cause of this diuision now in England is not for any resistance in the Priests against the superioritie as many forward and euill taught people perswade themselues cry out against the priests that they are disobedient But the cause of this diuision is for that the Priests will not acknowledge that in the time of their forbearance to subscribe to the authoritie which was no longer then vntill they sawe the Breue they were factious seditious rebellious Schismatickes enormiously disobedient in continuall mortall sinne practising their function in irregularitie and pretending to absolue from sinne without faculties or iurisdiction meete therevnto worse then South-sayers and Idolaters c. If therefore sufficient reasons may be giuen why the Priests did forbeare to subiect themselues before they sawe any Letters from his holinesse concerning this authoritie it will both appeare how greatly they haue bene iniuried both by the Archpriest Iesuites and their euill nurtured children and how necessarie this course of publishing in this sort is for the purging of the other Priests from those slaunderous speeches and here by the way do we aske of those pious Catholiques for so they must be tearmed howsoeuer they deserue it when they charge and perswade themselues that they choake the Priests with disobedience what it is that they meane by this disobedience if they meane therby that the Priests do not acknowledge M. Black for their Arch-priest and superiour they may if it so please them correct this their vnderstanding and from henceforth either beleeue that euery man dooth acknowledge him or else name who doth not and let him in particular be called in question for it for this generall prattle that they are disobedient is so vnsauourie a shift vnlesse they could discend to particulars that a man with litle honestie would quickly perceiue how it doth taint his breath If by disobedience in the Priests they do meane the not yeelding or conforming their vnderstanding to the Arch-priest his vnderstanding they exact this obedience to the Arch-priest either because that he is learned or because that he is a superiour but neither of these respects conuince any such matter as that the refusing to be so conformable should bring with it schisme sedition faction rebellion c. Not the first which is in regard of his learning For although that many in England for modestie sake onely make no comparisons with him for his learning yet without offence we may say that there are many beyond the seas farre his betters and much more learned who haue decided this question for vs against him so that the conceit only of being an Arch-priest or in authoritie is left for them to iustifie these most iniurions calumniations against vs. If then they exact this obedience in Priests to the Arch-priest in respect that he is a superiour and because that he is a superiour they imagine that euerie man who will not thinke as he thinketh and do what he commaundeth is a Schismaticke a rebell factious seditious c. These who are so ignorant must be taught and such as are contented at this time to make shewe of so grosse ignorance must be put in mind that authoritie is not an infallible rule of truth in all who haue authoritie and consequently that no man is bound in all things to beleeue or execute what euerie man in authoritie ouer him shall put vpon him In how many things not onely Arch priests but their superiours also the Archdeacons and other of higher degree haue done amisse and swarued from the truth and who vpon earth is warranted from erring but one and not he in all things how absurdly then should this point be vrged that the Priests are Schismatickes rebellious c. for not conforming themselues in their vnderstanding to an Archpriest And if the simpler sort of Catholiques cannot vnderstand this reason sufficiently grounded vpon too many examples recorded in all Ecclesiasticall Histories we would demaund of them when they are commaunded to doo that by such as are in authoritie vpon their alleageance which in conscience they cannot doo whether they be rebellious factious seditious c. in not obeying this commaundement or by what reason they may in not obeying resolue their consciences that they are not rebellious c Doubtlesse either they must confesse that they are rebellious c. in not obeying the commaundment of those who are in authoritie or else that it is not a sufficient proofe of rebellion that men do not in all things as others in authoritie commaund them and to runne for refuge to cases and particulars is to flie touch for hauing before spoken of this particular case which is in question among vs we presse now onely this point that authoritie is not so infallible a rule of truth in all to whom it is most it stly deriued as those must be condemned as factious rebellious sediticus schismatickes c. who will not conferme their vnderstandings to their conceits who are in authoritie because they are in authoritie These points and those which hereafter will be touched wee doo not set downe as men that would make sheepe iudges of their pastours but as men desirous that their bretheren and children would not be so violently carried as they are both against dutie and charitie but suspend their iudgements in these matters and so beare themselues towards all as they may hereafter make a good answere for their behauiour towards them who haue after so deare a rate sought to saue their soules and now request that their long sufferance be no preiudice vnto them nor warrant to loosse tongues to enlarge themselues with contumelious speeches against them whose cause the discourses following wil both conuince all who are desirous not to be misled in a matter of so great consequence that it is iust and that they haue also iust cause to publish the same for the better instruction of such as with whom they may not be suffered or admitted to conferre about it yet without touch of any more then the matter it selfe and occasions ministred doo most necessarily require Yours in all true hartie affection Certaine Considerations to satisfie such as either are or may be by any sinister informations or ill conceipts incensed against vs or alienated from vs because we haue not yeelded our selues to the designments wills of others in subscribing to this late authoritie FIrst we desire all good Catholickes to consider indifferently what we be that deferre our subscription to this authoritie that we be Priests therfore in reason should know to what we were boūd in this case Againe that our present vocation which is to labour euē vnto death in sauing of souls and therefore not like to be altogether carelesse in matter of so great weight as this authoritie is pretended of our own good being so carefull of the good of others Further that for many yeares we haue bestowed our selues in this haruest and therefore in all likelyhood should somewhat knowe what
vpon their credits who taketh authoritie vpon them who for that they are parties in this action may iustly be suspected as partiall in their owne cause which cannot choose but leaue the matter doubtfull in any indifferent mind or such at least as no man is in conscience bounde to beleeue Againe put case they were lawfulll promulgators yet they bring nothing sufficient to ordaine such authoritie or iurisdiction to erect such an authoritie cannot be lesse then an expresse commaundent of his Holinesse and giuen for this particular purpose And the same also authentically notified of al which the aduerse part sheweth nothing for neither do they challenge any such expresse decree from his Holinesse but onely order giuen to the Cardinal Protector to take vp our controuersies and iarres here which is nothing to build such an extraordinary superioritie vpon or if they did we are not to giue full credit to the Cardinall his bare word in a matter of so great weight seeing that in such businesse he hath heretofore bene founde ouermuch affected to the one part who haue their finger and hand in these affaires and for this reason hath bene excepted against as vnfit to iudge in such causes that so neare concern those parties as these things do therefore these men demaund but right if they require an authenticall instrument from his holines to specifie his will herein and in the meane while determine nothing but rest ready to imbrace whatsoeuer his holines shal appoint Furthermore there are now 8. or 9. moneths past sith first the authoritie was diuulged sithence the lawfulnes therof for the reasons aboue mentioned and diuers others was doubted of as not proceeding from his holines yet the maintainers notwithstanding the hotte eager earnest course that they take in defence of it would neuer obtaine the least ticket or testimony vnder his holinesse hand or directly from him in confirmation of it nor yet to notefie that euer any suche matter was appointed by him knowing that such a note woulde haue ended the whole controuersie And this maketh men in their mindes to question with themselues in this sort doo not these men by ordinary course monethly or oftner receiue Letters from Rome hath not Cardinall Caietan weekely yea daily accesse to his holinesse as other Cardinalls haue doo they want fauour with him who is wholly theirs or his forwardnes to further that himselfe hath either begunne or followed and for the credit whereof hee hath graunted what Letters themselues would request and as effectuall as themselues could drawe them or would his holinesse refuse to testifie that he is the appointer of this authoritie if it had proceeded frō him No no there is cunning some where which when matters are discouered will quickly appeare And this is confirmed with another presumption of no lesse moment then the former For when these friends of mine by vniforme consent of many of their owne brethren wise and learned the auncientest had resolued peaceably and quietly to send ouer to knowe the Popes pleasure in this matter they sent to the contrary part to intreat thē to haue so much patience as to expect what answere these messengers did receiue from his holinesse and if matters proued to be so as they said they were then without further resistance euery body was ready to ioyne with them to resist whosoeuer should resist them and so the whole matter might haue bene very briefly and quietly ended between themselues in loue and charitie without scandall or hurt to any But this so reasonable a request could not be heard but as if they had feared some present daunger now after sending they posted about more earnestly then euer before send abroad papers threaten excommunications promise fauours abuse the laitie with infamous reports of their brethren sending into all quarters of the countrey to begge hands and subscriptions and where any for what iust cause soeuer did refuse their meanes open or secret were deuised to supplant and disgrace them and accusations forged to withdraw their lay friends and consequently their maintenance from them Which must needes constraine the wronged to defend and cleare themselues euen with the same lay-friends so the matter grew to a cōtention became publikely knowne amōg the Laitie that women childrē do tattle and descant euery where and passe their censure therof And what followeth of this euery body may see and it is too lamentable to speake or write what hurt our cause hath sustained hereby But what good I pray you did these men pretend by so hurtfull a course Was the Pope so desirous of thankes that it must be procured with such broyles I cannot thinke it Certes it maketh men iustly to mistrust that there is a further matter intended then in shewe they pretend and that these hands subscriptions by such meanes and so carefully procured to be sent ouer in such haste must serue to salue and heale somewhat that is not sound there happily to draw the Pope to consent to that which perchance he neuer heard or allowed of and so heereby constraine men to put too their hands saying it is his holinesse will they should doo so and there perswade the Pope to allow of it for that it is the Priests voluntary request sute here By which meanes no doubt but that they may easily procure the Popes confirmation who is and hath bene ready to referre the choosing of the superiour to the Priests of England as Father Persons himselfe can witnesse which was the cause that at the beginning when such a matter was proposed to his holinesse he would not proceed in it without they agreed consented also as there is great reason for him For whose aduise consent and allowance are required to the choosing of a superiour if not theirs that are to obey and liue vnder the said superiour when he is chosen do not the fellowes in euery house in Oxenford and according to the statutes and foundation choose and elect their head and Rector Do not likewise all the religious companies choose their superiour Nay do not the Dist 63. cap. 12. Dist 61. cap. 13. Canons of holy Churh decree that Priestes should haue the election of their Bishop and this late authority is for the amplenesse in punishing more then Bishoplike Yea the Canons allowe further that the Cleargy may and should if they finde themselues wronged by hauing a Bishop put on them against their consent and liking resist and withstand the intrusion or iniury And not only Popes haue decreed that their Cleargy should choose their Bishops but Emperours haue constituted the same as appeareth by the ordinary glosse vpon 63. Distinction cap. 34. All which maketh our friends refusal much more iustifiable And last of all M. Blackwell himselfe reported that he had authoritie to excommunicate and command to the Court of Rome which now belike vpon better scanning of his authoritie hee goes from Againe shewing his instruction
Saltem tempore persecutionis c. ¶ These and many more points like vnto these our foresaid friend writeth which for breuitie I doo omit and these I would pretermit also without any answere at all for so much as toucheth my selfe and our societie whose deeds doo speake of themselues against all calumniation of wordes but that those thinges which touch our superiours his holinesse especially our two Cardinall Protectors that had your matter in hearing by his holinesse Commission may not be let passe to run with so false and iniurious reports against all truth and equitie ¶ Wherefore I must needes recount with you the storie briefly againe for recalling you to better memorie if you forget or conuenting your consciences if you or your fellow vpon passion doo ouerlash or at least wise for satisfying in part our foresaid two friends that haue written to mee of these complaints by whose hands I meane that this Letter shal goe open for them to read and after to send or deliuer vnto you and I pray you also that M. Ch. may haue a sight or copie of the same when you haue vewed it together with some good temperate counsell from you and he is thought to haue more need of it by his hotte nature knowne and by the reports that come daily frō his parts of like speeches to these before specified which if once they come to the eares of them whom most they concerne they may chance to bee called by them to further examination which I would gladly were preuented if it may bee ¶ First then touching the matter it selfe you cannot but remember that at your arriuall at Rome vpon the 11. of December 1598. if I mistake not after friendly offer to entertaine you in this Colledge for the dayes of Hospitalitie accustomed though the cause of your comming to Rome was knowne to bee farre other then the rule appointeth for such as are so to be entertained I tolde you at large how all matters stood and how his holinesse then in Ferrara hauing beene enformed by his Nuntios in Fraunce and Flaunders of your comming was much offended therewith and meant to put you in prison if you had commen to Ferrara as appeared by a Letter of F. Bellarmino now Cardinall which I had sent presently to Flaunders to meet you there if you had passed that way from Fraunce as it was thought you would and by that Letter appeareth also that I had not enformed against you seeing that his holinesse willed the Father to write to Rome to know my opinion of you as by the original Letter yet here extant is manifest and the cause of his holinesse offence against you was that hauing bin vexed for more then three yeares together immediately before with such a sedition of Englishmen heere in Rome and in Flaunders as had vtterly wearied him this whole Court and had scandalized all Christendome and highly discredited our English Nation and Catholique cause and hauing after all waies of examination and trials both by visitations commissions memorials and the like found no other ground of all these stirs clamours tempests but only enuie emulation and dissolute humours of loose behauiour in some and no one point proued nor able to be proued of the manifold slaunders which were exhibited in these tumults against most innocent men of the Societie who had bene the best friends of the troublesome his holinesse resolued to make an end at last and so did in this Colledge by punishing the principall and how much the finger of Almightie God assisted him in this action the blessed fruites that haue ensued since of peace vnion modestie spirit learning and deuotion in these youthes haue euidently declared whereby they haue regained againe a great part of that estimation and good opinion which the former had lost by their contrary vices ¶ Moreouer his holinesse perceiuing that the tayle of this matter had passed also into England and began to worke the same effects there vpon the same grounds of emulation seditious spirits he thought no better way to cut off the said emulation then to appoint a subordination among Priests themselues which Iesuites especially among other Catholiques their friends haue demaunded for many yeares together thereby to deliuer themselues from all shewe of that calumniation vsed to bee laide against them that they would gouerne the Priests against their wils and hereof proceed the long deliberation of his holinesse together with the Cardinals not onely Protectors but also of the Inquisition whether it were best to appoint at the beginning a Bishop or Arch-priest which deliberation endured aboue a yeare together and in the meane space his holinesse tooke information also sufficient about the person most fit for the office and that from Priests of England though not perhappes from you as it was not necessary and in the ende resolued vppon the dignitie and man that you knowe Which beeing admitted and appointed most willingly by al the body both of Priests and other Catholiques in England and abroad also you only and very fewe others ioyned with you as heere was proued by your account opposed your selues and not expecting to bring any matter of substance against his gouernmēt that was appointed for your superiour you substracted your selues from his obedience and gaue occasion for others to do the like and consequently to cause a most perillous schisme and sedition amongst Catholicques in our Countrey which his holinesse foreseeing meant to restraine you at your comming but yet to heare and examine all that you brought as afterwards he did and you do greatly wrong him if you report the contrary ¶ Well all this and much more I tolde you at your comming hither and that not in colourable but in plaine and friendly words offering you further to be a meane notwithstanding to end all quietly and with your credits if you would For said I heere bee now the immediate superiours of both Priests and Iesuites to wit the Protector of our Nation and the Generall of the Societie let vs deale with them to end all matters and to send you backe againe with your honour and with Letters both to the Arch-priest and superiour of the Fathers to giue you any satisfaction reasonable and remedie any thing that is amisse concerning any persons of each of those bodies This point I dealt with you most effectually many times both in seuerall and iointly while you remained in this Colledge after whiles you laie in the Citie before your restraint but could neuer obtaine anie inclination in you to the same but that you would needs impugne both the authoritie and man by his holinesse appointed wherein I euer told you plainly that both I and all others that loued vnion and respected with due obedience our superiours ordination must needs be against you And the same told you also M. D. Haddock M. Martin Array and Priests of your owne coate that laie here and are your auncients both in your owne
a long discourse of a friend of yours sent out of Englande after your departure you two by name were appointed to bee Arch-bishops Primates and that besides this a principall man of your side writing to you certain notes about your message vseth the phrase of your LL. with his owne hand yet here to be seene it was much to be suspected what motion moued you ¶ But as I said now all is ended and this and all the rest will easilie die and be forgotten as alreadie I trust all is forgotten on all hands if you and M. Ch. do beare your selues well and prudentlie and do staie and not stirre vp such as do seeme to fauour or bemone your cause which though you terme by the phrase of all sorts of people in your Letter yet must you not deceiue your selues for that finallie all those sorts must be reduced to a verie small number in respect of others that do condemne your action ¶ Heere in Rome you prooued how the grauest sort of people both straungers and others iudged of your cause after they had heard and examined the same I shewed you also the Letters and subscriptions of manie of the chiefest and most principall of our Nation in Flaunders and England and since that time I haue receiued manie more and manie complaining of the ouermuch lenitie vsed in ending of the cause how then do all sorts of men crie out of the rigour or iniustice vsed towards you but in truth it is a verie vncertaine thing to depend vpon the speeches of men diuers speake faire and will bemone a man to his face when their harts are farre otherwise and some being discontent or in passion themselues vpon other groundes are glad to take such occasions as this of yours is to disburthen their stomackes of their owne griefes others euill enformed at the beginning vpon pittie doo bemone you which afterwards vpon knowledge of the truth wil change their mindes and crie crucifige ¶ The onelie way is to depend of God and of a good conscience and to wish well to all and speake euill of fewe and to doo the good a man may for all sorts without respect what they will saie or do again and finally to haue patience with whatsoeuer falleth out and this rule I do counsel to you and do meane by Gods assistance to follow it my selfe wishing no worse to you and yours then to my owne soule as he is witnesse who is maister of vs both to whose holie protection I do most affectually commend you and my selfe to your holie praiers and sacrifices From Rome this 9. of October 1599. Yours euer most readie to serue you Robert Parsons This Letter of F. Parsons did the Arch-priest send abroad by his Agent with an Iniunction to those to whom it was carried that they must beleeue all that was contained therin assuring them that it was most true notwithstanding hee had made a seuere Edict not long before against all such as should diuuldge anie thing set out for the space of two yeares before wherein the credit of anie Ecclesiasticall person of the English Nation should particularly by name be touched How many faultes were in this action of the Arch-priest it is not for me to discypher but it is verie manifest that in this Letter of F. Parsons the credit of two English Priests by name are very much wounded and as it should seeme by the censure following the Letter deserueth litle commendation for truth therein contained A censure vpon the Letter which F. Parsons writ the 9. of October 1599. to M. D. Bish and M. Ch. two banished confined Priests the one in France the other in Lorraine by the suggestions of F. Parsons for presuming to goe to Rome in the affaires of the Church Giuen by M. I. B. IN the first Paragraffe F. Parsons followeth a suspisition conceiued against M. Bish and M. Ch. because they did not write vnto him and yet confesseth in the second Paragraffe that the same weeke he had receiued a stale Letter from M. Bish so that hee might haue left out of the first Paragraffe this manifest vngrounded suspition and also this absurd vntruth soone after controlled euen by himself that no letter appeared as yet from M. Bish And M. Ch. beeing confined to a place where neither any ordinary Poste was for Rome or vsually passed as F. Parsons well knew he might with more credit haue pretended some other cause of so vniust a suspition as that the two Priests had forsakē their good minds fallen into knowne and acknowledged errours and broken promises made at their departure If Letters might miscarry in so lōg a way as was between Rome and them what ground was the not receiuing of Letters from them of those conceits If they will say that they must needs receiue all Letters which come to Rome directed to them so soone as they do come to them daily practise will conuince the contrarie howsoeuer he shuffleth off this contradiction that as yet no Letter appeared from M. Bish as F. Parsons affirmeth in the first Paragraffe and that he had that weeke receiued a stale Letter from him as hee confesseth in the second Paragraffe but it appeareth both in this former part of F. Parsons Letter and also in all which followeth in the same that F. Parsons thought it a great sinne for himselfe not to deserue blame What errours were acknowledged at Rome I know not but it is very likely that they would haue bene specified vpon so good an occasion as was offered to F. Parsons by M. Bish and is by F. Parsons touched in the 21. Paragraffe and if they should haue acknowledged themselues to haue erred in want of consideration doubtlesse I should as now it falleth out beleeue as much because they did willingly ouerslip an opportunitie of hauing a fit meane maugre their aduersaries to haue bene heard before they should haue bin cōmitted to prison which infamy as F. Parsons confesseth they were in the 10. Paragraffe In the second Paragraffe F. Parsons boldly without blushing saith that hee receiued a stale Letter frō M. Bish from whom in the first Paragraffe he saith as yet no Letter appeared and both by that Letter which was receiued and by that none at all as yet appeared it is gathered that M. Bish was fallen againe into a pit out of which as yet he neuer came since his first fall into it Those commendations of himselfe which F. Parsons tooke no great disgust to repeate meaning that these Letters should passe farre and neare as appeareth in the 6. Paragraffe were vsed by M. Bish perchance to trie if by fitting so well F. Parsons humour he might draw him to that which as it should seeme by M. Bishops reply was not in him What M. Doctor Cic. did write of others complaints I know not but so farre as without offence I may I thinke that it was a most lamentable case that two Priests comming as it became
forsoothe he might say that he had such authoritie because he could write to those who had it M. Black being subdeligated by the Cardinall as it appeareth by the Cardinalls Letters to make a peace where there was no warre if there had bene any need should haue sought such meanes onely as were necessary therefore and not haue chalenged of the Priests an obedience in all things which neuer any Prelate presumed to do neither did he when he was tolde of his large demaund amend the matter so well as some do weene in limiting his former speeches to obedience in all things which might tend to peace for as it is said before such a delegatiue authoritie as was giuen vnto him by the Cardinalls Letters will allow him no more then what is necessarie to effect that for which hee is deligated If it should be true which F. Parsons saith in the 17. Paragraffe that M. Black was touched in the very matter of his faith and offereth to proue it by certaine depositions yet extant at Rome that an hereticall proposition was laid to his charge I doubt their foundation for their going to Rome will hardly bee shaken Diuers Priests not long before comming from Rome did testifie that his holinesse would not constitute any authoritie without the assent of the Priests in England and the Priests were well assured that they had not sent any as then to deale with his holinesse in their names but what was done was rather done by the open and couert Iesuites and afterward salued by M. F. Iames Stand that hee supposed the Priests would consent to that which he would doo without their knowledge If the Cardinall had written nothing in particular concerning this authoritie but what he had testified had bin the Popes direct order yet all who write what credit the testimonie of a Cardinall beareth in matters preiudiciall to a third affirme that it is not sufficient Before any Apostolicall Breue appeared for the confirmation of this authoritie it was suspected that it was not the Popes order yea and afterward prooued if the Popes Commissary imployed by his holinesse at Rome in this matter be an honest man for he told the two Priests who were sent to Rome seuerally in their persons from the Popes owne mouth that his holinesse did not appoint it and gaue this reason from his holinesse because he would not aduenture to haue his authoritie contemned in England by the Priests To conclude if before the Breue was made the authoritie might without offence haue bene said not to haue bene of the Popes appointing what offence was it not to accept of it If it were saide to be from the Pope where were his Letters to testifie it without which men are not only not bounde to admit a farre lesse Prelacie ouer them thē this but are sharply to be punished if they do admit it subiect themselues vnto it as it appeareth in that extrauagant of Pope Boniface the 8. Iniunctae nobis de electione And thus much for the challendge of their enterprise to be of contradiction without any foundation at all Let vs now returne to F. Parsons who forgetting himselfe what hee had promised in the 5. Paragraffe that was not to let any thing which touched the Pope to tunne with false and iniurious reports against all truth and equitie although content to pretermit what concerned himselfe plaieth the Proctor altogether for himselfe to the little honour of the Popes holinesse For in this paragraffe it is set downe that after 17. dayes of the two Priestes persisting in their obstinacie which was no other then is shewed in the 9. paragraffe his holinesse willed them to be retired to some place of custodie in respect of their offence and their allegations to be there examined whether they were worth the hādling or no. Which comming to F. Parson his knowledge hee intreated that their retirement might rather be with secrecie in the English Colledge then with more infamie in any other place So that F. Parsons heere laieth to the Popes charge that hee caused the two Priests first to be imprisoned for their offence and afterward to haue it tried whether they had committed any offence for if it had so fallen out that their allegations had bene worth the handling what offence had they committed in comming to Rome to deale with his holinesse about them But the Pope foresawe perchance as F. Parsons saith in the 8. paragraffe that they were not worth the handling Then was this no cause of their imprisonment which F. Parsons alledged But perchance it was no certaine foresight such as F. Parsons noteth in the 8. paragraffe but only a suspition as he affirmeth in the 10. paragraffe Then was this no iust cause to vse two Priests with infamy who had many yeares aduentured their liues in defence of the Popes honour and dignitie of the Sea Apostolicke But afterward perchance it so fell out that their allegations were founde not to be woorth the handling Let vs suppose that which was not that they were permitted to deale together or with other and could bring nothing worth the handling What then shall we to saue the Pope from false and iniurious reports as F. Parsons pretendeth say that the Pope was ignorant of this saying hee who loueth daunger shall perish in it and like sychophants affirme that his holinesse may do what he will before he see or know any cause why hee should doo it and really defame them against whom he hath nothing but an imagination that it might be they deserued it had they bene imprisoned vpon colour of somewhat to be laide against them somewhat in this kind might haue bin iustified but comming as plaintiffes supplicants or appellants they were to be heard or at least to be suffered to deale together in their businesse and for F. Parsons to pretend that two Priests comming to his Holinesse as in dutie they were bound to do in any difficulties of the Church were cast with infamy into prison before they were heard what they had to say that they should haue bene cast in prison with more infamie had not F. Parsons intreated for them is not to pretermit that which concerneth himselfe and to stop iniurious reports gainst the Pope as he pretēdeth in the 5. paragraffe but to heape false and iniurious reports against the Pope and to fall into most absurd praise of himselfe And if F. Parsons did tell them what benifites he bestowed vpon them when they were with him I dare presume that they would not be so vngratefull as not to giue him thankes for them although perchance not so greatly from their hearts as if he had let them alone Before they departed out of England or were knowne who they were that should goe the speech was rife in some mens mouthes that they should be cast in prison when they came to Rome so that F. Parsons wit was not so highly to be commended in that he could foresee what
shame as it is to be feared of the follies or conscience for the vntruthes conteined therein and with as much breuitie as the matter would suffer declared in this Censure DOCTOR BYSHOPS AN swere to Fa. Parsons Letter of the 9. of October 1599. YOur Letters Father of the 9. of Octob. came late vnto my hands being by you sent about as it were in circuit open to be read coppied out by diuers others before they should come vnto me Meete it was surely that so odde a storie might not runne the ordinarie course of vulgar Letters but against the propertie of missiues and contrary also to common ciuility be communicated first to others and last to him vnto whom they principally belong Yet truly when I heard of others the purport and contents of them I had no great delight to looke vpon them but let them lie by me more then a moneth ere I read them once ouer so vnwilling haue I alwaies bene and yet am to giue my minde to such troublesome businesse which is like to drawe me from a desired repose into the lists of an vnpleasing dispute and that with those who pretend to be as in equitie they should be my verie good friends I had also long before often heard of many slaunderous rumors raised of me vniustly and seene some flying Letters stuffed full of misconstruction of my actions yet I remained silent not without the offence of diuers honest and wise personages for that I spared to write in defence of my owne innocencie and to purge and cleare my selfe from iniurious calumny But I knowing my poore credit to be a matter of small moment and fearing least to treate of such a pittifull subiect might be some hinderance vnto the Catholique cause did preferre the common good before my priuate interest our blessed Lords honour before mine owne reputation leauing vnto his omnipotent diuine dispositiō the successe and euent of the whole matter And so putting vp patiently those iniuries passed ouer the time in silence quietly vntill that now Father you haue by addressing such Letters vnto mee rowsed mee as it were out of my quiet Lodge and doo presse mee either to acknowledge for true that which I take in many pointes to swarue much from the truth or to declare and shewe what I knowe concerning those matters Wherefore being verie sure that the honour of God his cause cannot be stained by a true defence of my selfe his poore seruant from dishonour and that it needeth not as the Prophet saith our lying but is rather by truth and equitie vpholden maintained I will set downe the veritie of that affaire as before almightie God my iust Iudge most sincerely and withall so temperately as that no vpright and in different Reader shall haue reason to be offended with me Yet to speake after my manner plainly I cannot Father but mistrust least you will not take it well for you haue alreadie shewed your selfe to haue bene mooued with my former Letters which only had friendly requests and admonitions how much the more are these likely to trouble you which carry in them also free yet friendly reprehensions which vnto a high and hotte stomacke are of much harder digestion But to mittigate the matter consider I pray you how vnwillingly and as it were enforced by your selfe I come at length to set penne to paper and what liberties by God and all good men are allowed vnto all sorts of persons speaking in their own defence and then remembring how you haue taken in accusing of vs a rethoricall license you cannot in equitie and reason but approue and like in vs defendants a modest Christian libertie of speech And so desiring you to prepare your selfe vnto some small patience I come now to the answere of your Letters In the beginning whereof you write that no one Letter appeared as then from mee to you accusing my long silence and within ten lines after you say that that weeke you receiued a Letter from me of an old date to the which you answere What Riddle I pray you may this be No Letter appeared from me to you when you began to write and yet that week you had receiued a Letter from mee what was the Letter you receiued inuisible that it appeared not in his likenesse when you receiued it Yet it appeareth by your particular replie vnto the parts thereof that you had throughly seene and perused it To say that after you began your Letter you were a weeke ere you came vnto the tenth line of it that mine came in the meane season were ridiculous What then remaineth but that in the first period of your Letter there is either some egregious equiuocation or euident vntruth which fell out by God his prouidence as I take it verie fitly to forewarne your Readers what credit they may giue vnto much of that which followeth For if in the verie first lines they find such apparant vanitie voluntarily vttered without anie iust cause let them iudge what conclusion and dubling is like to be deuised when it will serue for an aduantage Correspondent vnto this ouersight is that bad construction which you make of my former letters but that it sauoureth a litle more of an vncharitable minde In them I gaue you to vnderstand that they by whom I passed not all sorts of people as you report misliked much of your rigorous dealing and therefore desired you for the loue of our generall cause to vse more mildnesse You hereof inferre that I am fallen into temptation and much changed from that I was In this your collectiō I find two faults the one in that you insinuate that then I spake placentia but that now I writ acerba There indeed I often refrained franckly to speake what I thought because it was like to do you small good and more then like to do me much harme yet I manie times to your selfe and to those who would tel you all greeuously complained of your seuere and rigorous kind of carriage towards your countrimen of all sortes much vnseeming as me thought your priuate person more dissonant from your holy profession and very ill suting both with the times we liue in and the parties you haue to deale withall The other fault more fowle in my opinion is that of a friendlie admonition you gather a falling out because I went about to perswade you to be more milde kinde and curteous towards your own countrymen who otherwise endure sorrow inough you iudge me fallen from your friendship into a daungerous temptation and to haue incurred many I know not what greeuous sinnes and censures but I am not greatly dismaid at these your bigge words and terrifying consequents when as I finde them to be as this is erronious in the light of nature and condemned euen by the Heathen Philosophers who like well approue and commend as verie dutifull among deare friends not onlie exhortations which I then vsed for the loue I bare you but also
nothing sutable with the grauitie and waight of the matter which required much more mature deliberation Moreouer when by word of mouth he broached the same his authoritie vnto certaine Priests he to amend the matter withall added thervnto somewhat of his owne and being forthwith taken tardie hee did presently cōfesse that he indeed put therto somewhat as honest Priests on their oathes will testifie This gaue a great presumption that the matter was contriued by their friends and that they might adde or diminish at their pleasure Which is more probable if we call to mind and marke what instructions he gaue forth at the first as receiued from the Cardinall Among others were these that Priests should not meet secretly together that they should not send any priuie messages ouer the seas that they should take in good part whatsoeuer was either written or spoken against them and such like which are not in the rowle of his instructions sent him from the Cardinall as euerie bodie may see and I can by producing a true copie of them when need shall be euidently demonstrate and besides are so voide of reason so odious and intollerable in our Country especially at this time when Priests cannot meete together or do any thing but in secret that a babe might plainly feele them neuer to haue proceeded from his holinesse or from anie noble free or compassionate heart but to sauour of I know not what base minde too too much addicted to terror crueltie and seruitude I will that I be not ouerlong omit diuers other pregnant forcible reasons which we had of sending vnto Rome this onely I may not leaue behinde which of it selfe were a sufficient cause to sue and speak for redresse in season vz. that in the whole drift of this subordination extreame partialitie was apparantly shewed which as the world knoweth was no good meanes to appease all parties to ende their debates the onely cause pretended of this lately erected authoritie namely to accord the Priests and Iesuites as the Letters Pattents specifie Now that controuersies be wel decided and all honest parties agreed it was meete perdie to choose vpright and indifferent Iudges and Arbiters who should without fauour feare loue or hatred waigh euerie mans cause vprightly in the ballance of equitie and without respect of persons giue sentence according to iustice This is a principall in iudgement so cleare by the light of nature that it is graunted of verie Pagans yet in our cause very badly obserued for both the Arch-priest and his counsellours vnto whom the determination of our causes are to be referred were all chosen by the one partie with a speciall prouiso that no one be admitted vnto that number who did not greatly fauour the same partie howe contrary soeuer they were vnto the other partie it imported not yea perhaps the more earnestly bent against them the rather elected Had not trow you the other poore partie iust cause to refuse such Vmpeeres and Iudges that were so alienated from them and such fauourites of the aduerse partie and to preuent the vniust sentences that were like to follow of this partialitie to flie in time for refuge vnto their lawfull superiour And if in all pettie iudgements euery priuate man is allowed by lawe an exception against a partiall Iudge how much more is the same to be graunted vnto many auncient graue worthie men in a generall cause of a Country Two proper points of pollicy I obserue in this election the one in choosing the Officers so plyant to their pleasures that they may be the more readie to runne byaz when it will serue their turnes And yet because men are mutable to hold them in awe their authorities might be taken from them what time soeuer the Cardinall thought good as in the points it is to be seene but let this goe because I touched it before the other peece of pollicy yet more fine is that the Arch-priest himselfe who is appointed to giue iustice vnto both parties hath power only ouer the one partie none at all ouer the other so that the one he may by censures seuere punishment constraine to stand to his definitiue sentence but the other needs not to care for him any further then that he may vse him to plague his aduersarie Vt sibi caueat loco These hardy champions hold it not sufficient to haue the fauour of the Court for them but for feare of after claps wil haue also their persons exempted from the principal magistrate and reserue themselues onely to their owne Fathers iudgement which must be sought for also farre inough off from Rome and that in forme of supplication if I mistake not much the Arch-priests instructions Here seemeth to be the place to answere to that sentence of yours Father where you tel vs in good sadnesse that many yeares you demaunded with your friends for this subordination I beleeue you surely considering that neither you would haue yours comprehended in it and yet you would haue the appointing of all the Officers and ordering almost of all matters belonging to it But say you it was thereby to deliuer the Societie from that calumniation vsed to be laid against them that they would gouerne the Priests against theirs wills and you had some reason so to say if you had suffered the Priests to haue chosen their gouernours according to their owne wills desires but you putting in and choosing such commaunders as at your becke should be readie to doo whatsoeuer you will doo manifestly prooue that saying to be no calumniation but a plaine demonstration of your incroaching vpon the gouernments of priests much further then your profession or vocation doth require For by the ordinarie course of the Church religious men are to be gouerned by some of the lay Cleargie and not the Cleargie by them Well to drawe towards the end of my former part this subordination being both straunge in the Church of God hatefull of itself and not to be exercised in our countrey in these times it being also procured as it seemeth by false suggestion authorized by him that was not knowne to haue any such authoritie and finally by partiall election of the gouernours tending vnto the oppression of many notable personages who had excellently well deserued of our countrey by their long and fruitfull trauells yet remaineth euident and most manifest that wee had sundry iust lawfull and great causes in humble sort to sue vnto our superiours for a mitigation or alteration of it and for establishing of some better and more fit for our countrey Whereof appeareth first how vaine that vaunt of yours is where you say that we came and brought nothing with vs and that you were ashamed to see that wee had taken so long a iourney and had so litle to say when besides the causes before mentioned we had many other points also of importance in our message As to desire and sue for Bishops or at least that the
any were scandalized at this our orderly repaire vnto our ordinarie superiours let the wise iudge whether it were Scandalum datum or acceptum I should now according to the order I proposed examine and confute sundrie false calumniations which you let fall by the way as that we deposed we had nothing else to say and that wee could not name a dozen Priests for vs and as your followers amplifying such flying tales reported wee had not halfe a dozen that gaue vs their suffrages when we had twentie nine in writing with vs some of them speaking also for others and yet neither sought for many nor staide about that matter but contenting our selues with some of the most auncientest most learned and of best reputation in our Countrey trusted to the waight of reason which we had on our side and to the equitie of the magistrates before whom we went to present our selues Againe how ridiculous was it to expect of them that are to be so narrowly searched when they passe out of the Countrey that they bring their testimonies with them in great sheetes of paper as though the vertue of witnesses lay in the bignesse of the paper and that we should haue brought some Princes Letters patents with a broad Seale at them whereas the magistrates are our enemies These and many such like I will leape ouer that I may at length come to an end and if my Letter seeme long let the blame be imputed vnto yours which in answere to halfe a dozen lines grew into two sheetes of paper and a halfe if it be thought too sharp let it be well waighed whether men first hardly vsed in fact and afterwards by wordes and Letters much damnified in their credits haue not iust cause to write roundly and if you like not to be so freely reprehended be not so lauish of your penne for vnlesse my foresight faile me you are like hereafter to be no more spared of many then you spare others Wherefore to drawe vnto a conclusion apply to your selfe some part of the good counsell you gaue me in the latter end of yours haue patience with whatsoeuer falleth out and perswade your selfe that he which offendeth many is sure to be offended by many wherefore holding your selfe within the bounds of your religion meddle with other mens matters as litle as you may and if for the common good of our countrey you please to be doing take rather the way of mildenesse which winneth mens hearts then of rigour which lightly offendeth all Follow the noble prudent and admirable steps of that rare ornament of our countrey and singular light of the Catholique Church Cardinall Allen who carried himselfe so courteously towards all men so charitably and withall so wisely that he was able to haue done with vs Priests what he would most easily and did hold the Laie Gentlemen in such a reuerend and louing awe that albeit some of them were verie prone to contentions quarels yet his authoritie and counsaile so brideled and raigned all exorbitant humors that in his time to his perpetuall praise no great flames of dissention burst out especially amongst vs Priests when you taking the contrary course of seuerity haue made an open breach amongst vs alreadie and God knoweth what may fall out heereafter if you looke not vnto it in time which because you are wise I hope you wil do and so shall you purchase vnto your selfe much more good will and quietnesse in this life and better assurance if I be not farre deceiued of euerlasting repose ioy in the life to come the which with all my heart I wish you and so humbly commending my selfe vnto you I take my leaue the 10. of Aprill Anno. 1600. Yours in his praiers William Bishop A LETTER OF Mr. MV TO Father Parsons WEll well Fa. Parsons I pray God send you a more sincere and quiet spirit I finde that true daily more and more which oftē I haue heard good Cardinal Allein Father Holt and others of your owne coate report of you that you were a man of too violent and hard a nature It were high time that you should permit your selfe vs to carrie our gray haires in peace to our graues The trouble and scandall you haue wrought in our Church these late yeares by your polliticke courses doo quite cancell all your former desert Was our peace and vnion made at the comming of his holines Breue and the most iniurious calumnie of schisme and enormious disobedience to the See Apostolicke raised and cōtinued most presumptuously against vs our ghostly children by your societie here to the greeuous scandall of our whole Nation was it I saie put vp by vs and for loue of peace and vnion forgiuen that presently after we had receiued the authoritie and submitted our selues to it you and yours might more safely and liberally renew the infamie against vs and by the Arch-priestes authoritie assured to you in whatsoeuer you listed to attempt against any at your pleasures persecute and oppresse vs You haue in the highest degree dishonored iniured Peters Chaire whiles by your cunning you so enormiouslie abused our bretheren as good doubtlesse as your selfe appealing and comming in all humble dutiful manner to the Apostolicke See defaming them and auerting his Ho. minde from them as from vile and badde persons by your vntrue reports before they came and procuring a most impious and horrible thing to be recounted for perpetuall yet hateful memorie of your fact them to be imprisoned as notorious malefactors before they had bene heard stopping vp all meanes of accesse to his holines and your selfe playing their Iaylour a fit office doubtlesse for so well disposed a religious person and finally procuring their hard banishment to no lesse dishonour to the See Apostolicke abused by your information then to your owne perpetuall ignominie And whiles you haue done all this by abuse of the supreame authoritie through your vnconscionable and vntrue informations you giue all our Nation here cause enough neuer to admire or hereafter to exclaime against the iniquitie of aduersaries who may truly iustifie themselues in their hard proceedings against vs by these vnconscionable courses of yours A lamentable case that now by the polliticke shifts of one person of religious profession orderly appealing to S. Peters Chaire must be thought a trespasse and punished as a greeuous crime Our statute of Premunire may well be repealed now Father Parsons a Iesuite hath laid a plot sufficient enough to hinder appellation or accesse to the See of Rome Is it possible this iniquitie of yours should be kept secret from the world Is it possible his holinesse and the gratious Cardinalls you haue so notably abused should neuer be brought to knowe the innocencie of vs whom you haue thus wronged and persecuted in our bretheren and neuer can cease to afflict Will they neuer thinke you finde out your deceit and by iust discussion of our cause relieue our miseries and repay you
THE Copies of certaine discourses which were extorted from diuers as their friends desired them or their aduersaries driue them to purge themselues of the most greeuous crimes of schisme sedition rebellion faction and such like most vniustly laid against them for not subscribing to the late authoritie at the first sending thereof into England In which discourses are also many things discouered concerning the proceedings in this matter abroad Dicit piger Leo est in via Prouerb 26. The slothfull excuse themselues saying There is a Lyon in the way Imprinted at Roane by the heires of Ia. Walker 1601. The Preface to the Reader THe differences and disagreements are such which in these fewe yeares last past haue bred and daily grow to more and more perfection in that kind to so great a disgust of all sincere Catholickes not onely here in England but also in the principall if not in all the parts of Christendome whither the worthie fame of their memorable acts for the restoring of their natiue Country vnto the Catholicke faith hath come that it is high time to giue them some taste of these matters who are so disgusted by laying before them the true cause and grounds of this lamentable dissention and to discouer how colourably the common enemie of God and his Church hath proceeded to the disturbance first of Gods Priests then to the mutual dislike of Catholickes among themselues and of such Priests as against whom by wrong informations they are violently led and let not to vse both tongue and penne in most vngratefull manner Some being asked by others what might be the cause of so great a strife among the Priestes haue simply answered that the cause is for that the Priests being but secular men will not humble themselues or be directed or gouerned by the Iesuites who are religious but what truth soeuer is in this cause of all other it must not be giuen for such a subiection euen in the eares of those who desire it soundeth so absurdly that they endeuour rather to haue it then to heare of it and both M. Blackwell in his Letters to the Cardi. Caietan dated the 10. of Ianuary 1596. and F. Parsons in his Letters against M. Doctor Bish and M. Ch dated the 9. of October 1599. labour to put this conceit out of mens minds how euidently soeuer the practise in Wisbitch to make Fa. Weston the Iesuite superiour ouer the secular Priests who then were in durance for the Catholicke faith pursued both by the knowne and couert Iesuites and all other their fauourites doth proue it as also a Libell giuen abroad by the Authour thereof himselfe to admonish others to beware of such Priests and by no meanes to haue any dealing with them in spirituall matters euen to the disturbing of them out of their places of residence as vnfit guides for soules who had not a dependance of the Iesuites And not long since another of their fauourites letted not to say that those Priests who are not vnder the Iesuites gouernment are no better then the Ministers Many more proofes may be made hereof out of the speeches of many other their fauourites who giue counsell to all that are afflicted in these turmoyles to submit themselues to the Iesuites Other some who perceiue well that if this should be maintained to be the true cause of so scandalous a schisme in Gods church it would redound to the eternall disgrace infamie of such as by whom they hauing conceiued some foolish hope of preferment they had rather that they should indeed beare the sway haue the gouernment of the Cleargie although it were vnderhand then be said either to seeke it or to haue it giue out that the cause of this diuision among the Priests is for that some Priests mooued either with ambitiō or desire of contradiction will not subiect themselues vnto their lawfull superiour appointed by his holinesse and confirmed in authoritie ouer them by his Breue sent into England for that purpose and these haue from time to time both written and maintained in most iniurious manner to possesse the more perfectly such as are too readie to thinke no calumniation too greeuous euen against those who haue best deserued of them that these Priests are schismatickes seditious rebellious c. euen to the diuiding for this cause of parents and their children men and their wiues brothers and sisters and whole housholds while the one retaining that reuerend respect of their long knowne and tried ghostly fathers for learning wisedome and vertue is assailed by the other with these most wicked suggestions and false calumniations and forced either to liue a discontented life or to break friendship and against their owne consciences make semblance at the least that they conceiue hardly of such as they very well perswade themselues wil not commit so great offence against God and his Church in whose defence they haue spent many yeares and remaine still resolute to shead their dearest bloud That therefore no errour be hereafter in any man who will not too much affect ignorance in such things as concerne not onely his particular good but the Common cause of God his Church which whiles the Cleargie liueth at some variance in an euill affected Countrey cannot doubtlesse but be very greatly preiudiced therby it is thought expedient yea necessarie that the cause of this dissentiō be with truth and sinceritie declared made knowne to the world that our actions and the reasons thereof being weighed with equall ballances truth may take place the offerers of the wrong may be discouered the vniustly afflicted may be relieued and that ease at the least by these meanes may be procured which would not come of so long sufferance The strife and dissention at this day too great and scandalous in England is maintained by the Arch-priest the Iesuites their adherents against those Priests who did forbeare to subiect themselues vnto the Arch-priest constituted in authoritie ouer all the Seminary Priests in England and Scotland by a Cardinall who was Protector of the English Colledge at Rome and afterwards honoured with the title of Protector of England for the which forbearing to subiect themselues at the first making knowne of this authoritie the Priests were accused of schisme sedition faction rebellion c. All which calumniations were forgiuen by the Priests so grieuously iniuried and a peace made to the great comfort of all Catholiques when his holinesse Breue was presented vnto them but this peace was soone after broken by the meanes of the Iesuites who reuiued the same calumniations against the Priests and by the Arch-priest who did not onely auerre the assertions of the Iesuites but published also that he had receiued a resolution from the mother Citie to vse his tearmes which avowed that the refusers of the authoritie noting by this phrase the Priests who did forbeare for a time vpon causes seeming iust to them to accept thereof were Schismatickes So that the
said that they were made at Rome and by the Contents being conuinced that they were made in England could not deny it which sure cannot choose but make men more doubtfull of what he affirmeth in his owne affaires Now good Sir these reasons well weighed cannot but leaue any indifferent minde doubtfull whether this proceede from supreme authoritie or not which doubt cannot more quietly clearely and orderly be resolued then by sending men of conscience and iudgement to know his holinesse wil if he haue not decreed and appointed it to let him vnderstand the abuse take order for the reforming of it If he haue then to signifie wherein perchance he might be misinformed that therby he may the better redresse what is amisse or if after due information his wisedome shall think the course taken to be for the benefite of our cause and countrey then they carry a mind prostrate both How then could their delay be schisme they being alike ready to obey for themselues and in the name of the rest that ioyned with them in this action to accept and obey whatsoeuer the Apostolicall sea shall herein decree This course I know not what reason any man may haue to condemne as either rash or vncharitable much lesse why these men should be termed for their iust proceeding factious seditious schismaticall or the like Heereby also you may perceiue where the roote and true cause of the scandalous reports which daily come to your eares doth remaine notwithstanding the libertie of speech clamours and vniust exclamations of some who would haue it to be elsewhere I pray God that these men doo build vpon God almighty and not vpon their owne wittes and deuises Heere I say nothing of the iust exceptions that many make against the manner of procuring this authoritie which are neither fewe nor yet of small moment but these wil be deliuered in an other place by them that shall informe his holinesse and if occasion shall require and we be pressed therevnto you shall vnderstand them in an other Letter In the meane while take and peruse this with indifferencie and iudge as reason and conscience shall dictate Fareyewell Maister Champneyes Letter of the same argument to a Reuerend friend of his VEry Reuerend Syr As from my very cradle I acknowledge my self many wayes beholding vnto you for your manifold courtesies both towards me and other of my dearest friends so haue I had alwaies a speciall desire to yeeld such correspondence in my demeanour as I might neither giue you nor any other of my friends iust occasion to withdraw from me their friendly affection Neuerthelesse I gather by some speeches that passed not long since betweene you and a friend of yours and mine that you haue conceiued a worse opinion of mee then wittingly I haue deserued or willingly would deserue The sinister reports of some whose endeuours are different from their professiō hauing caused in you not onely a surmise but as it seemeth a strong and firme opinion that I am disobedient to the See Apostolicke and enemy to the Fathers of the societie and a contemner of the late authoritie of our Arch-priest These be the crymes wherewith I suppose both my selfe and diuers others are taxed or truer most iniuriously slaundered Being therefore very vnwilling to permit you to remaine in that opinion grounded vpon mere fictions and falsities I determined to make mine Apologie with you and to yeeld you reason for all my proceedings in these matters which being weighed in the equal ballance of your indifferent iudgement I nothing doubt but it will yeeld you full satisfaction and giue you some light to see how you haue hitherto beene abused by false informers I know it to be a difficult thing so to take away and remoue out of a mature minde a conceit which hath long without contradiction possessed it so to take it away I say as there remaine no scruple nor doubt thereof Yet when I doo consider on the one side your graue and sincere iudgement voyd as I verily thinke of all partialitie and on the other side the clearenesse and manifest truth of the matter I am to speake of I cannot almost doubt but so to satisfie these obiected crimes as that you will easily see both my selfe and others to haue suffered mightie wrong by the raisers thereof Let me therefore good sir craue onely this of you that you will not measure that which I shall say according to the preiudiciall opinion which you haue already framed of my person for so shall you easily preiudice the equitie of my Plea but let your iudgement proceed of the thing it selfe without respect either to my person or any other and so being voyd of affection shall it bee more free from errour If I say any thing that may leane vppon humaine creditte as matters of narration or fact I desire to bee beleeued no further then I can manifestly proue If I vtter matters of opinion or iudgement as arguments or reasons for any fact I desire no more then that they be measured according to the weight and truth they do containe This is so indifferent a demaund that if I should doubt the graunting thereof I should in mine opinion offer you no small wrong I will therefore Sir deteine you no longer with vnprofitable circuits of wordes but I will come to the matter and whatsoeuer I shall say in mine owne behalfe in this affaire you may vnderstand it of others that bee of the same opinion with mee therein The former accusations to weete that I am disobedient to the see Apostolicke an aduersary to the Fathers and an impugner of our Arch-priests authoritie are all grounded vpon one and the selfe-same foundation which I thinke I shall easily shewe to be both friuolous and false and consequently ouerthrowe whatsoeuer is built therevpon howsoeuer some men do labour to fortifie the same not by the probabilitie of any reason or equall debating the matter but by confidence or rather impudent infaming of such as labour to defend the truth All these accusations therfore are forged vpon this one principle because forsoothe I did not acknowledge M. Blackwells authoritie vpon the receit onely of Cardinall Caietaines Letters wherein he affirmed that the Pope had giuen vnto him authoritie to appoint a gouernment ouer the Seminary Priests in England For this cause I am saide to resist the Popes authoritie and because the Iesuites were the procurers of this delegation therfore am I counted their aduersary because I did not accept of the thing and meanes to establish it which they thought good of And lastly because I did not acknowledge M. Blackwell for my Ecclesiasticall superiour vpon the forementioned testimonie I am said to be an impugner of his authoritie Loe Syr here is the whole ground of all the former accusations neither doo I thinke they laie any thing else to my charge If they doo when I may know it I will either satisfie their obiections or acknowledge
the election of their Arch-priest Thirdly it is against the very light of naturall reason that a man who is of a distinct gouernment or body should bee the chiefe yea the onely elector and appoynter of the head and gouernour of an other body without the consent thereof As for a Benedictine Monke to elect or appoint for example the head and generall of the Fathers of the societie and to thrust him vpon them against their wills and consents Who euer heard of such an absurditie Which in our case is by so much more apparant by how many moe bad circumstances concurre Fourthly the thing it selfe carrieth euident remonstrance of an intollerable burden without any commoditie at all and not without manifest suspition of a plaine plot or stratageme to confound and take away all Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie and auncient approoued gouernment in our Church These reasons wherevnto I might adde many moe if they be not so apparant to you being thus wrapped vp as it were in a bundle I shall if you giue me occasion vnfold them and make them as cleare as the noone-day Which if they be but indifferently pondered will not onely cleare vs from all schisme and sinne but also conuince our accusers of manifest badde dealing who without all shewe of reason or iust cause began the quarell to the open scandall of the world and yet do labour tooth and nayle to cast the slaunder and ignomie thereof vppon such as were onely defendants and endeuoured to deliuer themselues from manifest iniury Notwithstanding these reasons and many moe which we had not onely to deferre but also vtterly to reiect this disorderly procured gouernment you shall now heare how peaceably and orderly we proceeded in the matter and contrariwise how turbulently and without all shewe of equitie our aduersaries dealt with vs. Which because it requireth onely a narration of these things that haue actually passed betweene vs I shall not need to alleadge any reason by way of argument to conuince that which I shall say but onely if any thing be denied to call the world for a witnesse of the truth Neuerthelesse I do not intend to rippe vp the matter from the beginning for so I should weary you with too long a speech but omitting the maner of proceeding vsed in the first procuring of this late ordeined gouernment which was very exorbitant and altogether dissonant to reason and the accustomed practise of Gods Church in such affaires I will begin with the first receiuing of Cardinall Caietaines Letters whereby we had first notice of this authoritie and so chiefly relate some chiefe occurrents that haue actually happened among vs since that time whereby you shall easily see whether we haue offered or suffered wrong Vpon the first receit therefore of the Protectors Letters after due consideration of the tenour thereof because they conteined an ordinance vnheard of before in the Church of God and that without any authoritie from his holinesse contrary to the continuall custome and practise of that See Wherevpon grew many doubts whether that proceeded from his holinesse commaund or no but that which most of all moued was because there appeared no probabilitie that it proceeded from him truly informed of the state and condition of our Countrey and Cleargy neither the thing it selfe nor the maner of procuring it yeelding any probabilitie of such information wherevpon we thought it altogether repugnant to Ecclesiasticall discipline and gouernment to admit any such ordinances intangled with so many doubts For which cause we determined before we did admit this institution to procure more certaine knowledge and notice of his holinesse his will and pleasure in this matter with most firme and constant resolution and purpose to admit whatsoeuer we should certainely knowe to be his will the state of our Countrey first vnderstood For this cause we sent to Rome two reuerend Priests earnestly requesting M. Blackwell and the Fathers the procurers of this authoritie to be quiet in the meane while vntill the returne of our messengers or some other sufficient certitude came from Rome that hee was constituted our superiour without full notice whereof it was not possible to take away all doubts scruples which would be the occasions of great contentions and strifes But they vtterly refused to admit the offer saying that it was disobedience and rebellion to the See Apostolicke to seeke any further certificate of the matter Because as the thing it selfe beareth For this case â—â—e Bullam â—â—aenae Excom â—0 11. Nauar. â—â—idem euident shewe they suspected their owne inordinate proceedings and thought that if his holinesse should be truly informed he would reuerse this order and so frustrate all their deuised plot For which cause they proclaimed vs here in England Schismatickes at the least preuented with their Letters the comming of the two Priests to Rome where at their arriuall they were taken by father Parsons the Architect of all these troubles spoiled of their Letters and writings cast into close prison seperate one from the other and all to hinder their accesse to his holinesse And after a whole winters imprisonment they were sent from Rome seperate likewise and confined into two seueral places Fraunce and Loraine without any allowance for their maintenance where they should remaine in banishment to the end they might not returning into England report how religiously Father Parsons had entertained them Who could haue shewed more vnequall dealing in any proceeding At last Father Parsons hauing stopped all other informations from the Popes holinesse but his owne procured his holinesse Breue for the confirmation of this authoritie which being receiued euery one admitted M. Blackwell for his superiour and obeyed Who then is so voyd of reason yea of commoÌ„sence as to say that we are Schismatikes rebells or disobedient to the See Apostolick who least we should do any thing against the ordinances thereof made all possible meanes to knowe the will and disposition of his holinesse with full purpose and protestation after due knowledge to admit imbrace obey obserue it yea and defacto did imbrace it And who would not rather condemne them of worse then bad dealing who left no meanes vntried to hinder vs from the due knowledge of his will Who vnlesse they intended to crosse the accustomed proceedings of Gods Church approued by all antiquitie and established by all holie authoritie of the Pastors and gouernours of the same would neuer haue condemned vs of schisme rebellion against Gods Church for appealing to the See Apostolick seeking to know the will of the Pastors therof in a matter of such moment and so euidently belonging to his authoritie to determine But this improbable and senselesse Paradoxe they haue raised to cloake their manifold iniuries and wrongs practised against vs their innocent brethren which if euer it be laid open to the view of the world as peraduenture it may be I thinke they will not passe without great admiration Good Sir heere
I might make an ende and thinke this sufficient to discouer the falsitie of such grounds as haue bene and are still with some the foundations of such slaunderous reports and opinions of detestable schisme vniustly raised and vnconscionably mainteined against mee and others of my bretheren and that it might also suffice for our defence against such vntrue vnchristian detractions yet seeing I haue begunne I will goe a litle further in declaring our innocency in this matter Our Arch-priests authoritie being now of euery one admitted vpon the receit of his holinesse Breue and thereby all argument or shewe of schisme disobedience or rebellion quite taken away howsoeuer before matter was fained to vpholde so vncredible a fable euery one of vs for peace and concords sake readie to remit the iniuries done vnto vs by publike slaunder of schisme published to the world in written pamphlets and our Arch-priest writing his Letters willing and by his authoritie commaunding that no more speech should be made of matters past but that euery one should compose himselfe to peace and vnitie with his brethren the Fathers who are not subiect to his authoritie albeit they were the procurers thereof for they loue to impose great burdens vpon other mens shoulders which they themselues will not touch with one finger perceiuing belike that by this peaceable composition there was like to ensue a continuall agreement amongst the secular Priests which they feared would be the baine of all their designements they quickly deuised a way to breake this vnitie For it is a principle with those that seek dominion to keep diuision alwaies among such as they intend to bring vnder their regiment To this purpose they renewed as it should seeme the slaunder of schisme in more intollerable manner then before for now they said that we were not only schismatikes but that whosoeuer should dogmatizando say the contrary should incurre the censures of holy church And M. Blackwell himselfe notwithstanding his former prohibition by their suggestion as it is more then probable writ that they had receiued a resolution from the mother Citie that we were schismatikes and that in his opinion we were not to be admitted to the Sacraments without satisfaction done for the same Will any man now say that these men desire and seeke the peace tranquillitie of our afflicted Chuch Can any one bee so shamelesse as to avowe it No no. When therefore we perceiued our late composed peace contrary to all expectation to be thus quickly broken and that our good names began to bleed afresh the old gaules beeing not yet firmly cured we requested of our Arch-priest that we might haue a parley or conference vpon the matters in controuersie with these conditions First that M. Garnet M. Lister and whom and how many soeuer of the societie they should thinke good to choose vnto them to be reasoners debators or disputers on the one side and of the other three such Priests of our company as wee should nominate Secondly that the groundes reasons arguments answeres and reioynders on both sides after full discussion agreement should be set downe in writing Thirdly that the Vmperes or Arbitrators to heare or determine of the weight truth and coherence of all that should be said or alledged by either side should be 2. or 3. of the seniour Assistants and M. Doleman and that it should be in the choise of our Arch-priest to admit such of the Laitie to be hearers of the dispute as to his wisedome for the qualitie of the conference should seeme meete Fourthly that each of the Arbitrators should faithfully promise in the word of a Priest to proceed to the giuing of sentence vpō the proofe or disproofe of either side according to the dictamen of their conscience and inward perswasion without delay colour mittigation or partialitie Fiftly that if the said Arbitrators should iudge that our case was schisme and our selues schismatikes then we most humbly should aske pardon on our knees of our Arch-priest and the societie for hitherto defending the contrary against the veritie of their affirmances If of the other side they should censure or deeme that we were no schismatikes then the societie especially the penner and the approuers of the Pamphlet of schisme should acknowledge their errour reuerse the tract and make vs some ratable satisfaction to the heape of iniuries infamies sustained Sixtly that it should be lawfull without offence or prohibition for either side after sentence giuen and fulfilling of the premisses to seeke if it should so please a resolution in the difference frō the Vniuersities beyond the seas vpon shewe euidence of the said dispute grounds reasons proofes arguments subscribed with the hands of the Vmperes disputants of both sides to the end it might manifestly appeare to be the same and no place left to the other side to suspect any indirect dealing either by adding changing or subtracting ought too or from the originall and that none of the foresaid Arbitrators or disputants refuse or deferre to put too his name being requested therevnto Could you good sir deuise more equall conditions then these Or if these men did not intend to maintaine continuall brawles and strifes would they not haue admitted them there being no more indifferent meanes to end all controuersies Notwithstanding this so reasonable and indifferent an offer they tearmed it a tumultuous or rebellious demand and commaunded that none vnder paine of suspension should either by word or writing defend himselfe from being a schismaticke wherby we were debarred from defending our own good name vniustly taken away Finding therfore our selues in these miseries that we must either loose our good names or by aduenturing to defend them incurre some high displeasure we set downe the state of the controuersie and sent it to the Doctours of the famous Vniuersitie of Paris requesting their opinion and censure therevpon For although wee knew our selues altogether cleare from all contagion of schisme yet because we would not be our owne Iudges least peraduenture wee might bee suspected of partialitie in our owne cause we sent to haue their opinions who are free from suspition of all partialitie The Doctors returned vs answere as followeth Anno Domini Millesimo sexcentessimo die 3. Maij propositum fuit facultati Theologiae Parisiensi quod literis cuiusdam Illmi Cardinalis quidam superior Ecclesiasticus in regno quodam constitutus est cum titulo dignitate Archipresbyteri vt haberet authoritatē iurisdictionem super omnes alios Presbyteros in eodem regno commorantes Cardinalis etiam in illis suis literis declarauit se id fecisse iuxta voluntatem beneplacitum summi Pontificis Multi autem ex illis Presbiteris recusarunt subsignare authoritati eiusdem Archipresbyteri priusquam ipse obtinuisset Literas Apostolicas confirmationis suae tenorem continentes tum quia nouum omnino erat in Ecclesia Catholica hactenus inauditum illud genus regiminis vt
crimes wherof both my selfe and diuers others of our brethren are accused I rereferre the matter to your iudgement to discerne whether we be guiltie of them or no. If you doubt of the truth of my relation I desire none other triall then the testimonie of mine accusers who if they denie any one word that I haue vttered by way of narration I can easily procure such proofe thereof as they shall not denie vnlesse they will denie themselues If my deductions arguments or suppositions vsed in yeelding reason for our not admitting M. Blackwells authoritie vpon the onely receit of Cardinall Caietaines Letters and that for so doing we incurred no note either of schisme or disobedience to his holinesse if they I say need any proofe I will vndertake to make them most euident Wherefore according to these grounds I humbly beseech you to passe your opinion and yeeld your iudgement of our cause And if the grounds prooue true your iudgement conformable therevnto may remaine firme but if they prooue otherwise your iudgement notwithstanding shall not be faultie for he that iudgeth according to his euidence is not culpable of any errour This good Sir I request because I desire to know your opinion of our cause which if you giue according to these grounds I shal easily vnderstand whether you wil condemne or cleare mee my brethren of the crimes obiected for I am sure I haue not erred in declaring the state of the matter If this which I haue said be not sufficient for your full satisfaction I hope it wil suffice at least to suspend your iudgement of vs vntill further triall be had of our cause which being had in any indifferent manner and if we being conuicted do not acknowledge our fault and make competent satisfaction then do not spare to account of vs as Heathens Publicans But our aduersaries purpose not to put the matter to any indifferent tryall or to ende it by any equall meanes but to decide it by strong hand might and violence by perpetuall oppressing vs with infamous slaunders of schisme faction and the like thereby to depriue if it can be our brethren abroad of all conuenient entertainment and to debarre vs in prison of necessary reliefe to the ende that necessitie may compell vs to yeeld to their desires the inequalitie of which proceedings I beseech you with indifferēcy to cōsider Sometime it is seen that a partie wilfully bent to contend is iustly compelled to admit an equall compremise and to stand to the arbitrement of an indifferent Iudge but it was neuer seene where iustice and conscience ruled and muche lesse amongst such as ought to be the rule of other mens consciences that the partie willing to stand to anie indifferent tryall should bee compelled by violence to agree vnto the desire of his aduersary how iust or vniust soeuer it be and that without any further sentence but onely because his aduersary must haue his will Good Sir we are heere in this place diuers in great want in so much that besides our debts to the keeper we haue not to defend vs from the iniury of the winter weather whereof that you may haue some special taste I doo you to vnderstand that since Trinitie Terme wee haue receiued no more from London from whence the chiefest part of our reliefe commeth then will suffice for three weekes charges with him that can husband his matters best And this shal be sufficient to insinuate vnto you our wants hoping that as opportunitie serueth you will concurre to the relieuing thereof confidently hoping withal that God for whose cause we suffer not onely of the cōmon aduersary but also of those who ought to be our friends wil giue vs patiēce whatsoeuer crosses befal vs to beare them to the end For mine owne part they may by their violent proceedings make me yeeld my breath and life which by Gods grace I shall if need require willingly sacrifice for the defence of iustice equitie and mine owne innocencie but my consent to these vniust dealings by Gods assistance they shall neuer extort out of me If any one to whom you shall thinke good to impart this as I am not against the imparting it to any so that you keepe the originall your selfe shall vndertake to improue me of any vntruth I will either satisfie his obiections euen to your own iudgement or else I will acknowledge mine errour Take this good Sir for a taste of our internall and domesticall troubles wherewith I imagine you are not much acquainted and therefore are you worse affected to our cause and as you shall giue me hereafter occasion you shall vnderstand more for this is but a small thing in respect of that which this matter affordeth But I feare I haue bene too tedious in this so disgustfull a discourse but let I pray you the hard tearmes my good name is brought into plead my pardon for my tediousnesse and the equitie of my Plea procure me your fauour and so in all humble sort I take my leaue Yours euer in all true Christian affection Anthony Champney SIr if you do not consider diligently the haynous Post scriptū enormitie of schisme imposed vpon me you will peraduenture condemne me of too much precisenesse if not of contention for labouring to defend my selfe from the note thereof and will thinke that I ought rather to suffer some small infamie then by opposing my selfe so earnestly to repell the same to procure a further breach between mine accusers and my selfe to both our harmes and to the offence of others But if you consider first to admit the infamy of this slaunder though it were of it selfe but small were in some sort to giue occasion to mine accusers to heape vpon my head greater wrongs hereafter for he that will offer wrong in one thing will do the like in an other if occasion serue you shall finde it to be neither wisedome nor pietie to giue place to such beginnings Secondly the condition of mine estate requiring a most entire fame I should both wrong my selfe and slaunder my function if I should admit any blemish or blotte therein which I may by mine owne endeuour wipe away and therefore to purchase peace at such a price I hold it not lawfull for Non est faciendum malum vt eremat bonum Euill is not to be done that good may ensue And as S. Augustine saith Qui famam suam negligit crudelis est Hee that neglecteth his good name is cruell But if thirdly you cōsider the intrinsical enormitie of this crime you will easily excuse mine endeuour in clearing my self therof from all note of contention For amongst all other sinnes against our neighbour schisme is the greatest and the pennalties which the Church hath alwaies inflicted on such as haue bene guiltie therof proue the same to weet excommunication and seperation from all vse of Sacraments as appeareth by diuers auncient Canons also in Bulla caenae which being graunted
bee you doo mislike in me my firme standing against the troublesome of this house first and against you and your companiō afterward that came in defence of the former troubles if it be so you and I do differ in iudgements for I do thinke that vigour and fortitude to bee so necessary and commendable which is required to stand in confractione as the scripture tearmeth it against vnquiet striuing spirits as without it no good in any gouernment can be expected and albeit in some it cause alienations of affections as you signifie yet in others it worketh the contrarie and that which most importeth it vpholdeth truth vertue and Gods cause And I would aske you now againe as sometimes here in presence I did in what case do you thinke our common cause of England had beene at this daie if no man had resisted the designements of the troublesome in this place or if your endeauours after them had taken place ¶ Let vs example but one example you talked before your restraint heere with the Commissary of the Inquisition and you gaue him such a relation of English matters as afterward when M. Doctor Haddock and M. Martin Array had talked with him also and informed him as they thought of the very truth of matters he told an honourable man of Rome and a great friende of mine that foure English Priestes hauing talked with him they had taken from him all list to beleeue any Englishmen or matters more they told him so different tales and yet all of them would seeme to be men of zeale well then if you had bin let alone by his holinesse to deale with all the Cardinalls and great men of Rome in like sort would you not haue brought our common cause in a pretie plight trowe you and your selues also ¶ Moreouer it appeareth by your papers and depositions yet extant that you tooke the way first to discredit so much as in you lay M. Blackwell the first man of all your order that euer was yet in authoritie and of those parts and merittes that all English men know yea in the very matter of his faith for that an heriticall proposition was laid to his charge Secondly were to be discredited such English Priests as stood with him who are the principall of your coat and with them all Iesuites but chieflie those that are known to haue laboured most in the common cause and by whose intercession Catholique Princes haue bene most mooued to assist hetherto the same and what would haue followed of this Further the Protector himselfe must haue bin changed if all designments in your papers had taken place the Seminaries must haue beene taken from the gouernment of Iesuites the whole societie called out of England and albeit you proposed not in words al these points together when you came how matters stood yet were they mentioned as is to bee seene in your papers from your partners in England and you see that now they begin to be giuen abroad againe in places where you or M. Ch. are or haue beene and vttered discontentment ¶ And if all these points had bene brought to passe by you or at least that other point wherevpon you stood so much heere to haue two Arch-priests in England not subordinate the one to the other but each one absolute with his traine of subiects vnder him opposite the one against the other would not all our cause haue comen quicklie to ruine and shall those then that haue stood against these ruines be accounted sterne and rigorous or rather cōstant pious yea friendly towards your selues for that with the ruine of the common cause yours also and all other Priests should be inuolued and now God be thanked by the good order which his holinesse hath setled all is well ended and remedied if men can be contented and now Priests haue their head and subordination and Iesuites also theirs and both are happilie vnited together and all strife is ended in England to Gods great glorie and our common good I hope and his holy name be euer blessed for the same ¶ And as for the gouernment of this Colledge here in Rome whether it be Spanish or Italian I know not but sure I am it tendeth all to vnion peace loue vertue and learning that do the schollers finde by the effects hauing receiued more cōfort quiet true mirth and gaine of learning in one moneh sithence the reformation then in some yeares before as for youthes to come vnto it let no man haue care for would to God we had so much maintenance as we could haue choise of schollers to enioy it and no wise Catholique is there in England or else-where that hearing of this chaunge and reformation wil refuse to send his children hither if he loue them and may be in hope to haue them placed for the words or writings of any such to the contrarie as M. Ch. threatneth who shal bemonethe lack of liberty And if M. Ch. or anie other should attēpt to put any thing in print of matters passed heere as our friend writeth is threatned but I cannot beleeue that any such intent can be the matter would easily be answered for that here remaine authenticall registers of all that passed by publique authoritie ¶ Well good Sir I will end then and pray you to be a mean as I know your nature to be more moderate and you promsed it here also that things may rest as they were and are well ended without renewing of further griefes as both in wisedome and conscience and vnder your oathes also and vpon paine of censures both of you are bound and surely if these things should be true which before I haue alleadged to be written hither by credible relators whose Letters are here extant I cannot see how either of you that should bee cause of so false and dissentious reports can be safe in conscience for very great sinne and grieuous censures also but I hope they will not proue true ¶ And as for the request you make in your Letter to mee to deliuer you from the false report written hence to Flaunders and thence to your partes againe that you should confesse heere to haue beene moued onlie by ambition to take your last action in hand I will deliuer you most willingly from anie thing that I haue written or willed others to write for as you saie I did euer attribute your attempt rather to errour and lack of consideration then to ambition wherein you may see I was not rigorous but yet seeing your matter passed by diuers mens hands and knowledge I cannot let them to thinke speake or write what they iudge best yet do I suppose verilie that none would saie or write that you confessed so much here tho I haue heard diuers speake and suspect so much vpon the sight of your papers for that seeing in diuers papers and scrolles of your fellowes which you brought open with you you were proposed for Bishops and in
proofe M. B. saith he could neuer obtain so much fauour of F. Parsons as to see those notes and as I am enformed M. Ch. saith the same although he were most importunate with them especially vpon their oftē promises euē vntil the last houre of his restraint or aboad at Rome yea chalēged it that it was forged I haue heard this cōiecture made how it was forged M. C. being at the first to goe alone to Rome about the affaires of England had certaine instructions sent vnto him frō D. Ba. who alwaies vsed to call M. C. by a name of which the first letter was L. by which hee was called when they studied together at Rome and accordingly sent certaine instructions to L. which M. C. sometime called M. L. carried with him to Rome when hee went in company with M. B. Now what little need of wit there was where there wanted honestie I referre me to them who could to the one L. ioyne an other L. and either blot or scrape away as much as needed of the first stroake of the in and so leaue it L L. which perchance in that writing of M. D. Ba. they might doo with some facilitie because as all men know who euer receiued any Letters from him he writeth that word Mr. in this sort as easily with litle help it may bee made to stand for and as it should seeme when it was done it did so please F. Parsons that he told it often and by often telling it thought at last himselfe that it was true and was not ashamed to write it and send it round about the Christian world against the two Priests to whom notwithstanding his often promise vpon their constant deniall thereof hee was ashamed to shewe it when they earnestly demaunded to see it might not F. Parsons haue said somewhat else of himselfe when in the 15. Paragraffe he said he was become a foole And was it not great need that either there or somewhere else hee should commend himselfe in this action of his concerning his dealing with the two Priests In the 22. Paragraffe F. Parsons telleth the two Priests that now all is ended and this and all the rest wil easily die be forgottē as alreadie he trusteth all is forgotten on all hands Was the affliction so small that euen while it was it was not felt or if it were still felt and could not but be so thought of by men of best vnderstanding being a banishment out of their natiue Countrey and all other Countries in the world but one without any prouision made for them with what face doth F. Parsons tell them that all is ended and that he trusteth all is alreadie forgotten on all hands Could this or any of the rest die and be forgotten so long as the two priests liued and were not forgotten but kept still in banishment for this and the rest If all this had bene ended in all others and bene forgotten by them yet could it not possibly be forgotten by the two Priests who euen to this day suffer persecution for it and with such extremitie as the one being driuen by necessitie to returne into his Countrey for necessarie reliefe to sustaine life notwithstanding he gaue notice of the cause of his returne to the Arch-priest and how for more safetie he had made an appeale from the sentence which not hauing inflicted any censure nor being to inflict any but vpon such and such condition was in the generall opinion of the learned so suspended by an appeale made before the euent of the condition as after the euent of the same condition it could take no force against the appellant he was vpon this notice giuen to the Arch-priest presently denounced although vntruly to be suspended and without any other cause giuen the Arch-priest at the same time abrogated anullated and tooke away all his faculties when or by whomsoeuer they were graunted which doubtlesse was beyond his Commission which was to direct admonish and punish as occasion of offence in breach of his peace should be offered not whom and when and for what he listed much lesse for an entrance into the Countrey which if it had bene without leaue or not iustifiable otherwise it did belong to others and not to him to punish much lesse if it were true which F. Parsons saith in this 21. Paragraffe that now all was ended and that hee trusted all was forgotten on all hands But to returne to our 22. Paragraffe what was that which was ended If the cause betweene the Archpriest and all the Priests were ended how were the two Priests still kept in banishment but wee must heere learne a new trick how to haue all things ended and forgotten Those who are iniuried must say nothing good counsell So may the Potent oppresse whom they may by might or fraud and all is well yea and all is forgotten if those who are oppressed beare themselues well and prudently and do stay and not stirre vp such as do seeme to fauour or bemone their case But perchance these reports which came to F. Parsons eares from Flaunders and Fraunce may be said to haue bene the hinderance that all was not well on the two Priests sides for as it should seeme in the sixt Paragraffe they were not come to the eares of them whom they are said most to concerne but then before these reports came to the eares either of the one or of the other how was all well and all forgotten and yet the two Priests kept still in banishment there are Leters vnder Fa. Parsons hand to be seene to testifie that all was well and vnder F. Warfords hand likewise and others doubtlesse enough to the same purpose before these things were obiected against them or this deuise wrought for the farther persecuting the two Priests and delaying them still in banishment and confinement without any prouision made for them to liue why were they not then dismissed Perchance F. Parsons did at that time diuine that the two Priests might giue some cause that notwithstanding all was well ended and as he trusted on all hands forgotten yet their particular cause might be exempted from that all and not onely not be forgotten but prosecuted still vnto the vttermost that the straungest moode could deuise Vpon this therefore his diuination and great foresight notwithstanding that peremptorily or positiuely hee said in the 18. Paragraffe that all was well ended and iterateth the same in this 22. Paragraffe and trusteth that alreadie all is forgotten on all hands yet he sauceth it with a condition that is if M. B. and M. C. do beare themselues well and prudently and do stay and not stirre vp such as do seeme to fauour or bemone their case Now all good Catholiques in England do hartily grieue at the present stirres in England M. B. and M. Ch. were farre inough off who hath begunne them All those who did seeme to fauour or bemoane the case of M. Bish and M. Ch.
had made an attonement with their aduersaries and forgiuen all those slaunders and detractious proceedings which were practised against them and neither of themselues or stirred vp by M. Bish and M. Ch. haue they reuiued all that which F. Parsons heere confesseth to haue bene dead forgotten or ended Did not rather F. Rob. Ion. a Iesuite no great fauourer or bemoaner of M. Bish and M. Ch. their case broach this diuision again and renew the soare which was if not cleane healed yet forgotten and the offendors forgiuen by publishing that the Priests who did forbeare to admit M. Black for their superiour vntill they sawe the Breue in his confirmation were Schismatikes and that all those who should not hold the same were vnder the censures of the Church Did not M. Black soone after both approue the same paradox of F. Ion. the Iesuite and furthermore publish a resolutiō sent as he said from Rome eyther by Father Wasord or F. Titch both Iesuites which avowed the same with many Edicts and prohibitions vnder paine of incurring the censures that the Priests should not defend them selues from this most absurd iniurious calumniatiō Was it so necessary that there should be tumults in England which must be said still no doubt to be betweene the secular Priests and the Catholiques that the Iesuites must stil giue the onset although for to auoyd blame in the opinion of such as will blinde themselues their enterprises haue bene so prosecuted by couert Iesuites who were not knowne but as secular Priests by the Arch-priest as they are generally taken for quarrels among the secular Priests Can F. Parsons say and not thinke to be laughed at that these stirres are reviued by default of M. Bish and M. Ch. their not prudent bearing themselues or that the Iesuites and the Arch-priest were stirred vp by them as men who would seeme to fauour or bemone their cause But had peace long continued in England which was feared that it would had it bin in their power who were so maruellously iniured some iudged that they should misse somewhat at which they aimed and therefore they set all things worse then they were before We hope we shal now shortly at the least see to what end they did it Concerning the 23. paragraffe I cannot say what either straungers or others did iudge of the two Priests cause they themselues must answere how they found such as with whom they talked yet if it be true which F. Parsons relateth in the 16. Paragraffe it is very likely that they tolde some tale which caried some weight with it or else both the Commissarie of the Inquisition had litle reason to vse such words as F. Parsons there saith he did and F. Parsons lesse cause to feare least their dealing with all the Cardinalls and great men in Rome would to vse his owne tearme bring the common cause in a pretie plight He vaunteth here but falsely and iniuriously against the principall of our Nation eyther in Flaunders or England who should complaine of the ouermuch lenitie vsed in ending of the cause that none but vpō passion or misinformation did bemone thē The iudgement of the two Cardinals Caietan Burghese I saw in their letters of the 21. of April 1599. to the Rector or vicerector of the english Colledge and that was that it was not expedient that the two Priestes should by and by returne vnto those parts where they had maintained controuersies with other of their order Wherefore they commaunded the two Priests that for a time they should not presume to goe without license into the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland I haue bene credibly enformed that neither of them were euer in Scotland or Ireland and therefore could not maintaine any controuersies there in parsonall presence but if they did maintaine any it was by Letters which they might doo notwithstanding this prouiso from other parts also neither can I learne that euer they mainteined any such in England but if they had in my simple iudgement it was no good reason why therefore they should be debarred Scotland and Ireland and although this were the iudgement which was specified by the aforesaid Letters yet there was an other iudgement also that they should not be both in one Regiō as it should seeme for although in the Cardinall Burghese his Letters of the 15. of September 1600. to M. C. it is insinuated that they might choose their place of banishment and confinement which is a confession that because they had controuersies in some one place not certainely set downe where if wee looke into the aforesaid mentioned Letters of the 21. of Aprill 1599. or because by their returne into England some controuersies might haue growne there as appeareth by Cardinall Burghese his Letters of the 15. of September 1600. they must be banished out of all places in the world but one where they must liue in relegation God knoweth how long for neither is there any certaine time set downe for this yet in the answere vnto it written by M. C. the 4. of Noumber following I read that he was not suffered to be in Fraunce as he had made his choise and if this was not cause sufficient for honest men truly enformed of the ending of their cause to bemoane them sincerely and from the heart yet with this circumstance at the least it might be that no prouision being made for them to sustaine life they were banished out of all such places where they might haue meanes to liue vpon a supposed cause neuer proued against them or a bare suspition of what might heereafter bee vnlesse to goe to Rome to preuent great controuersies be said to be to maintaine cotrouersies or to giue a suspition that they would make controuersies when as that thing by which probably they might assure themselues that controuersies would growe came from Rome and was no where to be remedied but at Rome And it will appeare by those authenticall Registers in Rome if any be kept that they sought with all submission to his holinesse to knowe his will in a cause not made knowne by any Letters before from him or by any sufficient testimony otherwise that it was his order In the 24. Paragraffe F. Parsons would seeme to giue good counsell although in all that goeth before he sheweth how litle he careth to follow any but rather aduentureth to say or doo what commeth into his minde and seeketh afterward to perswade such as against whom he worketh to haue patience and say nothing but be peaceable not to finde fault or blame any his proceedings least that tumults arise thereon as who did resolue rather to goe through with whatsoeuer he attempteth then to recall or reclaime himself at any time when he hath done amisse for proofe whereof he caused this Letter as it appeareth in the 6. Paragraffe to be cōmunicated to others beside those to whom it was writtē who shuld also publish it further without any
yeares no maruaile though simple witted men who desire not to straie from the holie steps of our forefathers were at the first not a little amazed at it and could not be so verie easilie induced to approue it This also besides the noueltie of it being much more odious and intollerable as it was then proposed then anie other gouernment that our predecessors had euer liued vnder For hauing full and absolute power to punish rigorously and that as it were at pleasure and discretion it had no facultie ioyned with it or abilitie to benefit or do anie good at all no not so much as vpon amendment of the partie punished to restore vnto him againe that hee had taken away from him before If now he haue more ample authoritie he may thanke our complaints which were no smal cause of it And herevnto his Iniunctions whereof more in an other place that Priestes should not meete together priuilie in our countrie that they should not secretlie send vnto their friends ouer the sea whereas openlie they can doo no such thing as all the world knoweth and tell vs I pray you when and where euer you heard of such an Ecclesiastical gouernment in anie Christian countrie before that sacred Priests the free children of God his familie so greatlie priuiledged by all good Christian Princes should be I know not by whom in such a seruile sort yoaked Againe this punishing authoritie cannot be wel practised in England during this heate of persecution and therefore seemed to be frustrate and giuen in vaine for by the Canon lawe which is the common rule of spirituall causes as by all other lawes no punishment ought by sentence of Iudge to be inflicted vpon the offender not confessing the action before he be by order of lawe conuicted Confession of the fault is sildome in that Court or neuer to be expected wherefore lawfull defence is to be graunted vnto anie person accused before he be condemned But no processe according vnto order of lawe can be framed followed so long as we haue hotte persecutors laying waite euerie where to apprehend vs. For to omit all other difficulties which in practise will be founde to be verie manie where can a safe place be found to assemble the parties their witnesses Proctors together and there to hold as it were an Assize for the determination of their controuersies which to be necessarie Lancelot a man singularly seene in both lawes and authour of the institutes of the Canon law setteth downe which he taketh out of the Canon lawe Extra de appell cap ex parte tua see also the glosse there which both require a secure place both for the parties Proctors and witnesses or else holdeth them for excused if they appeare not Institu L. 3. Tit. s. § Locus in these words Tunc enim ius dicenti impune non paretur si locus citatione designatus pestilens sit aut alias pro citato male tutus Then may a man freely not obey him that ministreth iustice wheÌ„ the place in the citation assigned is infected with the plague or otherwise not safe for the partie cited Now euerie Catholicke knoweth that there is no place in our Country free from daunger for Priests to assemble together such diligent watch and ward being laide in euerie shire to apprehend them And who will be so simple as to allow them a hall in his house for their pleadings whereby he that cannot start doth cast himselfe into a hundreth perills of loosing not onely all his goods and libertie but his life also and inheritance A place of assurance then cannot in these times be appointed for the appearance hee therefore is warranted by lawe not to appeare although he be cyted by his lawful magistrate And so no action can be commenced much lesse determined by this authoritie of the Arch-priest and consequently such penall power is to small purpose in our Country This subordination then being extrauagant without example of antiquitie hatefull as hauing power to punish but not to pleasure and scarcely possible to be now practised in our Countrie had we not great reason to certifie his holinesse of the inconueniences of it and in humble sort to sue vnto him for remedie and redresse before hee put to his hand vnto the confirmation of it And this you must needs much more easily grant if you consider how this subordination was procured and gotten for it seemeth to haue bene by false information which alone is sufficient to ouerthrow the whole authoritie My proofe shal be pregnant taken out of the verie letters Patents of the Archpriest where are these words Rationes pro illa subordinatione ab ipsis Sacerdotibus Anglis redditae S.mo D. N. probatae fuerunt The reasons by the English Priests themselues exhibited for that subordination vnto his holinesse were well liked Marke I pray you how this subordination was obtained at the suite and perswasion of the Priests in England Now I appeale vnto the consciences of my louing bretheren the Priests then in England whether euer they had heard of anie such stratagem or straunge subordination before they felt it as it were clapped on their shoulder sure I am for the most part of them howsoeuer they were M. Iames â—tand who had giuen his name to be a â—esuite and was the man who by Fa. Parsons subâ—rnation imâ—loyed himselfe in this action confessed before diuers priests â—t his return â—hat he had â—n interpreâ—atiue consent of the Priests in England drawne afterwards to accept of it by flatterie fraude or threats that they neuer dreamed of it before they sawe it so farre off were they from deuising and tentering perswasions vnto his holinesse for the admitting of it I will not deny but that some one Priest who had bene in England being then idle in Rome might by euill counsaile and subornation take vpon him to be sent of the whole bodie and so contrary vnto conscience and good order speake in their names that neuer sent him But what was graunted vpon such vntrue suggestion euery man knoweth to be of no force and validitie and that we in England had iust cause to certifie his holinesse by trustie messengers how we were greatly abused by theÌ„ who vsed our names to obtain that exorbitaÌ„t deuise which we neither desired nor liked but rather that it would please his holinesse to establish among vs that sound Ecclesiastical Hierarchy which was instituted by the wisdome of God had bin euer sithence in time of persecutioÌ„ as wel as in peace obserued in all Christian Nations that he would I mean giue vs Bishops the successors of the Apostles and onely ordinary Pastours of God his Church who might confirme consecrate oyles and bring many other of God his blessings among vs. But not to digresse from my purpose The third cause why this subordination did mislike vs was for that it came not authentically from his holinesse by Bull Breue or any other lawfull instrument but
were not sent vnto prison but that was but for a colour for that you might haue done as well absent as present The Comissary being wholly yours set on lead and lodged by you in the Colledge we were locked vp apart in two litle close Chambers much more like the worst then the best in the house with poore schollers fare and in smoaky coloured gownes such as the seruants weare farre otherwise Father then you bragge of for the most part kept without fire being verie cold and for twentie daies not suffered to goe out not so much as to heare Masse vpon New-yeares day or the Epiphany Examined we were by one Signior Acarisius a trustie friend of yours Father Parsons an humble seruant of Cardinall Caietane our potent aduersary The examinations were what is your name how old where remained you in England how and which way came you ouer what money brought you ouer with you c. and much such like impertinent stuffe to fil vp the papers that when we came to the matter it selfe they might be briefe taking barely what we came about without the reasons perswasions of it yea obiecting against it peruerting it what they could And because Signior Acarisius seemed not sometimes sharpe enough Fa. Parsons himselfe would be an examiner also when I heard that Cardinall Caietane should be our Iudge I excepted against him as being one principal partie but I could not be heard I called also for a Proctor to assist vs with his counsel it was denied NO remedie for there was no bodie to be spoken withall but Fa. Parsons and whom hee appointed we had not so much libertie as one of vs to conferre with another all our instructions were taken from vs also and neither pen or paper or any booke allowed vs wherewith we might helpe our selues in that our common cause vntil the day of our hearing came which was a little before Shrouetide in an afternoone where the Cardinall Caietane and Burghesio being present our examinations were read each mans apart which spent most of the time after a long bill exhibited against vs with some Letters also in the end of it and so the time was spent vnprofitably little examining and waighing the substantiall points we came about we were after that kept two moneths close attending their LL. sentence which some ten daies after Easter was deliuered vnto vs to this effect especially that we should goe whither they sent vs and not returne into England without expresse license Propter controuersias quas cū sui ordinis hominibus exercuerunt for maintaining of controuersies with mee of their owne order This is I assure you on the word of a Priest the very truth of the storie Now touching the equitie of it let any prudent man neuer so little voide of passion iudge what iustice it was first to haue all our instructions proofes taken away frō vs after to seperate vs that we should not one help another then to keep frō vs all learned counsell lastly to make our professed aduersaries our Lawiers the relaters of our cause and finally our Iudges I would gladly see for the excuse of the matter but I should meruaile if any man were able to shew a president of such a forme of iustice or iudgement Indeed I must needs confesse that the Cardinall Burghesio alwaies seemed desirous to haue heard the matter better sifted and discussed but being punye and the other so exceedingly bent against vs hee could doo nothing for vs. Now concerning the generall point of our restraint I could neuer get them to tell me some reasonable cause why we Chatholique Priests that had so long laboured with the perill of our liues for the Catholique cause and then suing in humble and dutifull sort vnto the Court should be cast in prison before we were conuicted or lawfully accused of any crime I demaunded of the Confessor that sometimes visited me he could tell none although he lacked not skill in cases of conscience but referred me vnto the Comissarie I asked him hee would giue mee no other answere then that it was his holinesse pleasure you Father goe about to shewe the reason why his Holinesse would haue it so but with such a circuite and confusion that it is hard to picke out what you would say that it was because we opposed our selues and not tarrying to bring any matter of substance against his gouernment c. What matter we had against that gouernment hath bene before declared and the reason why we stayed no longer was that we might come to shewe our griefes before his holinesse had confirmed him For it is to be vnderstood that betweene the election of such a high Officer and confirmation there is a certaine pawse made to heare whether any thing will be obiected against the partie or concerning that point of office that in season conuenient remedie be prouided and the person elected if he do intermeddle in his charge before he bee confirmed is presently to be depriued of all that interest which was giuen him by the election which if our Arch-priest had looked into hee would not haue bene so hastie as to haue dealt in that charge before he had receiued his Letters of confirmation but you say at last that his holinesse cast vs in prison because wee subtracted our selues from the obedience of the Arch-priest and gaue other men occasion to do the like I denie now as I did vnto you then that I subtracted my selfe from his obedience either therefore set downe wherein by word or deed I with drew my selfe from his obedience or else let the world take you for an egregious calumniatur For I was with the Arch-priest before I went and tolde him of my iourney and gaue him the cause of it in writing vnder my hand taking also a copie of it vnder his hand and he neuer commaunded me not to goe neither in any other point did I transgresse any of his precepts What an irreligious and damnable slaunder then was that inuented of purpose to haue vs taken and shut vp before we were heard that they might haue the deliuerie of our message and be our Interpreters and Proctors and so make vs say what they listed and our matter to be such as they would haue it But say you Did you not come to Rome against him There was no disobedience in our going to Rome to sue vnto our superiour for it was conformable vnto the Canons and practise of the Catholique Church and was not nor could not haue bene forbidden by him See Nauer cap. 23. Num. 37. The subordination indeed did not like me for the causes aboue mentioned yet I carried my selfe so warily that I did nothing against it but sought orderly vnto my superiours in time and place to haue it amended which is very lawfull yea if he had bene an Arch-bishop and must needs haue bin graunted by lawe if we had had our Courts of lawe as in other Countries they haue if
your deserts The clamours of innocent men will in time no doubt ascend vp to heauen and wee cannot but hope that our Lord Iesu whose worke we haue in hand and whose glorie wee seeke with innumerable vexations for his sake will once stirre vp and direct his Vicar to iudge and discerne our cause and to deliuer vs from your most violent and wrongfull oppressions In the ende it will be found we were no Schismatickes nor in the least point that may bee deuised by an vnconscionable head disobedient to his holinesse or any superiour he hath or shall appoint ouer vs. I am perswaded surely that God will haue you and your adherents knowne ere it be long For defame vs before wee come imprison vs at our arriuall keepe vs close from being seene or heard yet shall you not goe so away with your iniquitie we are resolued verily that with our good names you shal bereue vs also of our liues before we sit downe with this vndeserued calumnie Either will wee bee prooued no Schismatickes or found no liuing men We haue laboured what wee could that the controuersie might be taken vp and haue a quiet end among our selues before it were carried further This would not be graunted by you and yours but for our good endeuours they take from vs our faculties I might haue said you take whereby we liue we wish rather you had at once taken from vs our liues but we take it to be Gods prouidence that enforced to come to buckle with you once againe before S. Peters Chaire we may cleare our selues and discypher what your selfe M. Haddock and others of you are for better or lesse euill it is you suffer as you haue deserued then eyther the See Apostolicke be abused and deluded by you or our afflicted Church be thus exceedingly disturbed by men that are fledde from the worke and campe of Gods souldiers and some of you of no great edifying conuersation whiles they were among vs. Most glad we would be God is our witnesse if we might on all sides be at peace and sincere friendship one with an other but if you will not permit this Gods will be done we must defend our good names and our childrens as deare vnto vs as our liues in which the most of vs I hope finde no such sweetenesse how pleasantly soeuer you and yours liue among these innumerable aduersities as we can desire or delight to keepe them with the infamies you haue most vncharitably and vniustly laid vpon vs. We impute no fault nor blame to his holinesse or his Cardinalls in beleeuing your false informations against vs till wee come to speake for our selues for who not knowing your conditions but he may easily be enduced to beleeue what you say your age and gray hayres requiring a true tongue and your religious profession requiring also a sincere charitable and quiet disposition and not a turbulent reuengefull and craftie carriage in word or deed Iesu send vs all his grace and deliuer me and all good men from your mischiefe London 13. of Nouember 1600. Yours as you are to our Church I. M. FINIS Errata Page Line  2. 1. not heare not heare 3. 16. falce false 6. 7. Lincolne Doctor Lincolne Doctor 15. 9. instruction instructions 23. 23. pretendad pretended 33. 11. Cods Gods 43. 1. timely vntimely 54. 24. regained repaired 59. 19. praises phrases 65. 24. your LL. LL. 69. 5. to them thither  24. prison which prison with 70. 24. of for 73. 5. holines especially holines especially 74. 9. receiue relieue 77. 4. parsons How parsons how 82. 11. Conformation confirmation 86. 14. part onely part onely 87. 23. sildome seldome 89. 12. persons prisons 93. 11. fildome seldome 96. 1. was  19. Array The Array the  26. words whatsoeuer words whatsoeuer  29. 1599. stuffed 1599 stuffed 148. 12. tentering tendering 156. 14. of from of from 157. 19. yet it 160. Marg. Fa. Maior Fa. Maio. 163. 24. approbrious opprobrious 172 17. mee men 174 14 calumniatur calumniator