but a figure of it There was no Bishop of note nor any of the auncient Doctors of the Church in all the first squadron which was not of this opinion or brought not out some matter of attainder against Ignatius Then Saint Peter by his authority and primacy ouer all the Church spake to them with an admirable Maiestie on this manner It is neither for you nor for vs to yeeld a reason of that which was done at Antioch when the Church of God gaue the name of Christians this was a worke of the holy Ghost And as it is not the seruants duty to aske any reasons of his Maister why he commaunds him this or that but he ought only to obey him so God hauing charged vs by his holy Spirit to call our selues Christians it is not fit for any man whatsoeuer to enquire the cause of it There is no speedier way to make men heretiques then to become curious questionists in such matters Therefore neuer thinke that this name was imposed vpon vs by the Suffrages of simple people As the name of Iesus came from God the Father so I may speake it for a certaine truth that by the faith and homage I yeelded to our Sauiour at the first vpon this word Christ he built his Church vpon me and gaue me the Keyes thereof among the rest For hauing asked the question of vs all what men reported of him some of the Disciples aunswered that some tooke him to be Saint Iohn the Baptist others said hee was Elias others one of the olde Prophets Math. 16. Luc. 8. But whom doe you quoth hee to vs his Apostles iudge me to bee I taking the tale out of the mouth of all the rest of my fellowes by the greatnes of zeale wherewith I was transported aunswered him Thou art the Christ the Sone of the liuing God and presently he replied that I speake not this of my selfe but by Reuelation from God his father And after this he declared me to be Peter and that vpon this Rocke he would build his Church and whatsoeuer I bound on earth should be bound in heauen Sith that vpon this confession of Christ he built his Church vpon me this was a silent lesson he taught vs of his will and pleasure that after his ascention into heauen he would haue his Church to bee called Christian and vpon this proiect all our brethren doubted not to take vp that name at Antioch I my selfe afterward making Euodius Bishop of that Sea Suidas in verb Christianus confirmed that name of Christian in the Church I maruell said Saint Peter turning himselfe to Ignace that you honouring as you say ye doe the Sea of Rome where my successours sway the gouernment and yet at the first dash you haue despised my decrees were there nothing else but this to be weighed in you you may not so be admitted into this ranke Ign. Will you not receiue vs vpon the three vowes we haue with great holinesse made of Chastitie Obedience Pouertie and that which is more of generall and particular pouertie when we became fathers of our order S. Peter This is another barre that shuts you out for although Chastitie Obedience and Contempt of the world were familiar matters with vs yet did we not this by vow that was brought into the Church after our time by those whom you see stand in the second ranke and to say the troth wee neuer tyed our deuotion to pouertie Ign. Wee minister the Sacraments of pennance and the communion as you did and we are readie to go foorth for the aduauncement of Christianitie whither soeuer it shall please your Successours to send vs. S. Peter These two Sacraments are likewise ministred by the Mendicants of which order there be many now in the Indies in Palestine and at Pera neere vnto Constantinople to conuert the Infidels yet are they not ranged in our Squadron you must go to them and let them know there is too great oddes betweene vs and you to yeelde you anie place heere Ignace finding himselfe excluded from the first station in this procession he was some-what amazed neuerthelesse he thought to speed better with the second because he should there haue to doe with S. Anthonie the honour of all the first Hermits For I know quoth he that in the heate of his holy meditations hee gloried in ignorance I am sure that if he doe but trie me therein he shall find me nothing inferior vnto himselfe Thus deuising with himselfe what might best bee doone to creepe into his fauour he shewed him that he had passed his time in heauenly contemplations and not in learning as hee had done before Yet true it was that hys ignorance had made many learned men which were all priested ministring the holy Sacraments some of them were Preachers and some Regents The holy and venerable yeeres of this good Hermite gaue Ignace this aunswere Brethren I commend your intention but it is nothing like vnto ours Our deuotion and the deuotion of all the good Fathers first founders of the religious orders was a solitarie life without schollership or priesthood our wisedome consists in continuall lifting vp the minde toward God taking all humaine learning to be meere vanitie And as for Ecclesiasticall functions we take no charge of them they depend vpon the Bishops that feede vs by theyr inferiors in the Church Your Rulers are not like ours In Gods name my good brethren goe your way in peace leauing vs to our sweet life in quietnes of conscience within our Cells Neuerthelesse it may be you shall find behinde vs some shreds and remnants of ours in in whom you may take some roote namely those which by permission of the holy Sea are called to the orders of priesthood and may both preach and minister the holy Sacraments of Penance and the Alter as you doe Ignace passing from them to the other Saint Benet perceiuing him comming by his gate tooke the speech to himselfe and said If you be of our companie you must either be Ancors and Hermits or Monks Conuentualls Your profession denies you to be Ancors we may be easily entreated to excuse you of it because that life is too painfull But if you be Monks and Conuentualls as we are where is your frock your hood your cloake For Elias the first image of our Order and after him S. Iohn the Baptist both differd from the cōmon people in apparrell VVhere is the great shauen crowne vpon your heads by which S. Hierom said that in pouertie we are like to Kings and Monarches where be the extraordinarie fasts your societie keepes not onlie beyond the cōmon people but beyond the Bishops and Curats Where be the Cloysters within your Monasteries Heereto Ignace and his companions briefely and roundly answered him that they were no Monkes but religious persons onely Is it euen so saide S. Benet then are you a kinde of quintessence of Monks And as the facultie of Phisicke
at all and two others Lainez and Bobadilla hauing gone forth Maisters in Spaine were not adopted in the Vniuersitie of Paris so consequently were incapable of admission Notwithstanding the tenor of their vow they neuerthelesse to the preiudice therof left France in the yere 1536. and in 37. they were at Venice where when they had rested a fewe months at mid-lent they went to Rome as well to get leaue of the Pope to take holy Orders of priest hoode Maff. lib. 2. cap. 3. as also to goe to Ierusalem to preach the Gospell faining themselues not onely to be Maisters of Arts of the chiefe Vniuersitie of Europe but to haue studied diuinitie there for many yeeres Ribad lib. 2. ca. 7. The Pope entertaind their request without any great sifting the cause forasmuch as they confined themselues to Palestine that without charge to his holinesse coffers many of the Spaniards themselues contributing to this matter in fauour of them Thus these newe Pilgrims receiued 210. Ducats by bills of exchange at Venice to set their new pilgrimage afoote I haue portraied out Ignace to you for one of the cunningest worldlings in our age Finding his cause drawne vp to such a head he beganne to forget his first vowe and to feede many townes in the state of Venice with new assemblies There it was coÌ„cluded among theÌ„ to diuert their voiage backe againe to Rome to shewe Pope Paule that newes was come of warre between the Venetians and the Turke vvhich vvas a great barre to their pretended pilgrimagâ— In the Cittie of Rome they erected a new frame of their societie much different from the former and they followed it two whole yeeres in which space Pope Paule coulde not by anie meanes finde in his hart to graunt them theyr peticions although he were vrged and importuned by many and by Cardinall Contarer himselfe for neuer was yet noueltie destitute of a Patron Now let me â—ell you an expresse miracle of God that happened about the same time to discouer these tenne newe enterprizers to be very cheaters They reported that the Seas were stopt by reason of the warres against the Turke that by this meanes they could not effect theyr first dessigne Behold here a new way beyond all expectation opened to them for the conuersion of Insidels to our religion without any danger All that I haue spoken of in this place concernes their two Euangelists and doubtlesse this historie deserues to be sent by sound of Trumpet through all the world I remembred vnto you before that Iohn the third of that name King of Portugall possest a great part of the East Indies ill peopled which he desired to haue conuerted to the truth The fame of the deuotion of this newe companie that said they had vowed these conuersions was spred ouer many Nations the King summoned them by Letters to come to him that vnder his protection they might be dispatcht into the Indies But Ignace beeing subtile whilie turnd the deafe eare to this motion remembring no more his first vowe made at Montmarter nor his second vowe renued at Rome by which hee got a good sum of money and sent forth Xauier and Roderic onely keeping the other seauen about him Doe not you see by this that Ignace was a states man no religious man who dalied with his vowe made at Montmarter By the matters heere discoursed you haue heard what was their vow at Montmarter to goe for the conquest of soules after their doctorship in Diuinitie That some of them said they were Maisters of Arts in Paris that they had bestowed many yeeres in the studie of Diuinitie meere fables The pause Iulius the third made in their allowance euen when hee tooke them at theyr word to be such men as they reported themselues to be and that he was verie much pressed by Cardinall Contaren their Solicitor and Protector what would hee haue done then think you if his holines had receiued any true intelligence of their history Me thinks that with admirable maiestie of those venerable yeeres hee carried I see him speake to them in this manner All new orders of Religion are to be suspected and for this cause were they forbidden by two generall couÌ„sels the one held at Rome the other at Lyons you present vs a new religious Order vnder the name of the societie of Iesus as true followers of him and his Apostles Your intention is derogatorie to your profession or to speake more properly your profession is contrarie to your petition and implies a contradiction For if you be the Apostles Schollers one of the first lessons they taught vs was that looke what hath beene ordred in a generall Counsell by the heads of the Church ought to be kept inuiolable vntill it be repeald by another Counsell vppon iust occasion As if all did shoote out of one stocke of the holie Ghost Placuit spiritui sancto et nobis they spake in such cases as men that diuorced not the holy Ghosts cause froÌ„ the Churches nor the Churches cause from the holy Ghosts If you trace after the Apostles so precisely as you protest how comes it to passe that by a new found order you goe about to breake the auncient canonicall coÌ„stitutions of the Church I know it well that beeing Christes Vicar I may dispence with you and I much commend your obedience to the holy Sea But setting aside that which hath beene decreed in generall looking in particular toward you all things degenerate from that you now intend I perceiue that your beginning had some taste of God your proceeding sauours much of man and your end smacks three or foure times more of the deuill Betaking your selues to a deuotion full of perrill you made choice of the Martirs Church neer Paris to shew you would all be ready to shed your blood for the truths sake as oft as occasion serued A braue and holy resolution which cannot be praised enough Vpon this point you went to confession all of you heard Masse deuoutlie after that you receiued the Sacrament vpon the day of the Assumption of our Lady the most solemne feast of hers desirous that the blessed virgine should bee a witnesse to your vow you continued it two yeeres after the selfe same day and place Heere be holy circumstances enow to tie you to the vow you made then Let vs consider nowe what this vowe was You promised to God that when euery one of you had ended his diuinitie course you would renounce the world and goe to Palestine to conuert the enemies of our fayth and that if you should within one yeere after your Doctorships be any way hindered of your voyage you should seeke vnto me to receiue my direction For the first execution of so faire a plot you made choice of the Citty of Venice for the generall Rende-vous of these Pilgrims that were to goe to Ierusalem Before you proceeded any further thou Ignace for to thee I speake in particular
did proceed onely from their folly accompanied alwaies with one of these sixe lying spirits For example and to vse his owne words From their manifest folly bad spirit from their folly passionate spirirt from their folly and presumptuous spirit from their folly and vnshamefast spirit from their folly and malignant spirit and from their folly and deceiued spirit With this folly and these sixe wicked spirits he raiseth vp tempests against vs by Sea and land and playeth the Exorcist in such sort throughout his whole discourse as if hee had beene Frier Weston another Pidgeon of the same Doue-coate at Denham when the time was whereof wee feare a straunge relation and so dealeth with our said brethren as though eyther hee himselfe or they good men were diuels indeed And shall wee say that this man hath no gall in him but in mildnesse of his speech and simplicitie of his heart is like a Doue Hee that shall with anie iudgement read his said treatise will rather thinke he was brought vp in a Crowes-nest Some men are much deceiued if both he and many of his crue might not for their stinging and poysoned writings be better resembled to Hornets and Dragons then to so milde a fowle as a Doue is reported to be by all that write of her But certaine persons will say vnto vs you see not that part of the wallet that hangs at your owne backes It is true that wee are not ignorant how greatly some of our said brethren are blamed and Maister Watson chiefely by many of you how iust soeuer their cause bee for the bitternesse of their stile and we wish with all our hearts that they had tempered their pennes better not in respect of the Iesuits but of your weakenes God forgiue vs all our sinnes In multis enim offendimus omnes For in many things wee offend all Si quis in verbo non offendit hic perfectus est vir If any offend nor in his speeches he is a perfect man But yet some further defence may be made of our brethrens said bitternes mens generall imperfections alwaies considered wherwith we often stayne euen our best actions It must bee confessed by all men that are of any vnderstanding that sharpenesse eyther of speech or style is not alwaies to bee disliked The olde Prophets Christ himselfe his Apostles many holy Saints and Fathers haue vsed this kind of bitternes and sharpe writing when they saw cause To which purpose much might be alleadged as also to shewe that oftentimes wounds are better then kisses fretting tents corasiues and incisions more needfull then gentle milde lenitiue and ouer hastie skinning plaisters So as hereof there being no question amongst vs or any other of discretion the doubt then is whether the Iesuits or we haue the better cause and consequently whether of vs may better pretend the testimonie of Gods Spirit a good conscience true zeale perfect charitie and the practise of Christ of his Apostles and of many auncient fathers for the sharpenes of our writings Maister Parsons speaketh in his said manifestation of his owne long and accustomed practise and experience where he saith That an euill argument may sometimes by cunning and smooth handling or by shewing wit learning of zeale or modesty be made plausible to the vulgar Reader And indeed therein he hath an especiall gift aboue all men that we know For no mans writings are generally more spightfull and galling then his But it is mixt with such stoods of Crocodils teares when he guirdeth most as that he then alwaies pretendeth such deuotion and charitie as though euerie hard word he vseth went to his verie heart and that hee would not deale so roughly with any of his brethren for his life were it not that for their good and amendement hee were driuen thereunto of meere necessitie And with these fayre pretences the simpler sort are greatly blinded But by his leaue it is also as certain that if a true cause be cleerely and at the full deliuered although it be done with no such hypocritical skill but with some choller and heat of humour as zeale sometime is tearmed he is but likewise a verie vulgar Reader and of a shallow reach that will therefore be led to discredit the truth vpon so light a ground Men of sound iudgement will alwaies looke to the issue of the matter in question and not to the manner of pleading More therefore of the cause it selfe wherevpon this doubt before mentioned doth arise Wee hope we may truly say it as in the sight of God and without all pharisaical ostentation that we are not ambitious that we seeke no exemptions from our lawfull superiour that we honour discipline and embrace it that we craue to haue Bishops to ouer-see punish control vs whē we doe amisse and that we labour chiefly in these disastrous quarrels to withstand so great an innouation general disgrace to all the Seculer Cleargie in Christendome as neuer yet hapned if we should yeeld to be at the checke and direction either of Frier Garnet Frier Parsons or any or all the Iesuits in the world And wee are the rather so earnest against both them and their plottings to this purpose because we likewise know their further practises and most wicked designements against both our Prince and country how they ingaged thēselues with the Spaniards her Maiesties professed enemies So as might the Iesuits once beare rule ouer al both Priests people as let the state look to it in time for they haue further preuailed here in alreadie then we are glad of it would not be long before this kingdom were brought into a general cōbustion Is our cause then so iust and theirs so impious and should we be silent Doe they say vnto vs with Tobias the Ammonite That do what you can a Foxe shall be able to ouerthrow all your opposition z. Esdras 4. The Infanta of Spaine shall be your Queene and that sooner then you looke for and shall we not say as it is there in the Text Auds Deus noster quia facti sumus despectui conuerte opprobrium super caput eorum da eos in despectionem in terra captiuitatis Heare vs O our God heare vs and because they doe despise vs and our endeuours to maintayne both the Church and our countrey against their machinations giue them ouer that they may be a despised and contemptible generation throughout all the world if in time they repent not Can any true harted English Catholick seeing how the case nowe standeth betwixt vs and these men be iustly offended with this our zeale Hath God made vs annoynted priests here amongst you and shal we see a sword drawne out against this Land and not sounde out our trumpet to sumon you to battell One telleth you verie plainlie in his Latine Appendix and we suppose it is our R. Arch-priest him selfe that Cardinall Allen and Father Parsons as Moses and Iosue iam diu