FRATRES SOBRII ESTOTE 1. PET. 5.8 OR An admonition to the Fryars of this Kingdome of Ireland to abandon such hereticall doctrines as they daylie publish to the corruption of our holy faith the ruine of soules and their owne damnation which steepeth not By PAUL HARRIS Priest GALAT. 4.16 Am I then become your enemy telling you the truth Printed MDCXXXIV TO POPE VRBANUS VIII The Epistle of Paul Harris Priest MOST blessed Father in these later and worser dayes are risen vp among vs from the Orders of the Begging Fryars men speaking perverse things and drawing many disciples after them not onely in the matter of the Eleaven Propositions but profiting vnto the worse they labour to transfer us from him who hath called us unto the grace of Christ unto an other gospell teaching the people as well in publicke assemâ—lyes as private houses these wretched and prophane doctrines 1. Whosoever shall dye in the habit of S. Francis shall never be prevented with an unhappy death 2. Whosoever shall take the Scapular of the Carmelites and dye in the same shall never bee damned 3. Whosoever shall faste the first Saturday after they have heard of the death of Luissa a Spanish Nun of the order of S. Clare shall have no part in the second death The first of these lewde positions is taken out of the Chronicle of the Fryar Minors for so are the Franciscans called tom 1. and fathered upon S. Francis as one of those Legacyes bequeathed by him unto his Order and by the Friars of his Order indifferently to be communicated to so many as shall before their death desire to be put into their habit which that it may bee the better knowne and notified unto the world it is commonly printed under the Image of S. Francis and placed at our Altars as both my selfe and many others have beheld with our eyes in this citty The second is recorded in a certaine sheet of paper not much unlike unto a Ballad printed by the Friar Carmelits The title whereof is An abridgment of the Priviledges of the holy Scapular granted by the most gracious Queene of Heaven MARY unto the Order of the Carmelites In which Compendium or Briefe the institute of the holy Scapular for so is it called is layd downe in these words S. Simon Stoc the sixt Generall of all the Latines of this Order did receive not without a manifest signe of the Divine favour this most sacred Scapular for when as he had along time with much earnestnesse besought of Almighty God that by some manifest token it might appeare that the Friar Carmelites were in the vndoubted protection of the blessed Virgin behold vpon a certain night he saw the Mother of God in great glory who reached downe vnto him this divine Scapular with these words Dilectissime fili hoc recipe tui ordinis scapulare meae confraternitatis signuÌ„ tibi et cunctis Carmelitis privilegium in quo quis moriens non aeternum patietur incendium Ecce signum salutis salus in periculis saedus pacis et pacti sempiterni Most loving son receive this Scapular of thy Order a token of my confraternity to thee and to all Carmelites a priviledge in which who so dyes shall not suffer ever lasting fire Behold the figne of sâ—lvation safety in dangers a league of peace and an everlasting covenant c. If more can be ascribed unto him who dyed for mankind upon the Altar of the Crosse I leave it to holy Church to determine And such was the vision of S. Simon Stoc exhibited by the Carmelites unto the Estate in the castle of Dublin in the moneth of August 1633. by the hands of Edmund Doyle Priest And if any doubt heerof they shall find the very originall with me when ever they shall be pleased to demaund the same And such is the authentication of the Scapular of the Carmelites evangelized every-where by the Friars of that Order and represented unto the eye at many of their altars by tables of picture Now if any desire to know what thing this Scapular is and have not seene the same behold this description The Scapular is onely two square pieces of cloath of the bignesse of two trenchers the one before pendant upon the brest the other behind upon the shoulders from whence it hath the name of Scapular The third Proposition as touching the Saturdayes faste of Donna Luissa the Nunn of S. Clare is much insisted upon and most carefully taught by the Cordeliers or Franciscan Friars and particularly by Friar Thomas Babe who published the same the 29. of Aprill being the feast of S. Peter Martyr and S. Catherin of Siena in the yeare of our Lord 1631. in the Cook-street of Dublin in a publicke audience whose exhortation to the people was to this purpose That forsomuch as a certaine holy Virgin called Luissa of the order of S. Clare had a revelation that whosoever should fast upon the next Saturday after they heard of her death should never dye in mortall sin or of any evill death The aforesaid Friar Thomas Babe perswaded the people then present to undertake so holy a pennance mooved wherewithall very many and I say signanter very many as they did be loeve his doctrin so did they most carefully observe the same faste among whom as chiefe of all the rest Thomas Flemming alià s Barnwell Archbishop of Dublin for exaniple unto his flock and as a prime man of the same order observed most devoutly the same as himselfe hath not bin ashamed diverse times to acknowledge Neither was that doctrine onely then but sundry other times also taught by that false Apostle Friar Babe and his fellowes in diverse other places of this City and Diocesse Most holy Father I meddle not with the matter of Indolgences neither doe I intend or ever did to discourse of that argument I onely complaine of these wicked doctrines and I doe adjure your sanctity in the Name of the crucified that you confirme your flock in these parts that they be not led away with these new doctrines from that faith in which our holy Mother the Church hath bred us from her brest I say that we be no longer mis-led by these Mendicants who seeke to perswade us these carnall fancyes more serviceable I confesse unto the belly then any wayes behoofeful unto the soule but rather as the Apostle willeth us that wee abide in those things which wee have learned and have beene committed unto us in no sort admitting these new Apostles as sent from heaven but rather avoyding them as seducers come from hell For we fooles doe verily beleeve That he who was borne of the blessed and immaculat Virgin God and Man Iesus and Emmanuel who suffered so many and so grievous torments upon the Crosse under Pontius Pilate who arose glorious from the death and ascended into Heaven that he and no other redeemed us from the curse of the Law that he and no other hath cleansed us from
by Lo Scotus where J lye Who twise though being dead Was once but buryed Of me some doubt not say And sure I thinke they may Each Sophist I out-went In captious argument This and much more as touching the fate of Scotus may you read in Bzovius in his continuation of Cesur Baronius his Annalls in the years 1494. But not to wade into any further sea of examples Spaine will tell you how many Friar Minots have been cast away by shâ—pwrack in their voyages unto the Indyes My selfe in the yeare 1610 in the territoryes of Lerma in Cantle with many othors the whole town in a manner going forth to the same beheld the murdered body of a Franciscan Friar a stranger to that place who was supposed to have had moneyes being robbed of them was also slaine his body hid among the standing corne neere unto the gate of the towne of Leâ—ma But some peradventure will say that sudden death is not to be numbred among unhappy or disasterous fates at all For so much as we read that Iulius Casar disputing of that argument the day before he was slain in the Senat-house was of opinion that an inexpected death was to be preferred before any other Sueton in Iulio And a Princely writer of these times in his exposition upon the Lords prayer seemes not to disallow of that death which yeelds least trouble unto the sense So as in these mens opinions not a sudden but an unprovided death is that which is to be misliked conformable to that of Sapient 4. Iustus si morte praeoccupatus fuâ—rit in refrigerio eâ—it The just man though he be prevented by death he shall be in a refreshing And by their leaves I would say that the death which is inexpected may well be suspected feared to be unprovided And therefore for my part I pray God that death may knock at my doore along time before he enter still leaning unto the old Intanyes A subitanea improvisa morte libera nos Domine From a sudden an unlooked for death good Lord deliver us But to leave this point to those who have more leisure to dispute it whether a sudden death is to be numbred among miserable deaths or no Let us come unto a second wherein I demand whether a death insâ—icted by the hand of Iustice may not justly be numbred among unhappy deaths And I thinke none will deny it forsomuch as Peter hath said Nemo autem vestrum paetiatur ut homicida aut fur c. Let none of you suffer as a murderere or a thiefe c. If then we find Friars of the order of S. Francis who for their crimes demerits have been sentenced at the barre of Tribunalls to in famous dishonorable deaths How then have their habits priviledged them Or where is that legacy of S. Francis that who so dyeth in the habit of his Order shall never be prevented with an unhappy death If any be so curious as to enforme himselfe in this affaire I shall not need to send him either unto the Italian Guittiardin or to Spanish French History or further then unto the Annalls of England for no larger a time then betwixt the Norman Conqueror King Henry 8. Where he shall find examples moe then a good many of that kind I say of Friars of the Order of S. Francis who have bin put to shamefull deaths by the hand of Iustice And the same neither for building of Churches nor ministring of Sacraments But some will say That still I come short of the marke of what was intended so long as I insist onely in these temporall calamitiâ—s that accompany the death of the body which with how terrible a countenance soever they looke upon their patients by any misery or casualty deprived together with their lifes of the benefit of the Sacraments yet we know not but evâ—n in their last agony or before continued unto their end thorough the abundant mercy of God they might be found penitent truly contrite for their fins so as in that despicable wretched a passage unto the eyes of the world they might be able to say Transivimus per ignem aquam eduxisti nos in refrigerium We have passed thorough fire water thou hast brought us into a refreshing So as still to make good that propheticall prediction fathered upon S. Francis by his Friars such as dye in their habit whether by death sudden or deserved they shal alwayes dye happily Since no death is to be held absolutely miserable excepting that one which carryes with it Peccatum ad mortem Of which the Apostle S. Iohn Est peccatum ad mortem non pro illo dico ut roget quis 1. â—oh 5. There is a sin unto death I say that for it no man aske Which sin by S. Augustines judgment is finall impenitency I aâ—â—irme saith he That a sin to dea his to leave faith working by charity even till death Decorrept gratia cap. 12. And the same doctrine he teacheth De civicate Deilib 21. cap. 24. So then the last refuge of our Friars is that setting apart â—ll other kindes of death of which none can be defined to be absolutely miserable such as dye in their habit shall never dye impenitent but truly contrite for their sins by which they shâ—ll be seâ—ure from the second death the eternall separation from the blessed vision of God So S. Francis his supposed revelation of the habit Simon Stoc of the scapular doe concurre in this In quo quis moriens non patietur incendium sempiternuÌ„ In which whosoever dyes shall never suffer eternall fire As then we have hitherto proved instanced by many exaples that notwithstanding the habit of S. Francis there hath not wanted such as have perished both by sudden infamous deaths So now in the last place it remaines to take away all tergiversation to manifest unto the world which some will say is a hard tax That divers Friars ending their dayes in the habit of S. Francis have bin subiect even unto this last worst kind of death joyned with finall impenitency obduratnesse in sin consequently according unto the doctrine of holy Church can no wayes be held to have dyed happily And albeit no man in this life may judge another mans servant for that as the Apostle sayth he stanâ—s or falls unto his owne Lord to whom all judgment both of quick dead is reserved And that ordinarily none comes back from the next world to tell us how they fare according to that of Iob. 16. Ecte enim brevi anni transennt semitam per quam non revertar ambulo Loe our yeares passe swiftly I walke the path by which I shall not returne Notwithstanding in our Writers of the Acts Monuments of Saints we find nothing more common or familiar then visions or apparitions made unto the living as touching the estare condition of
our iniquityes and wrought our reconciliation for us And that neither Paul nor Apollo nor the habit of S. Francis nor the Scapular of the Carmelites nor Dame Luissa the Nun of S. Clare order be shee never so holy a woman hath washed us with her bloud or was crucifyed for us Most holy Father you have given unto us for the Pastor of our soules a Friar of the Order of S. Francis by name Thomas Flemming alias Barnwell consecrated Archbishop of Dublin to him our Diocesan were presented our complains and grievances in the behalfe of the Clergy of Dublin against the most horrid and blasphemous tenents before-mentioned I say two R. Priests in the name of the rest personally appearing before our Archbishop did present him not onely with the names of the delinquents but a catalogue also of their witnesses and proofes which passed on the 7. of March in the yeare 1631. in this Citty of Dublin But what answer received the two Priests from their Ordinary Truely none at all neither to this day have they profited in that suit For verily it is to be feared that this disease whose nature is to fret like a canker hath invaded and infected the head no lesse then the rest of the body And we are the rather enduced to beleeve the same for that we see these errors and corrupt doctrines day lie more and more to prevaile to enlarge themselves especially among the ignorant and common people alas too easie and flexible to be led astray for there are a number of Regulars especially of the Franciscans and Carmelites false Apostles who not onely in pulpits preach these ertors but as the Apostle sayth going from house to house subvert whole familyes teaching what they ought not for filthy lucres sake For no small profit doubtlesse doth arise unto these Poets and Inventours of fable insomuch as they may truely say with Demetrius the silver-smyth Act. 19. De hoc artificio nobis est acquisitio Sirs you know that our gaine is of this occupation For say mee who in the world is there that beleeves any thing to remaine after death and ashes who will not be glad to avoy de the paines of hell who desires not to enjoy a blessed eternity in Heaven And I call Heaven and Earth to witnesse what thing is there more easiethen before death to creepe into a Friars habit or what more tollerable then to fast one day which is no more then having one competent repast at noone to for beare a supper at night Or what is there lesse troublesome then to carry two square pannicles or clouts the one upon his back the other at his bosome under his garments I wis a carriage not so burdensome nor comparably so painfull as was that heavy became of the Crosse which sweet In svs carryed upon his backe to mount Calvary and on which the salvation of the world did hang. Doubtlesse if future glory in the world to come the assurance thereof in this life might with so small a labour be purchased who is so much an Euclio or streit handed Who so much a Lucian or an Atheist as would not willingly admit these blessed Friars bringing such abundance of spirituall richesse with them into his treasury into his garnell amongst his heards and flocks yea into his whole substance and meanes not a sad or an unwilling but a most joyfull giver Or what woman carefull of her soules health will make spare of whatsoever is in her custody or under her hands her bracelets her rings chaynes Iewels her chests of linnen her arkes of meale and malt in exchange of such immortall benefits and to have so propitious and present gods albeit our Saviour hath said Quid commutationis homo dabit pro anima sua Mar. 8. What exchange shall a man give for his sould The same truth hath also said Math. 7. Angusta est porta via arcta quae ducit ad vitam aternam c. Narrow is the gate and streit is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it And our Saviour foreseeing that there would come in the last times of the world such as would endeavour to enlarge that way and to make that gate more wide he presently addeth Attendite a falsis prophetes c. Take you heed of false prophets that come to you in the cloathing of sleep but inwardly are ravening wolfes by their fruiâ—s you shall know them And what are the fruits sweet Iesus of these falso prophets among us at this day but to make the gates of Heaven to gape as wide as the gates of hell it selfe For albeit the Apostle hath excluded from celestiall glory not a few saying Hoc enim scitote intelligentes c. For understanding know this that no fornicator nor uncleane or covetousiperson which is the fervice of Idols hath inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ and of God yet will our Friars admin them all if they once faste Dame Luissaes saturdayes faste And albeit Christ our Lord excluded the man who had not a wedding garment from his Kingdome yet will the Franciscan Friar let in any who is cloathed with his habit and so the Carmelite such as are found with his Scapular about their shoulders I say all these so qualifved shall be accepted of and be admitted as well unto the Dinner of the great King as unto the Supper of the Lambe Who then can marvell these doctrines supposed as orthodox yea as oracles that we day lie see so many to be buryed in Friars weeds so many men women day lie to take the Scapular witnesse the register of the Friars Franciscan and Carmelices in which their names are carefully recorded as perpetuall Benefactors unto their Orders Nay who is there especially among the Laity O triste verbum who dare so nurch trust to the sufferings of our Saviour and to the merites of his death passion as they dare be found in the houre of death without that thrice holy Scapular that signe of salvarion that safety in dangers that league of peace of aneverlasting covenant in which who so dyeth shall never suffer eternall fire All which attributions are incorporated unto the said Scapular by the blessed Virgin if Simon Stoc his revelation be authenticke yea many among us nor trusting to the habit alone or unto the Scapular alone or to the Nunnes faste alone will before their death beee furnished with them all three together having wisely understood that of Salomon Proverh 4. Funiculus triplex difficile rumpitur A triple cord is not easily broken In which their proceeding me seemeth that yet they shew some weakenes of faith for if they did constantly beleeve every one of these three promised salvations to be assured by divine revelation as their teachers be are them in hand surely either any of them is sufficient or all of them together insufficient Neither doth it boot the Friars to cloake these their errors by saying That
faste of Dame Luissa shall be able to fetch it our And because that Dives can not obtayne of Abraham that one should come from the dead signifie unto his brethren what entertainment these habit scapular wearers sinde in the next world Our Friars doe the lesse regard what Moses the Prophets what the Apostles Fathers and Generall Councells teach for not being convicted of their â—â—rours by experimentall knowledge of the dead they lesse reck on of any other proofe demonstration or argument which not withstanding wee will not spare further to urge against them or whatsoever else may conferr to the demolition of this so despâ—rat an error possessing the last act of mans life and making the same most tragicall For as it is truly said Quod in bello non bis peceatur A man shall never offend the second time in warre and why because by câ—â—ath the second error is prevented So with much more reason yea with ruth and compassion may it be said of a Christian dying in miâ— beliefe of a matter of such consequence as concernes his eternall woe or welfare non bis peceatur He cannot twise offend An error concluded in death 1â— singular is solitary and unaccompanyed no reparation by repentance to bee hoped for the doore of life being also the doore of mercy which once shut is never more to be opened Marvaile not good Reader that I labour in confronting so horrid a doctrin for if by all my endeavours I draw but one soule by the eares out of this sinke and pit of error it shall well become my profession the disciple of him who sought the stray sheep and finding it brought it home into the fould upon his shoulders or at least I shall avovde that censure of S. Bernard saying Cadit asinno invenit qui sublevet sadit anima non est qui man um apponat The asse falls into the ditch and there is one ready to pull him out the soule falls and there is none to put to his helping hand Bernard super Cantica The absurdity then of this doctrine of the habit and scapular befides what hitherto hath beene said may in this also appeare That if they performe what they promise and what their revelations doe import That is certitude and assurance in this life of glory salvation in the next they surpasse in esticacy all the Sacraments of the Church what soever have been or dayned by divine authority and practised by Christians since the Primitive times untill the second comming of Christ For the Sacraments of the New Testament by our Saviours institution doe onâ—ly conferre grace predent iustification having all their vertue eâ—ticacy from the merit of his passion ex opere operato non ponenti obicem onely as instrumentall causes conferred on such partakers of them as thorough their indisposition either of misbellefe or complacencie in sin doe put no impediment or barre unto their spirituall and supernaturall operation They who desire to see the proofes of this doctrine from Scriptures from Councells the Greeke and Latine Fathers the Schoolemen I remit them among many others unto the second tome of Tho-Waldensis or William Lindanus his Panopliâ— or The. Stapleton his Doctrinalia or Cardinall Bellarmine de sacramentis lib. 2. cap. 3.5 c. Now then say I albeit this be very much that our Saviour hath done for us in the Institution of the Sacramonts yet far more hath S. Francis Sirnon Stoc done for us by the habit scapular because he who this day is cleansed from his sins justified by the vertue divine operation of the Sacraments may after again fall into the like or more grievous sinnes for the fame be damned as of the contrary he who at this time abuseth the Sacraments by reason of the indispositions above mentioned may afterwards be penitent for the same and by the comfort and helpe of them attaine his salvation as may clearely appeare by the Apostles doctrine and admonition unto the Corinthians as touching the use and abuse of the Eucharist 1. Cor. 11. Now I say that by our Friars doctrine the habit the scapular are farre more effectuall unto salvation then any one of the 7. Sacraments or all of them put together can be For whether the habit the scapular worke in the nature of the Sacraments by couferring the first or second grace ex opere operato they doe over and besides conferre the grace of perseverance the perfection of all grace which is glory And this neither the baptizâ—d nor the conformed nor the houselled nor the ordered nor the penitent nor the marryed nor the annointed can promise unto themselves by which it is manifest that in these mens doctrines the Babis the scapular infinitely excell all the vertue of the Sacraments and so accordingly to be held estermed as indeed in many mens eyes and opinions at this day they are But now happily these patrons of the habit scapular pressed or rather oppressed with the weight of these arguments and being ashamed to ascribe the divine workâ— of the Sacraments unto shadowes of no greater authority or antiquiâ—y then the visions of S. Francis S. Simon Stoâ— will happily tell us by way of a qualification of these their absurd assertions That the habit the scapular doe indeed resemble the Sacraments But how onely so far forth as they are signes of future beatitude in the next world without having any vertue or efficacy of effecting what they doe signifie For whereas the 7. Sacraments of the Catholicke Church are indeed signes yet not base naked but withall operative that is as secondary instrumentall causes working that grace which they signifie and signifying that grace which they worke The habit the scapular will these men say are signes of another kind onely foreshewing signifying beforehaÌ„d that happines glory which shal befal al such as shal be fouÌ„d in the houre of death invested with them albeit they no way concurre to the production of the aforesaid glory either by supernatural physicall or morall influx And of this kind of signes we have examples in the Scriptures not a few Such was the Raine bow Genes 9. placed by Almighty God in the clouds after the Flood for a signe unto Noah and all mankind that he would never more destroy the world by water albeit the Rain-bow was no cause of any such effect at all Such was the Fleece of Gideon both wett and dry Iudg. 6. a signe unto him from God that the Madianites Amalekites should be conquered by his hand Such was the Sun 4. Reg. 20. going back ten degrees in the diall of King Ezâ—chias a signe given unto him by the Prophet Elias that he should recover of his infirmity And to omit many other signes like unto these of which the Scriptures are plentifull such was that signe of victor that appeared unto Constantin the Great being to encounter
France and now of late brought into Italy and maintaines this custome contrary to the law yea to be more reasonable then the law it selfe namely that men of the laity rather then of the Glergy should be used as executioners in the aforesaid cases Those who desire to set moe examples of this nature let them read Sotus de Iure Iustitia Suarez or Lessius of the same Argument Now then to come home unto our case in hand I meane of civill causes commenced pleaded and determined in the Kings Courts the defendants being as well ecclesiasticall as lay persons in these Kingdomes of Britanny May we not perswade our selves that a custome so universally received and without interruption continued since the Conversion of the Saxons under Pope Gregory the great and King Ethelbert of England for the space of a thousand yeeres and upward may not take place of the Canon that sayth Preists in all causes must be presented before ecclesiasticall Iudges Cap. Qualiter de Iudicijs especially it being no lesse a law and a Canon of the Church as hath beene before observed That the customes of places being reasonable may derogate from the law written Ext. de consuetudinibus declared above by some examples Now then must I needes bee foreed to beleevâ—â— that all our Kings Bishops Nobles Iudges and Magistrates by whose authority Ecclesiasticall persons were convented in civill causes before secular Tribunals for a thousand yeares and upward did all live and dye excommunicated throwne out of the Church as perished members without hope of salvation when as among our English Kings themselves sixe of them were canonized Saints of which honor no other kingdome of the earth can glory namely King Oswald Etheldred Edmund Richaâ—d Edgar and Edward the Confessour many Bishops as S. Augustine S. Anselme Dunstaâ— Thomas all Archbishops of Canterbury Richard of Yorke Cutbeâ—t of Duresme Thomas of Hereford c. Alas while these and the rest of our country men were bound in the setters of Excommunication where were our gray and blacke Friars and the other zealous Regulars whose parts it was at the least after their arrivellto have anmonished both prince and people of their errors to have preached and published bookes condemning that practise so coâ—ary to the lawes as these maintaine of holy Church was the Pope and Roman court also asleepe for so many ages and would not enforme their spirituall children of so great a violation of the Canon had they misliked thereof Nay rather is it not the universall consent of all divines together with the Canon it selfe That the permission of the Pope in any Church law seeing the same either from the beginning not to be observed or by contrary custome antiquated and notwithstanding is silent and makes no opposition thereunto excuseth the subject from sin as presumed to approve and allow of the said practise See for this glan cap. in ist is § leges dist 4. in c. de treu pace in cap. cum multi 15. q. ult For so much then as it is certaine that as well ecclesiasticall as secular superiours may oblige their subjects albeit never so unwilling to obey their iust lawes so often then as they see the same lawes not to be observed and passe it over in silence they sieme thereby contented therewithall and such silence and taciturnity of the Law-giver may by the subiect according to the former rules be expounded a full consent and approbation of his practise Adde hereunto the observation of a late English Franciscan whose true name I understand is Dampart and his usurped Franciscus à sincta Clara in his late booke Deus Natura Gratia in which as my country man Edmund Bunny laboured in his treatise tending to Pacification to reconcile the Roman Catholiques to the Protestant profession So this Friar of the contrary by his glosses and paraphrasticall expositions labours to draw the Articles of the english confession to the Catholicke and Roman doctrines But let the Friar wring and wrest till he be weary he shewes himselfe but a time server a slatterer and a meere Alchimist adulterating both the doctrine of them and us and seeking to please both a inst reward for such a worke contenteth neither of whom it may be said as of the dead serpent stretched all along upon the grasse Amo sic vixisse oportuit yea so thou shouldest have lived The serpent all his life long lives crooked onely after death is straight so are many at this day both in their lives and doctrines very crooked onely death teacheth them how they ought to have lived themselves and how to have taught others to the example of the Apostle 2. Cor. 2. Non enim sumus sicut plurimi adulterantes verbum Dei sed ex sinceritate c. For we are not as very many adulterating the word of God but of sincerity and as of God before God in Christ we speake Well I must not forget for all my digressió wherefore I brought the Friar upon the stage namely for a testimony against his fellow Triars of this kingdome to shew how unlike to untuned Virginalis their wires doe jangle these maintaining that civill actions against a Priest must be heard and determined in the Bishops consitory the English Friar in the Kings courts for which he produceth his authors His words are as follow in his paraphrase upon the 27. article Confess Anglicana Regibus autem nostris fursse sic eoncessum jus nominandâ— providendi de beneficys testatur post alios Harpâ—feldius seculo 14 fursse etiam aliam consuctâ—â—dinem ex privilegio ort am immemorialem causas Clericorum cognoscendi patet ex decisione Rotae 804. ut communiter citatur To our Kings was granted the right of nomination and provision of benefices as after others witnesseth Harpsfeild in the 14. age As also another custome time out of minde sprung from a priviledge of taking knowledge of the causes of Clergy men as appeareth by the decision of the Rota as it is commonly cited So the English Friar This Do. Harpsfeild as I take it was Archdeacon of Canterbury in Queene Mary her dayes and continued the ecclesiasticall history of England froÌ„ Venerable Bode his time to his owne Decisiones Rota are the very life and quintessence of the Canon law so called from a known office in Rome called the Rota But neither of these bookes are with me for which I use the Friars quotation And now the infirmity of my body not permitting me to proceede further which for the space of these 2. moneths hath much afflicted me and dayly encreasing upon me I am forced thus abruptly to breake off rather then to make an end Beseeching almighty God of his infinite mercy to grant me and all my Adversaryes and all those who professe the name of Iesus Christ to live and dye in true faith hope and charity And so hoping to see the good things of our Lord in the land of the living I take my