faith it vvas abruptly in three howers donne by me beside none at Paris either helped me or saw it as yet therefore it must needes be childishe I pray you let it come to light both for the honor of the Church and my credit also and for the discharging of my conscience besides I made a solemne oth that there is nothing but that it is true euery good Christian vvill thinke so and I vvould you could learne his name that was in prison neere me in the Gatehovvse aske him c. as for the resolution of entring into religion I haue chosen meaning thereby to worke by Gods grace my saluation I do it not for neede for first I might may be but I vvill not a Carthusian although I neuer offred my self besides going vvith a good Religious Father to Says in Normandie there in an Abbey of Sainct Martin I vvas requested of most of the Brethren as this Father can testifie to enter into their order but I neither offred my self there or to any other order but this Nor minde to be of any but this of the Carmes which I trust I haue made choise of by Gods suggestion not condēning any other order al doublesse being of God neither yet enter I into religion for neede or for desperation for I know that if the number of my sinnes were more then the litle sandes of the sea if I vnfainedly repent by Contrition Confession and Satisfaction as much as I can that God will be mercifull vnto me to be short I vvill neither in any calling dispaire or presume for if in any thing in this it is truely said In medio consistit virtus Briefly I will either attempt it vvith zeale deuotion and full desire of working my saluation and the seruice of God or els Manum de tabula that is I will leaue of betime and not take the habit and afterwards Valedicere habitui conuentui As for the rest in your letter if I study not to put them in execution to th'vttermost of my power surely my hart is more hardened then euer Pharoes hart was seing that one not much inferiour to Moyses doth both by word of mouth and by writing speake vnto me so louingly effectually Thus leuing of to trouble you I request al your prayers for me and as my bound dutye is I will whiles I liue be your beades man At Paris Your daily Oratour Laurence Caddey THE CONFESSION OF RICHARD BAINES PRIEST AND LATE STVdent of the Colledge of Rhemes made after he vvas remoued out of the common gaile to his chamber AS my miserie vvickednes vvas greate which I vvill now set downe to the publishing of my ingratitude to God the Church and my superiors so vvas Gods iustice mercy and prouidence meruelous towards me to saluation as I verely hope Of al vvhich to the glory of Christ and satisfaction of the holy Church and all her children whom I haue offended or scandalized to mine owne vvorthy confusion temporall I intend to make this my publike confession that al that stand may by my exāple beware of a fall and such as be fallen may thereby make hast to aryse againe The very ground of my fall and of al the wickednes ether committed or intēded was my pride which droue me to a lothsomenes to liue in order and obedience to conceipts of mine owne vvorthines and manifold discontentement of the schollarlike condition vvherein I liued to an immoderat desire of more ease welth and which I specially also respected of more delicacie of diet and carnal delits then this place of banishment was like to yeld vnto me though vvo vnto me that could not see so fare before the studēts state in the Seminarie vvhere I vvas in very honest compt and calling is in all points so good and happy that most vvise men wonder at Gods so mercifull and plentifull prouision for the competent maintenance of so many in such a blessed trade of life and education Besides this though I vvas not onely a student in diuinitie but also a priest though many vvaies I shewed and made my self most vnworthie of that high degree pretēding in dede in the sight of my superiors the study of holy scriptures as dewly required yet in truth I most delited in prophane writers and the vvorst sort of them such as ether wrot against the truth or had least tast of religion vvhereby the holy vvriters of my Christian profession priesthood began daily to waxe more and more tedious and lothsome vnto me in so much that in the doing of such publike exercises as by my course of study or my superiors appointmēt I often made I had a delit rather to fil my mouth and the auditors eares with daintie delicat nice and radiculous termes and phrases then vvith vvholsome sound and sacred doctrine Whereby at leinght I had such a liking of my self that through nouelties of wordes ioyned vvith pretty prouerbs termes and mocking taunts wherevnto by natural inclination and by my said prophane vsage I vvas much giuen I found meanes to insinuat my self to the familiaritie of some of the yonger sort that me thought might easely be caried into discontentment to mislike of rule and discipline and of subiection to their maisters and gouernors for vvhich purpose I vsed ordinarily some prety skoffes against euery of the elders of our howse Vndermining by art also but in pretence of great playnnes and holy simplicitie certen very honest men vvhom I thought knevv somewhat of my superiors secrecie the knowledge whereof our lord God forgiue me I purposed to abuse as occasion afterward should be giuē to the annoyance and great hurt as wel of the Catholike cause as of the Seminaries our President and other principal persons to whom by the lavv of God nature and by singular benefits donne to me I ovve all duety With this I began by litle and litle to the scandal ruyne of diuers of the youth and other my fellovves if God had not preserued them by his singuler grace as vvel by my example of licentious life as by vvicked words to shew my mislike of fasting and praying calling for flesh pies or pasties in my chamber on fry daies at night and omitting the diuine seruice prescribed to men of my calling often iesting and skoffing thereat before some of my companions in vvhose secrecie loue toward me I had some affiāce And then proceding farther and farther in vvickednes I began to mocke at the lesser points of religion vvhich is the high vvay to Heresie Infidelitie Athisme as to my great daunger I haue experience in myne owne case so lamentable desiring al Christian people to take head by my example Protesting to al the vvorld that it is not reason nor scriptures nor the spirit of God which are so much pretēded by protestants that leadeth any man to that damnable sect by vvhich one countrey is perished but it is voluptuousnes sensualitie pride ambition
A TRVE REPORT OF THE LATE APPREHENSION AND IMPRISONNEMENT OF IOHN NICOLS Minister at Roan and his confession and ansvvers made in the time of his durance there VVherevnto is added the satisfaction of certaine that of feare or frailtie haue latly fallen in England PRINTED AT RHEMES By Iohn Fogny 1583. THE PREFACE Good Christian reader the children and specially the Priests of Gods Church haue ben manifoldly assailed by their aduersaries in our coūtrey these later yeres first by the vvriting and preaching of the Sect-maisters vvhich made no great impression Secondly by authoritie of the Ciuil Magistrate vvhich vvas more forceible but yet preuailed no further then to the losse of some rich-mens transitory goods a fevv poore mens temporal liues neither the one nor the other perished to the ovvners but both laid vp vvith Christ and bestovved vpon him to the hundreth fould aduantage in the next and to the great encrease of the Catholike partie in this life Lastly by practise and pollicie of certain crafty cōsciēceles men by falshood forgerie altering in the sight of the simple the causes of their death punishment making their liues actiōs odious to the vvorld Vvhereby they disaduātaged in deede the Catholike part much more then by any plaine violēce or pretēded iustice vvhatsoeuer Besides the cōmon persuasions of Protestants but most false though grounded vpon the experimēt of their ovvne disloyaultie in the daies of Q. Mary that al Catholikes be ennemies to the state vvas it not a great tēptation to such as knovv not the deepe subtiltie of Sathā to see that certain good fellovves vvere found to preach print aduouch to the faces of the poore desolate persons yea and to svveare that they had purposed and practized the Queenes death particularly recording the time place and circumstances and naming such and such of the Counsel that vvere vvith all to be massacred and al this either so coulorably and confidently or so plausibly oportunely for the practize that publike iustice passed vpon them as malefactors and therevvith many pretty pāphlets put forth and spred for the tempering of mens speaches and conceits of such strange procedings In this case truly a poore and vnaduised man might haue ben either for some time abused or haue foūd good cause to say vvith the prophete Penè moti sunt pedes mei my feete vvere almost moued But he that said nothing is hidd vvhich shall not be reuealed vvould not haue this error long to preuaile but hath to his ovvne glory the honor of his saincts and great aduantage of the Catholike cause in our countrey and the vvhol Church many vvaies discouered that trechery as short gaudies almost hath the ennimie of such traffick as Iudas had of the betraying and sale of Christ vvho disclosed his ovvne treason yelded vp his money againe and hanged him self before his Maister vvhom he sould vvas executed God giue the aduersaries better grace and an other kind of repentance then that proditor had to saluation and not to perdition But truely his name be therefore euerlastingly glorified our mercifull lord hath merueilously reuealed to the shame of heresie these sinful inuentions of the Churches ennemies The conscience and certen knovvledge of so many good men that knevv those holy confessors innocency the vvisedom of others that savv the practiz coulour and collusion the note of their ansvveres and full satisfactiō giuen at the barre their vniforme and sincere protestations of their innocencie at their death the very qualities of such persons as vvere the first brochers and instruments of their accusation and condemnation al these things and diuers treatises set forth of the matter haue opēned and made clere the case to the vvhol vvorld vvhereby god of his old mercies hath turned all these difficulties and apparent distresses to the singular benefit of his truth And lo here more to see his svvet prouidence and disposition of these things Iohn Nichols him self the first author of the shamfull fiction and that first set dovvne the particularities for vvhich the men of god vvere cōdemned and executed falling of late into the handes of the iustice at Roan hath confessed al the collusion and forgerie Vvhich vvas thought meete to be published Verbatim euen as him self vvrote gaue forth to the Officers and others the Original partly remaining in the court roules partly to be shevved of his ovvne hand vvriting In setting it dovvne no one title is altered nor the very incongruities of his speach amended And though he vvas in prison vvhen he did it yet he did nothing of feare or compulsion being assured that he could not for such matters as he had committed in Englād nor for religion be any long time in durance in Fraunce but al came of deepe remors of mind and conscience for the death of the innocents vvhich he knevv came by his false accusation vvherevvith he vvas invvardly so vexed in England though he continued as he dooth yet in his peruerse pretēded religion that he both confessed his foule dealing to one of the cōdemned persons and to some in office and authoritie there and also in fine left the Realme therefore specially and partly as he saith him self because the Bishops vvho vvere cōmaunded and had promised him euery one of them a yerely pension for recompence of that his seruice vvould not keepe touch vvith him but shaked him of vvith a Tu videris like as the ievves did their copesmā sudas Vvhere vpon he obteined a peece of mony of an other his principal patron vvho thought it pitie or at least no pollicie to cast the poore miser of in that sorte and passed ouer into the lovve countrey vvithout taking his leaue vvent forvvard into Germany provvling as his manner hath long ben vvith Epistles for his liuing and not finding cōtentement so he purposed into Turkey and thithevvard he vvent on till by the persuasion of his cōpanion one M. Laurence Caddey sometime student of the English College in Rome he vvas turned back from that desperat course into Fraunce by vvhose godly endeuours for both their saluations notice vvas giuen of the said Nichols in Rhemes and Paris and after vvas apprehended in Roan vvhere he vvrote and spake the letters and other things follovving and therevpon vvas dimissed very shortly And being aftervvard among some contreymen of his ovvne religion to vvhom he resorted for payment of his fees he vvas demanded before them by some that vvere Catholiks vvhether he vvould novv being at liberty auouch all the things confessed in the time of his restraint he ansvvered that all vvere most certaine that he vvould stand to all that he had vttered A protestant yet he vvould be still though in prison he shovved him self vvilling to conferre and to yeld to reason and might at the same time haue easily ben inuited to Rhemes if he had not falne into the Protestants hands at his releasing At his first arriual in Roan the vaine man told
in the which I beleeue my self to be vvith you then there was out of the Arch of Noë which bare the type figure of the Catholike Apostolike Church Do not yee therefore giue ouer light credit to euery flying tale for I know that the ende shall proue al these rumors that haue ben spred of me to be false and fayned For I hope brethren and this is my desire that I shal be bound vvith the same chaine and for the same faith that you are I trust to be partaker both of your tribulations your rewards God forbid that I should glorie to vse the speach of the vessel of election and of the Doctor of the Gentils vvith out al arrogancie and pride sauing in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ I beseech you therefore as yet not being bound but peradventure to be bound in our Lord that you remaine and walke vvorthily in the vocation religion and faith to vvhich you are called and that you be ready to shed your blood for the same You haue heard that I vvas become a Protestant I call God and his Angels to vvitnes brethren that this hath ben mine election and that full often if I ly then I praie God I neuer speake more that I had rather be a Turke or a Ievv then a Protestant that is to be enrouled among those that haue renied the faith of Christ There be many I knovv vvhich haue heard me albeit vvith murmuring and indignation vtter these vvords For it were better for me in deede neuer to haue knoweÌ„ the vvay of truth then after the knowledge thereof to start back from it If therefore my freends the fame of my retorne into my countrey be come vnto your eares if peraduenture these naughtie reports of me be coÌ„monly talked of amongst you if you do ouer expect any thing of me that perteineth to the duty of a brother freend or kinsman of yours that vvhich the name of a Christian maÌ„ dooth require vvhich is borne brought vp and by the space of many yeres as it vvere confirmed in the Catholike Church and faith perswade your selues for certain that I will by Gods assistance satisfie your expectation You haue heard peradueÌ„ture that I vvould go to the Church God almightie in vvhose sight I am speake and vvho is the searcher of the hart and reines of men dooth know that I neuer went to the ProtestaÌ„ts church vvith the mind to pray or to allow and professe their sect neither by coÌ„straint or free accord to seeme by any meanes to approue by consent and liking this religion which they terme reformed but I vvent sometimes that but seldoome vvhen I thought it good only for to see their rites and then manner of preaching and doing and to make mine English tong more prompt ready Nor do you not thinke that that vvhich is lavvfull to some one for certen causes is conuenient to al men for I vvould not counsel other men to go to the protestants church yea I haue diswaded men from it aboue a thousand times and haue shewed them that it was in no case lawful because that he that loueth danger shall fall into it neither vvould I haue gone to their conueÌ„ticles for any thing if I had know that I should haue giuen occasion of scandall You haue heard and do maruel at it that I am at liberty and therefore you suspect that I am retorned to my vomit Deerely beloued I am of al lyers the vaâ—nest if I do not enuie you your chaines your prison your banishment your gard your losse of goods your tribulation for Christ and perswade not your selues I praie you that I do reioyce in this my fortune and libertie but rather that it is sorrovvful loth some vnto me that I am not vvorthy to suffer contumely for the name of Iesus Therefore I attribut my liberty to the clemency of God almightie to the courtosie of the Q. Maiesties honorable and vvise Counsellers I impute it to mine owne mishap to my great sinnes but that which is differred is not altogether taken avvaie If I vsed doutfull words before the Q. Maiesties counsel for the vvhich they set me at liberty I haue interpreted them more plainely by my letters which I haue novv sent to the Q. most honorable sage Counsellers But put the case I yelded vnto them vvhy brethren ought I to attribute more to my self then to most blessed Peter most holy Marcellinus most stout Thomas of Canterbury of the vvhich the two former were Popes and al after the denial of Christ obteined pardon and shed their blood for the Catholike faith Be you not therefore seduced vvith the vvicked example of one man but staÌ„d stoutly dwell in this church in which wee haue ben borne and bred the vvhich Christ our Lord hath built and brought forth vpon the foundation of the Apostles and their Successors vvhose ruines do begin now after a sort to be repaired and restored But to draw to an ende I beseech you brethren by by the bowels of the mercie of Iesus Christ by that charitie vvherewith he so loued vs that he vouchsaued to be hanged on a tree for vs by his crosse his wounds by the nailes and speare vvhich are the badges of our Sauiour that you be not frighted nor moued vvith false reportes th' end wil proue al and perswade your selues that as I am partaker of one countrey with you so am I partaker of one Church one faith one religion one doctrine vvith you I thought good to write this letter to witnes thereby vnto you that I am of the same religion in vvhich I vvas borne againe by baptisme and for the vvhich I am most ready to dye vvith you I desire you also to pray vnto Christ Iesus crucified for me to giue me grace to direct al my thoughts vvords and works to the glory of his most holy name to mine ovvne saluation and to the profite and commoditie of my countrey Let vs also pray continually and vvith a common accord that Christ our Lord would preserue the Queenes Maiestie and her sage Counsellers and illuminate them vvith al truth that al their beginnings proceedings teÌ„de to the glory of almighty God Christ Iesus embrace vs al in the bowels of his mercies confirme vs and make vs al in one agreement in the Church which he hath founded vvith his most precious death Fare yee vvell AN ADMONITION TO THE READER THere are no more of regard as farre as vve yet heare that haue relented al this long perilous time of practize and persecution sauing M. Aufild and M. Govwe the former in England through extreeme feare of torments yelding onely to goe to their church once and that vvith many qualifications the other in Fraunce vpon other frailtie specially for desire to retorne home and enioye the commodities temporal that God had giuen him in his countrey vvho both streight vpon their fall being in regard of humane frailtie not great vvept bitterly haue done penaunce accordingly vvritten their letter to our Presidet in Rhemes of thâ—â—â— readines to doe any satisfaction for the scandal and offence committed and so be reconciled to Gods Church againe and haue done since that and doe al they can possibly for th'aduauncement of the Catholike faith Vvhose like publike acknovvledge of their offence should here haue been set furth but that the same could not be so speedely sent hither as the dispatch of these other vvas compted necessary Onely in al this gentil reader I desire the to marke for thy coÌ„solatioÌ„ the mercies of God hovv in this loÌ„g combat vvith so forcible and povvrable ennemies according to the flesh vvho vvaÌ„t no meanes vvorldly either to force by feare of death torments or to tempt by pleasure proffit preferments or to entangle by art and pollicie he hath giuen vs his poore seruaunts and souldiars not onely to fight stand hold out haue assured hope of victory ouer the aduersaries but to haue it vvith so small a losse by the death of so fevv vvith the fall or vvounding of so fevv so easely recouered againe to farre more aduantage of the cause as our Lord hath of his grace vsed the matter then if they had neuer had experience of their ovvne infirmitie and of the necessitie of his holy ayde by vvhom onely vve are vpholden in this spiritual fight for our faith and defence of his deare Spouse our Mother the Church vvhich by no povver of man or Diuel can be ouerthrovvne Fare vvel gentil reader and make thy profit to saluation of these examples of our frailtie vvhereby thou seest Gods streinght to be perfited in our infirmitie and our vveakenes to be sustained by the force 〈◊〉 his grace to him be al honor and glorie Amen The first of Iune 1583.