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A58355
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A letter from a Catholick gentleman to his Popish friends, now to be exil'd from London Dated, Nov. 6. 1678. Licensed, 1678.
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B. R.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing R7; ESTC R217706
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3,738
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9
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A LETTER FROM A CATHOLICK GENTLEMAN TO HIS Popish Friends Now to be Exil'd from LONDON Dated Nov. 6. 1678. Licensed 1678. Edinburgh Re-printed in the year 1678 A Letter from a Catholick Gentleman to his Popish Friends SIRS MEthinks here 's a strange disappointment sow Tares and reap Hemp so many Catholick Calves that might have proved Bulls of Bashan now turn'd to Grass i' th' depth of Winter fie upon two ugly Proverbs All covet all loose and people can't see when they are well not minding these has ruined us Well may our Irish Friends cry Oh hone Oh hone and skulking Priests sing Lacrymae that lately hop'd to have Chanted Jovial Anthems at Three Kingdoms Funerals We are certain This is at least the Two hundredth Religious PLOT we have contrived against the Hereticks and as Hopeful as any and yet to miscarry thus at last would make a Capuchine out-swear a loosing Gamester Sure Holy Church though she be Infallible in divinity is subject to scurvy Mistakes in her Politicks though confident we are had heaven stood neuter things had never come to this pass But what signifies it to have the Keyes when the Wards are alterad Well! since it must be so Farewell LONDON we thought once more to have warmed our hands in Thee before we went I 'le say that for thee thou wert 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Forâ—â—sts in the lâ—â—d for a Jesuitical â—ox to earth in His safest Kennel was a Ladies Chamber the modesty of the Messenger left the Bed unsearch'd and so he miss'd him But Courage stout Catholicks I trust you have learn'd or else you were never well Catechiz'd in your Fundamental principles to distinguish betwixt your Kings commands and your Ghostly Fathers and which is preferable If so you will see there is no such Necessity to be packing How shall the dull Hereticks without Infallible Spectacles and those His Holiness reserves for his own Nose know a Romanist Though he carrie the Beasts Mark in his heart he does not yet wear it on his Forehead But you 'll say they 'll purge our consciences Prethee tell me what Protestant Scammony is strong enough to make a through pac'd Catholick Disgorge Infallability or the Popes unaccomptible power yet till they can do that they do but restrain popery just as Quacks cure Agues with Jesuits powder The Fit will certainly Revert as soon as the malignant Humours can gather Flead and the new convert Relapse on the first opportunity Oaths will hind him no more than a twin'd Thread Sampson He can swallow the most Barbed Test as cleverly as Hocus Daggers or a Dutchman butter'd Cod-fish A Dispensation and that his Holinesses charity and zeal in so great and pious a Cause you may be sure will never deny is alwayes an infallible Help at Maw a sure Antidote against perjury though taken in never so large a Dose The Jesuits Doctrine of Equivocation may hush the grumblings of the most squeamish Soul However our pious Maxime avowed by a Council That Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks is a most convenient Back-door that will not fall to secure your Retreat But because Examples are more perswasive than precepts let me mind you of two famous Instances amongst many that might be repeated did not your short time of stay forbid prolixitie The first shall be that of the gallant William Parry sworn a Servant to Queen Elizabeth anno 1570. who three several times voluntarily took the Oath of Obedience to that Queen prescribed in the first Year of her Raign and yet afterwards like a true and generous Catholick conspired not only to depose but Murther her and came but little short of accomplishing it For which brave attempt in the Year 1584. he received the Crown of Martyrdome at Tyburne The other is of the great Watson a Priest and one of our Modern Saints who in his Book entituled Quodlibetical Questions makes a serious Protestation That albeit he differed in Religion from that which was professed in the Church of England yet if either Pope or Spaniard should seek by Hostile means to invade his Coâ—ntrey he would willingly spend his substance nay his dearest Blood against any such as should attempt it Could any promise more fairly or more fully yet he himself with Clark his Fellow Seminary were the first that saluted the Gallows for acting quite contrary thereunto by Traiterous designs against King James And who shall boggle to follow such Reverend and Holy Precedents But not to waste time in telling stories Will not our thred-bare distinction I am Catholick of the Church but not of the Court of Rome do some feats 't is silly I confess as if all the Animal Powers did not flow from the Head or he that embarques with the Devil were not bound to sail with him But what then we that have bubbled a grand part of the world into a belief of Transubstantiation c. why may we not presume to impose upon them lesser absurdities To the case in hand Would you know how to demean your selves in this unhappy Juncture I have partly told you already if it be for the interest of the Catholick Cause or your own Conveniencies you may safely take the Oath of Supremacy The King is higher then the Highest but I hope you mentally think there are even on earth higher thâ—n he 'T is not the first time we have abused the Hereticks Scripture you know your Priviledge But if you mâ—st needs be jogging be good Husbandmen in the Countrey sow the Catholick Seed but with a cautious hand Most of you Priests and Jesuits I mean have good Mechanick Trades besides to live on and help out at a dead lift A poor work-wanting Shoomaker Taylor or Weaver may unsuspectedly be entertain'd What think you of personating a Quaker the End you know ballows the Means and the Badger makes a hole for the Fox Speak loud of Catholick Loyalty You may boldly outfâ—ce the Powder Treason Alas 't was above seventy years ago And as for the small business of Ireland 't is almost forgot or at least our Cruelties there were so incredible that to those that know no better they will seem Fables especially if you assure them 't was onely a Rebellion on a Civil not Religious score as Irish men not as Papists But as to our Loyal Adventures in England perhaps they 'l tell you necessity made our vertue and though Whores are Carâ—ed yet no woman had ever Rewards allowed her for not being a common Prostitute At most that past-due Services can challenge no protection for after Crimes However inculcate it still 't will amuse vulgar heads and why may not we that can claim Supererogating merits from Heaven Expect them from earthly Thrones When the Treason appears too bread-faced Then rail aâ— the Jesuits Cast the Odium there Though the other Orders would have claimed as great a share both in the merit and booty If the business had succeeded at least Fâ—â—râ— non debet â—â—ctum valet