersion of the state the depopulation of the weale publike the alteration change of al lawes customs orders in few the vtter deuastation desolation destruction of al the ancient inhabitants of their land in so vnnatural vnchristian vncatholike a maner as the Spanish faction haue sought it in our owne flesh and bloud against this realme which treacherous courses although they were but some fewe and those priuate persons offences and by consequent in a court of conscience and in rigour of iustice the rest neither acting nor concurring nor consenting to their conspiracies were innocent and no way to be vsed with that seueritie as many catholiks haue beene Yet forasmuch as the pretences of such practises were generall and common to all catholikes alike all maintaining one and the same opinion concerning what might be done by apostolicall power and authoritie and neuer talking of what was necessarie therefore was it that her Maiestie and the state standing on the other side affected in religion as they did had both cause to iudge secundum allegata probata in foro externo and also can not otherwise be thought of but that the circumstances on all sides considered as well making for her owne securitie as also for a Non-knowledge what catholiks were guiltie and who were free her Maiesties lawes and proceedings against catholikes haue beene both milde and mercifull And as we are to thinke in deed our happe now to be hard if no mitigation nor prouisoe should be made for the innocent now that the way and meanes is knowne for discouery of traytors distinguishing betwixt state catholiks catholike loyall subiects so also are we to giue her Highnes humble thanks for our liues that we were not al cut off whiles no difference was made put nor knowne betwixt the secular priests Iesuits that we haue been permitted to liue to this happy houre of manifesting our catholike cōstancy obedience to the See apostolike in al our actions and our naturall loyaltie and seruiceable harts to our Prince and countrey in all our proceedings in neither stayning our catholike religion with vnnaturall treason nor priestly function with factious dispositions and state affaires But of this matter I will heere be silent referring you to a treatise lately set out by my brethren intituled Important considerations c. whereunto I haue prefixed an Epistle By both which you may see at large what statizing by acts wordes and writings in most treacherous and treasonable manner hath beene against her Maiestie against the present state against the whole common-wealth against vs all without exception her Highnes loyall and naturall subiects of what religion soeuer we be which seeing her Princely hart hath forborne as no Soueraigne on earth would euer haue suffred the like to haue past vnpunished as she hath I must conclude and end as we began that her lawes and proceedings haue beene both milde and mercifull THE X. ARTICLE VVHether then the premisses considered is it fit that Catholiks should send their children and friends to be brought vp in the Seminaries beyond the seas or not If not then how should the salt of the earth be kept vncorrupted or the seede of priesthood be continued for restoring of the catholike Romane
sequell of proper kind as we now handle them that the one followeth the other as the shadow doth the body there is nothing said in the last generall Quodlibet of state but it hath a relation to this of succession So as it can not be otherwise imagined but that the Iesuites haue a further drift and intend a greater mischiefe then all the world dreames of to make princes state gouernment and all authoritie seeme odious to the multitude Therefore I affirme and say absolutely as in my hart I thinke it that their proceedings therein are neither religious catholike christian nor dutifull but very barbarous impious and dishonest which I prooue first by testimony of holy writ Thou shalt not speake euill of the prince of thy people said the wise Salomon amongst his many Prouerbes Secondly Curse not the king no not in thy thought said the great Preacher in his ecclesiasticks and to the same purpose are the two great princes of the earth Saint Peter his words in his first Epistle and Saint Paule his speech by an Epistle to Titus Thirdly againe if any action can beare two constructions charity bindeth a man to take the best But princes haue neuer had more cause then now they haue by the Iesuites practises to be iealous of their estates ergo it ought to be construed in the best sense a man may if their gouernment be contrary to our likings Fourthly besides kings proceedings are oft aboue the capacity of the subiects and are not by them to be scanned or sifted much lesse to be slaundered and depraued Fiftly furthermore kings being the fathers of their country if they should haue in their proceedings any nakednes their subiects shew themselues to be of the generation of Cham that will not rather couer then detect them But such are the Iesuits vnnatural harts and greedie desire of soueraignty as it seemeth nothing doth more delight them then to find in a prince or priests coate some thing to make them seeme odious to their subiects or ghostly children Sixtly also the honour of our countrie ought to be more deere vnto vs then our owne credites or estimation nay oftentimes then our liues themselues ergo how can it be chosen but that the Iesuites being so ambitious in seeking their owne glory so greedy of their owne praises and so deeply affecting soueraigne dominion should not condemne themselues in their owne consciences in detracting and calumniating their soueraignes It is therefore most manifest and true as I haue often said and must haue often cause to repeate the same that of long time the grauest sort of the secular priests in England haue vtterly disliked such pamphlets and railing treatises and bookes as haue bene set out to the dishonour of her Maiesty and state here The booke that Doctor Saunders writ De schismate and his other De visibili Monarchia we wish with all our harts that they had neuer seen light Diuers of father Parsons books letters and treatises we haue and do from our very harts vtterly condemne them as conteining many seditious and trayterous points and being very full of slaunderous speeches and impudent calumniations Andreas Philopater being the fruits of father Parsons and father Creswell we hold to be fraught till it almost burst againe as some of my brethren elsewhere haue noted with all Iesuiticall pride and poyson And as touching the Exhortation before mentioned printed 1588. it is so detestable a treatise as all posterity cannot choose but condemne father Parsons for a most scurrilous traytor If he had beene brought vp amongst all the ruffians and Curtizans in Christendome he could not haue learned to haue writ more vilely prophanely and heathnishly Furthermore in that father Parsons and his fellow father Creswell do glory in their said booke that they haue caused not onely it but also master Saunders treatise De schismate to be translated into the Spanish toong and do reioyce that thereby the Spaniards are brought already into a greater detestation of her Maiestie her gouernment proceedings then they had before I thinke they glory in their owne shame and that they are to be accounted by all true catholikes to be most vile and trayterous persons that they dishonor priesthood and are as right Iesuits as insolencie and hatred can make them And so I conclude that the Iesuits practises and intents in wresting their Soueraignes and the state affaires in euery politicall morall and humane action to the worst sense is neither agreeing to Christian iustice catholike charitie nor bounden dutie of true subiects but like rebellious traytors to bring all into vprore that they may haue al crownes kingdomes gouernments succession state inheritance and all at their pleasure THE II. ARTICLE VVHether may not Iesuits although they are religious men and therefore excluded from dealing in publike secular affaires yet for all that which hath beene said imploy themselues in matters of state thus farre scil to direct and appoint the forme of the ciuill gouernment to set downe who ought to succeed to alter the ancient lawes of their countrie to decide and determine difficulties that may rise concerning all and euery competitors title in way of succession by birth blood c. to the crowne and to innouate all things vnder the pretence of gods glory and the promoting of their owne societie Or whether are not all these imputations so many vntruthes and calumniations THE ANSWERE I Hold it as I said before altogether vnlawfull for them to deale so in state matters and by consequent indecent First for that it is against the rules of their orders and very presumptuous for any of them to medle with the succession to the crowne at all Secondly it doth repugne from the very nature of all religious profession which is a seperating of men from the actions of the world Thirdly it tendeth to that which we most condemne in our common aduersaries For the consequence will be hardly denied it is lawfull for cleargy men to mannage ciuill causes ergo it is lawfull for temporall men to manage causes ecclesiasticall For wrest it and wring it aswell and which way soeuer we can possibly deuise yet will it alwaies be iudged of our aduersaries an assertion most euident and absurd to be denied that temporall men should not haue as great authoritie in church causes as Iesuits monks or friers at least if not also as other secular and ecclesiasticall persons should haue in causes ciuill Fourthly I shall not much need to trauell in this point bicause the Iesuits themselues do digest nothing woorse then to heare themselues charged with it for it is a practise with them to do all things vnder hande and to be as little seene in them as possiblie they can deuise And therefore as I haue often told you no lesse for the most part that which they go about they do it by other men or by feined names that if any inconuenience should happen they might either lay the blame vpon
our powers should take vpon vs to giue it vnto another were he neuer so good a Catholike that had no right thereto Iustinus Martyr speaking of the duety of Christians to the ciuill Magistrate in those times of Infidels and persecutors affirmeth that they prayed not onely for the Emperors themselues but also for their sonnes that they might succeede them in the Empire quod aequissimum est which saith he is most agreeable to iustice and equitie were they like to prooue as euill as their fathers there is no exceptions of it The which I rather obserue to shew my dislike of Fa. Parsons in this point who is accustomed vpon euery occasion when he is in his best moode to affirme that he careth not who it is from whence he commeth or what right he hath to the crowne of this kingdome that when the time commeth shall be able to catch it so he be a Catholike But concerning both this point and the former least it should be said that whilest I would seeme to giue a reason of that which I haue in hand I do onely shew my opinion and illustrate the same with similitudes that are of as great vncertainty as that which I propound I will confirme my opinion with the iudgement of a principall man to whom there will no great exception be taken and then that which I haue said will prooue to be an argument ab authoritate Thus he writeth Soloiure naturali diuino non priuatur aliquis Dominio in subditos propter peccatum Apostasiae in fide c. If you goe no further then to the law of nature or to the law of God no king is depriued from his soueraigntie ouer his subiects though it be for the sin of Apostacie from faith And he giueth a very sound reason for this his assertion nam fundamentum dominij non est fides c. For faith is not the ground of dominion but some other politike title hauing force by the lawe of nations of succession by inheritance or of election or of iust acquisition by iust warre Qui tituli possunt etiam manere sine fide neque vnquam extat ius aliquod diuinum quo eiusmodi tituli eneruantur propter defectionem a side which titles may remaine without faith neither is there any lawe of God whereby such titles are impeached for defection from faith 8. I know that iure ecclesiastico by the authoritie sentence of the Popes holines much more may be done then here I will speake of But yet I thinke it wil prooue in the end the best course for men not to do so much as they may Many things be lawfull which are not expedient And this Iesuiticall course of downe with princes when they offend them may peraduenture so prouoke them as they will say as fast downe with priests and of a certainty we shall haue the woorse When they finde that the titles of their kingdomes cannot be touched either by the lawe of nature or by the lawe of God do what they list it may giue them occasion to oppose themselues with greater seueritie against the See Apostolike in that the same should make such extreme lawes voluntarily against them as should tend to the thrusting of them out of their kingdomes And out of question it will be subiect if once they take this course to great iangling whether such lawes as should touch the deposing of a king are not rather to be accounted lawes ciuill and temporall then any matter or subiect fit for ecclesiasticall men or lawes to worke vpon We see already that some kings do take vpon them to deale and make lawes in causes ecclesiasticall denying his holines authority therein within their kingdomes And will it not seeme a thing much more plausible probable if other kings shall stand vpon it and say that his holines hath no interest to make any ciuill or temporall lawes that may touch their freeholds Nay if things should come to this rifling I feare they would in their heat goe further and tell his holines that for ought they finde kings haue as great authority to depose priests as priests haue to depose kings Besides it must be cōfessed that all priests Iesuits and euery other sort of clergie men the Popes holines excepted are borne subiects of kings and princes and it will be an odious assertion to say that the taking of priesthood vpon them should giue them warrant to bristle and make head against their soueraignes Furthermore it cannot be denied shift the Iesuits with all their cunning neuer so prettily but the immunities which priests haue from the temporall lawes of kings doe proceede as Saint Thomas acknowledgeth from their meere fauour and godly zeale towards them Also it is most manifest that as the kings of England haue beene most bountifull to the church and churchmen here within their dominions in so much as all the reuenewes and temporalties with many singular priuiledges which in this realme our forefathers haue enioyed haue proceeded from their most princely liberality and authority so standeth the case of the clergy in all other kingdomes which two points would be duly considered of in time For if princes should by the same meanes seeke to spoyle the church and take from it all her said immunities priuiledges and temporall possessions it will little auaile to bring in our distinctions how parliaments may giue what they list to the church and churchmen but they can take nothing either from them or from the church What the power of a parliament is in England we haue had too great experience and I suppose the states in other kingdomes haue the like And therefore in all pollicie kings and soueraigne princes are not to be ruffled with in this Iesuiticall maner That which they may pretend how in these their discourses they ayme but at some one or two doth indeed touch all kings if they incurre the displeasure of his holines Surely though I humbly acknowledge my selfe to be minimus fratrum meorum and neither arrogate to my selfe to be of such mature iudgement as many are nor will presume to take vpon me so peremptorily on the one side as Father Parsons doth on the other though vnlearnedly God wot yet I finde many great dangers that may happen to the Catholike Roman church if these violent spirits be not in time suppressed Such furious insulting ouer princes will neuer doe good They may be drawen many waies by gentle and milde proceedings with them rather then by such indiscreete and desperate courses whereby they grow to greater resistance For if the Popes holines in times past dealt so sharpely as it seemeth with Baldemarus king of Denmarke that he writ in this sort to the supreme Pastor Notum tibi facimus vitam nos habere à Deo nobilitatem à parentibus regnum à subditis fidem ab ecclesia Romana quam si nobis inuides remittimus per presentes Be it knowen vnto thee that we haue our
Christians towards the ciuill magistrate the Emperor then a wicked man and a persecutor doth in direct termes affirme that Christ had taught them such obedience and alledgeth his very words giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars If it be here obiected that peraduenture in Iustinus time the Christians wanted number to depose the Emperors Tertullian will make the matter most manifest that it was the onely will and pleasure of God reuealed apparantly by Christ and his Apostles that kept the Christians within the compasse of their duties to the Emperors when otherwise they wanted neither number nor strength to haue beene reuenged of them When the Christians labored frō time to time to purge themselues from sundryfalse imputations and from this one amongest the rest that whereas they professed their obedience to the Emperor it was onely but for feare and that if they had strength ynough they would then shew themselues to be his enimies and take vp armes against him Tertullian writeth to this effect Neque est vt obijciatis Neither is there any cause you should obiect vnto vs that therefore we dissemble the iniuries done vnto vs bicause we want force to reuenge them For euery one of vs is able although not openly yet in secret to doe mischiefe ynough For what were more easily done if it were lawfull to recompence euill with euill then in the night to burne your City Nay if we were disposed to professe our selues your enimies as you account vs we want not strength of souldiers but haue greater force then those Nations that doe warre dayly against you The Maures and Parthians and other barbarous people are but one Nation whose borders are limited but of Christinns the number in euery place is almost infinite There is no place nor order where there are not Christians So as if by our discipline we could take armes we could make a greater conspiracie against the Romane Empire then was hitherto euer made whether you respect force or courage Hitherto Tertullian as vnlike to our Iesuites as dutifull subiectes are vnlike Rebels and traitors And for the better manifesting of our allegiance to our Soueraigne vnfainedly from our Catholike harts so many of vs as are not of the Iesuites faction I will here a litle enlarge my selfe to shew what further testimony and reasons we haue to detest this Iesuiticall and Puritanian doctrine Saint Augustine who liued in a troublesome time neuer dreamed that the Scriptures did warrant subiectes no longer to obey wicked kings then they had power and force to rebell If he were now aliue our Iesuites would surely set him to schoole againe For whereas in his exposition vpon the 124. Psalme he hath at large discoursed how seruants and subiectes by receiuing the Catholike faith and Gospell of Christ are not in any sort released from their dueties seruices and subiection to their Masters Lords Soueraignes but are rather thereby more straightly bound to performe the same diligently truly and faithfully as in the sight of God before whom they stand he commeth to this obiection Sed numquid sic erit semper vt iniusti imperent iustis But shall it be so alwaies Shall the wicked still haue commaundement ouer the rest To this obiection you know what father Parsons would say viz. No it shall not be so any longer then that you shall be able to ouerthrow such gouernors and get you better And if in short time you shall not be able your selues so to doe I will doe my vttermost to procure you some assistance out of other Countries by forraigne inuasions procuring excommunications suspensions interdictions depositions and other meanes But to omit this vnnaturall stepfather let vs heare what S. Augustine that worthy Prelate light lanterne piller and Father of and in the Catholike Church will answere to the said obiection Nunquid sic erit semper Shall it alwaies be so Non sic erit It shal not be so But when shall it be otherwise The substance of his answere is that it shall be otherwise when Christ commeth to iudgement Now saith he we often see that there are many good Lords and masters but when it hapneth otherwise it must be borne with Quare Why vt non extendant c. that the iust may not stretch forth their hands to wickednes vnderstād that such their seruice and subiection is not euerlasting Sed preparent se ad possidendam sempiternam haereditatem And therefore reseruing themselues for this lasting inheritance let them beare iniuries but doe none And his conclusion of all this discourse is in these words Haec cogitant qui voluntatem dei sequuntur non voluntatem suam who followe Gods will and not their owne Now if this were the doctrine of the catholike church in those daies then how inconuenient this Iesuiticall innouation is and howe dangerous to be published now a daies the state of al catholiks in England but especially of priests may make it to be euident For by this wicked assertion so soone as the number of catholiks shall be so increased as that they may be able to take armes against her Maiestie they are bound in conscience so to doe and do grieuously offend if they do otherwise nay they do incurre the Popes excommunication saith father Parsons Now what must her Highnesse and the state thinke of such subiects doth it not stand her in hand to preuent that the number of catholiks do not increase if therefore they doe increase faster then she would if sufficient testimony be not giuen to the contrarie scil that al are not of this Iesuiticall faction Puritanian opinion hath she not good cause giuen her to cut them off I speake after the manner of men not presuming to tempt God with miracles What could any king or prince in Christendome being perswaded in religion as her Maiestie is do otherwise if he ment not to haue the crowne plucked from his head There is no way to preuent this mischiefe for ought I know but that all catholikes do enter into a league and make a vowe that they neuer will giue care to these bloody Iesuits in that behalfe but vtterly detest it and that were their number and strength much more and greater then her Maiesties they will neuer be perswaded or drawne either by threatnings or promises of any be it the Pope himselfe to beare armes against her Highnes to the destruction of her royall person and state but be ready to aduenture their goods and liues in her Maiesties defence against him or any other that shall assaile or inuade by hostile hande her state or kingdome vnder pretence of restoring of the catholike faith or whatsoeuer Nay as many catholikes as stande affected to the Iesuits considering how her Highnes hath beene vsed by these their false teachers they shall thinke themselues most infinitely bound to her Maiestie if notwithstanding they shall now vowe and professe as is expressed yet that she shall be pleased to beleeue them the
married into England but they are all too meane and none to be found worthie within that Isle by birthe calling or any other abilities of so royall a Lady as she is It is wonderfull how this Protheus windeth and turneth now this way now that way and with what suppositions exceptions conditions and quiddities he handleth this point All which deuises the circumstances therunto belonging being with mature iudgement examined and a thorough reuiew taken of the whole scope and marke he shutes at glauncing here and there at the popular authoritie giuen to the subiects of this land to choose a king of their owne doe make it most apparant that his and by consequent the rest of the Iesuites meaning was and is if possiblie they can bring it to passe First to destroy our whole Nation by aide of the Spaniard and Austrian Burgundian Netherlandian and such like Germaine bred huff muff forces Secondly and then hauing brought all into subiection slauery and bondage especially the auncient nobility and secular cleargy by sending the former into other countries vnder pretence of aduauncement to higher honors and suppressing the latter as illiterate vnexperienced and vnfit to gouerne or any way to be aduaunced to the Ecclesiasticall state there must follow such waighty reasons mouing aswell the king catholike as the Ladie Infanta to appoint some Regent Viceroy or other substitute vnder thē as whether soeuer or who else besides winne it by conquest or compremises yet none but a Iesuite shall or can be found fitte Penes quem imperium To haue the whole managing of all causes and to gouerne the whole Isle Thirdly the high Counsell of Reformation for England doth make the case most cleere that they aspire to a Soueraignty aboue all these Northen Isles aswell in causes Ecclesiasticall as Temporall as if you please to peruse the Quodlibet here set downe of that matter you may easily perceiue but more directly if you can get a sight of the booke it selfe Only this consider by the way that the chiefe point there touched being an oeconomicall order set downe to appoint all estates within what compasse they shall liue by an Agrarian law there is neither Priest nor lay person from the highest to the lowest in either or any of the three auncient states of this land but must by that high Court of Parliament or Counsell of reformation stand at the Iesuites deuotion to fleete and swymme which way and as their fatherhoodes will haue them so as a Iesuit must be Dominus fac totum in all these northerne Isles Fourthly the institution of the Archpriest is in such forme in their pretence as it can not denotate lesse then a supremacy in time to come ouer this whole Isle of England Scotland and Wales and by consequent then ouer Ireland as subiect to England For otherwise to what end is it that Master Blackwell should haue as full and ample iurisdiction ouer all Scotland as he hath ouer England considering that they haue a catholike Bishop of their owne countrie and nation And withall to what purpose is it that certaine priests of late comming out of Spaine should be more vrged then others were to obey him in what he should commaund he still himselfe notwithstanding being at the Iesuites deuotion to stand or fal and at their appointment and direction to command when what and where they will haue him Fiftly the most egregious tyrannicall vsurpate intrusiue authority of the Iesuites gotten ouer all the Seminaries at Rome at Saint Omars in Spaine and at Deway for euen the president there is but a subiect seruant or some terme him the vassall of father Parsons adding hereunto the like intendment for England in plotting to haue had father Edmonds head of the afflicted Church in Duresse and father Garnet the supreme head of all the priests and catholikes liuing abroad at liberty and both these then being but subordinate vnder Parsons he directing appointing and commaunding all both here and there as he list and as the generall and his fatherhood shall iudge what else can this denotate then an absolute intendement of a Iesuiticall monarchy Sixtly the presumed plea they take vpon them against the secular priests on his behalfe attributing vnto him Per argumentum è contra The title of a Soueraigne by calling the said seculars and all that appeale from him rebels c. Which word howsoeuer it may improperly be applyed to any inferiour respecting his resisting of a Superiour yet the common phrase of speach is to vse that word onely as a traiterous act or attempt of a subiect against his Soueraigne And therefore doe we call traitors rebels when they rise by resistance or inpugnance of their Princes authority lawes orders or decrees Whereas if it be but against some noble or other priuat or publike person we call it a commotion a ryot quarrels a fray a contention c. But treason rebellion sedition and faction doe alwaies presuppose such a superior as hath none aboue him in that state calling and condition of life wherein he liues as Soueraigne and those that rebell c. as subiectes vnder him Forasmuch therefore as we iustly terme the Iesuites traytors rebels seditious and factious persons not in regard of the contention that is betwixt them and vs for superioritie which they vainely arrogate to themselues ouer the seculars resisting their proud attemptes plots deuises that way but in respect of their tampering in state matters opposing themselues against their natiue Prince and Countrey and practising the vtter ruine and destruction of this land by stirring vp both forraigne powers to inuade and home borne subiectes to rise in armes adding hereunto their many libelles slaunderous and infamous speaches in preiudice and against both Pope and Prince church common wealth both states This being that acte and those proceedings which make traytors rebels factious and seditious persons indeed they still crying Whoreson first in a contrary sense bicause forsooth we would not be obedient to the Archpriest euen iumpe in the Iesuiticall meaning pretence and action therefore are we called rebels seditious factious c. By which words they plainely attribute a soueraignty to Master Blackwell in opposition for causes ecclesiasticall against and aboue the Popes holines and for causes temporall ouer and against her Maiestie And although that this be an ordinary passage amongst them to call all that are not currants of Master Blackwels course factious seditious c. Yet of all the rest there is one Iesuite Fa. Holt by name who vseth this word Rebell more then any or all the rest of his fellowes in a most arrogant prowde conceited letter of his to a very woorthy Catholike Lady of speciall note name and esteeme as wel for her calling birth and abilities in gifts of nature and fortune as also for her rare vertues religious piety constancy and other indowments and graces abounding in all workes of charity Whom how this factious Iesuite one of the
doe begin will daily more and more looke as well into their peruerse hypocrisie and irreligious policy as also into the secular priests sincere loyalty and catholikes innocency howsoeuer for the time present both Iesuits puritanes seeme couertly to applaude the one to the other in exclaâ—ming against her Maiesties more ioy all catholikes subiects then themselues are But a woonder lasteth but nine daies and when passionate clouds are vanished then will all true English harts of whatsoeuer religion giue thee thankes c. to wit that whereas before the Iesuits had vs all vpon the hip for god a mercie and threatned vs with all disgrace bondage and staruing which they brought to passe for nothing whiles we kept silence Now by our writing they are and shall be forced to let corrupt Angels fly and pay sweetly for it as well to preuent their iust deserued expulsion out of the land as also to bring vs into the former obloquie For what is it that god Mammon cannot worke amongst mortall men and they whose harts were hardned to see our great wants whiles they wallowed in worlds wealth giuen of deuout catholikes at the first for all our reliefes it were contrary to Gods iustice and the Iesuits deserts if they should not finde some crosse encounters to make them spend all againe contrary to their wretched intents and mindes for the saying is not more old then true that one euill gotten penny sets away a pound and that which passeth ouer the diuels backe must needs repasse ouer his belly againe and so it is of the Iesuits euill gotten riches whiles many a soule meane while doth perish They say moreouer that in the said booke of Important considerations I doe condemne all priests and by consequent then my selfe if that were true in generall that are or haue come into England to be equally traytors as well as the Iesuits and their confederates Good Lord how these cogging mates belabour themselues in sophistication and wrangling without any proofe sense or reason Well let it goe as a false lye calumniation and slander as I both there and more expresly in these Quodlibets haue manifested it to the contrary setting downe conceptis verbis what a reuerend conceit I euer had and haue of all priests that are not Iesuits in re or in spe and directly acknowledging all the seminary and secular priests as in my very hart I do beleeue it and esteeme of them with all respectiue reuerence for no lesse then so to haue died glorious martyrs as suffering only and wholy on their parts and in their deuout holy and catholike intents for religion and conscience sake And all that I said to the seeming contrary was that our aduersaries said and say still they died for treason but not any of vs euer said or thought so and my selfe without preiudice to any other of my brethren be it spoken least of all bicause most of all and in plainest tearmes I haue named aboue thirty twice told of our company most iniuriously defamed slaundered and detracted by the Iesuiticall faction all which said I in that same place are now glorious martyrs in heauen And further I yeelded a reason of our aduersaries opinion why they account them for traitors to be this scil for that they knowing directly by bookes letters and their owne hand writings together with many witnesses and testimonies that the Iesuites had dipt their hands too deepe in plotting practising and contriuing the meanes how to shed their natiue Prince and naturall countrey men women and childrens blood the state iudging of vs all promiscually Any man that readeth those bookes set out with the Epistles before them may easily discerne them al to be different from one another and neither the stile of and in all the said bookes to be out neither yet the Epistles to be of the same authors that the bookes themselues are of Onely the question is whether the said bookes were set out by any secular priests or other catholikes of the laytie or else by some Bishop or other person of the English religion the latter is vtterly denied as well by reason that there is nothing in these bookes of any materiall point but all those in the appeale yea the rest of priests and catholikes or so many as are not Iesuited or puritanized doe agree in allow ratifie and confirme the same And for the former the speech the phrase the whole terme is such as any may discerne it to be of a catholike recusants worke no Bishop nor other Protestant in England this day that will or would by word or much lesse by writing haue giuen so many pretogatiues or spoken so much in defence of the catholike Romane church and secular seminarie priests as in these bookes are deliuered at large But it spites the Iesuits and Puritanes to be compared together and therefore the one doth preach the other speaketh and both of them fretâ— so much against the secular priests Englands present state as they do not conceiting at that time any difference in points of hostile inuasion to be amongst vs nor and much lesse knowing who were guilty and who were free and hauing withall iust cause standing the Queene state oppositely affected to vs all in general for religion to suspect vs all alike as comming all from those places where these conspiracies were set abroch and professing all one kinde of doctrine in all these matters to outward shew I therefore said and so say still that as on the one side our single harts did and doe iustifie our cause before God and in the face of the catholike Romane church that we suffered directly for our conscience and religions sake so on the other side the Iesuits prouocations exasperations and incentiues did iustifie the state here in their dealings and sharpe lawes made against vs. And thereupon I said that caeteris paribus her Maiesties proceedings had beene both milde and mercifull and that we are not so much to exclame against the crueltie of the persecution as to admire how that any of vs are left on liue to talke of religion the premises considered of the contrarie affectation of religion in the state one way and the occasion giuen another way forcibly in all humane policie moouing our aduersaries to haue left nothing vndone for securing of themselues from those dangers they sawe hang eminent ouer their heads They say besides this that I haue renounced or denied the said booke to be mine that we are at contention amongst our selues about it and that all the secular and seminarie priests doe dislike and condemne it as much as the Iesuits doe if not more Which notable Iesuiticall deuise setting neuters a worke for this and the like blazons as I said before I answere at one bare word that all this is most false For neither did I neither doe I neither will I euer denie whatsoeuer I haue written concerning that matter And againe neither did neither
be so much the more probable that they both aspire ayme and shoote at an absolute imperial marke and withall will be able to giue a greater assault pushe and put for it when time comes then euer any of the fower monarches or other vpstart imperiall states gaue before them to this day by how much as they are more dispersed and haue greater fatours in all Christian kingdomes then any other rebels or aspires to soueraigne dominions had in any one of these regions where they first began tyrannically to rule For if Ottoman alone could passe out of Persia with other vacabonds and in the end become so mighty a Lord in a strange land vanquishing in short space the rest of his fellowes all great princes by fortune of wars and other meanes that now his successor called Imperator Turcarum is the most powerable Emperor of the world yea aboue the Spaniards by reason that his dominions are vnited together round about him whereas the Spaniard is rather hindered and his strength diminished by multitudes of kingdomes intituled subiected and gouerned by him then otherwise by reason that they lye so far a sunder disioynted by intercurring countries betwixt him and home on each side then considering what manner of men they are none can deny but that there is great likelyhoode of the Iesuits aduancement to soueraigne dominion with inlargement of their territories further then euer it was like that the Turke should haue enlarged his vntill the effects did demonstrate it vnto the worlde that so it was Secondly this is confirmed not onely ab inductione for euery particular Nation how many great potentates side with them to second their aduersaries euery where but also by the meanes they haue to worke that feate withall scil to increase their faction by winning inueigled single harts vnto them which they do sundry waies but especially by three deuises that are the cheife aides and hopes of conquests none of which the Ottomans had when they began their enterprise One is wit practise experience and policie for in vaine are warres abroad nisi sit consilium domi neither Matchiuel nor any that euer yet was in Europe comming neere vnto the Iesuits for Atheall deuises to preuent the stoppels of their stratagems and to further their owne proceedings An other is pretended piety whereby through helpe of the former to put their rules and principles in execution in due time and place respecting the person and other circumstances and occasions offered they haue and do not onely allure multitudes vnto them dayly encreasing the number of their faction but withall there can be nothing done nor almost intended against them or for the strengthening by counterplots of their aduersaries where euer they liue but presently know it and thereby hauing their spials in euery princes court and place of most intelligence that may informe their Generall as they doe once a moneth ordinarily from all parts of Europe what is there done or intended with or against them they haue the aduantage by being thus dispersed to saue themselues from all vniuersall or any notable danger And if possibly it can be preuented or their aduersaries ouerthrowen in their owne courses taken against these fathers they haue the meanes for it else it is not in the world to be heard of or found The last is plenty of money which Ottoman also wanted And seeing to speake morally there is not that exploite to be done which money cannot compasse then consider what huge masses of money and infinite treasure the Iesuits haue euery where It is credibly reported by some reuerend priests as I told you once before that they lost at their expulsion out of Fraunce three millions at the least Adding hereunto what large collections they make yeerely here in England which is the least they haue in any other Nation vnlesse Scotland c. where they are resident little or nothing at all sometimes comming to any afflicted Catholike so mercilesse hard and cruell harts they haue of many 1000. l. which some one of them hath reeceiued as before is touched in part and more at large in other bookes written of their conni-catching deuises to get money is to be found Then I say none euer had fairer meanes or greater helpes and likelyhoods of preuailing in their ambitious aspires and affecting of soueraigne dominion in an absolute monarchiall state then they haue Thirdly that the Iesuites practise is as well against Spaine and by consequent against the whole house of Austria and the Empire as against any other Nation it is apparant by that I told you of in part before concerning Fa. Parsons winding twinding doubling and boutgates in intituling the Lady Infanta to the English crowne meaning it directly for himselfe and his societie as is manifest also by his said books of succession c. which here you may please to confirme as wel by general collections out of the same bookes as likewise by the common report giuen out by him and his faction that not onely the said king catholike was priuie to the setting forth of that luckles labour but also patronized it as a speciall worke and peece of seruice done on his maiesties behalf to the greatest preiudice that could euer haue been offered to the king catholike as well ancient as recent and now regnant in esse For first he makes his maiestie the author in a sort patron and protector of all the conspiracies treasons and treacheries that are or can be brought against himselfe or any other soueraigne prince built vpon the erronious principles and grounds there laid downe by the many wide open gaps made through his popular doctrine For all rebellious multitudes in euery prouince court or countrie liuing vnder the Spanish gouernment or else where to enter and claime authoritie ouer him if in any thing they take pepper in the nose by least conceited dislike and all this vnder pretence of glorious stiles titles of common wealths and states Then he insinuateth as though the right title as well to the crowne of England as also of Fraunce and by consequent to the crowne and kingdome of all Europe there being not one but his title to it is as good if not better then it is to England were wholy in his highnes guift and free for him to bestow where he pleaseth And out of this grosse conceit he bringeth for an assured assertion for concatenation of the catholike religion and king catholike together as bellum sacrum hath beene euer since made odious euen to a Christian catholikes eares and the Spaniard had in suspition of all other Christian princes that he aspireth to a sole absolute monarchicall gouernment despition whereas it is this said father and his societie that aime at it in very deed Which no indifferent valorous or wise man hearing of but will thinke that all princes in christendome haue iust cause to looke hereafter to their stand and to haue a iealous watchfull restlesst eye aswell vpon the