great facility and without which there is no possibilitie of salvation 2 That divine prerogative is granted vnto them abve all the people in the world which doth preserve them everlastingly from erring in matters of faith and from falling from GOD. 3 That the Pope being Christes deputie hath the keyes of heaven in custodie to admit in by Indulgence shut out by excommunication as he shall see cause 4 That the charge of all soules being committed to him he is thereby made soveraigne prince of this world exceeding in power and maiestie all other princes as far as the soule in dignitie doth exceed the bodie eternall things surmount things temporall and seeing the end is the ruler and commander of whatsoever doe tend vnto it and all things in this world are to serve but as instruments and the world it self but as a passage to our everlasting habitation 5 That therfore he that hath the managing of this high honour to be the supream conductor vnto it hath also power to dispose of all things subordinate as may best serve to it to plant to roote out to establish to depose to bind to loose to alter to dispence as may serve most fitte for the advancement of the church and for the atcheving of the soules felicitie wherein whosoever oppose against him whether by Heresie or Schisme they are no other then verie Rebels or seditious persoÌ„s against whom he hath vnlimited endlesse power to proceede to the suppressing ruining and extinguishing of them by all meanes that the Common-welth of God may florish in prosperitie and the high way to heaven bee kept safe and open for all Gods loyall and obedient people In these poynts no doubtes or questions are tolerable And whoso with them ioyne in these shall find great connivence in what other defect or difference soever this being the very touchstone by which all men are to be tried whether they be in the Church or out of the Church whether with them or against them and by this plott have their wits erected in this worlde a Monarchie more potent then ever any that have bene before it A Monarchye which intitling them de iure to all the world layeth a strong foundation thereof in all mens conciences the onelie firme ground of obedience in the worlde and such a foundation as not onely holdeth fast vnto them whatsoever it feazeth on but worketh outwardly also by engines to weaken and vndermine the states of all other Princes howe great so ever and that in such sort as by possessing themselves of the principall places the hearts of their subiects as being those from whome they have their principall good even the happinesse of their soules to incite vppon everie conscience a gaynest their naturall Soveraigne at pleasure and by a writte of Excommunication to svbdue or at leastwise greatly to shake whom they list without fighting a blow without leavying a Souldier lastly a Monarchie which as it was founded by meere witte needeth not anie thing but meere witte to mainetaine it which enricheth it self without labouring warreth without endangering rewardeth without spending vsing Colledges to a great purpose as others can fortresses working greater matters partly by Schollers partly by swarmes of Friars than else they could ever doe by great garrisons armies And all these maintained at other mens charges for to that rare poynt have they also proceeded as not onely to have huge rents themselves out of other mens states but to maintaine also their instruments out of other mens devotions and to advance their favorites vnder the faire pretence of providing for Religion to the verie principall preferments in forraine Princes Dominions That no man need find it strange if finding the revenew of skill and cunning to be great and their force mightie especially what they worke vpon simplicitie and ignorance They inclosed in times past all learning within the wals of their Cleargie setting forth Ladie Ignorance for a great Saint to the Laitie and shewing her vnto them for the true mother of Devotion And assuredly but for one great defect in their pollicy which was hard in regard of their owne particular ambition but otherwise not impossible to be avoided That they choose their Pope lightly verie old and withall without any restraint of all Families and Nations whereby they are continually subiect to double change of government The Successor seldome prosecuting his Antecessors devices but eyther crossing them through envie or abandoning them vpon new humour it could not have been but they must have long since beene absolute Lords of all which defects notwithstanding so strong was their pollicy by reason of the force of their Cardinall fonndation That no Prince or Potentate ever opposed against them but in fine even by his owne Subiects they eyther maistered him or vtterly brought him to good conformitie by great losse and extreamitie tâ—ll such time as in his latter age the bottom of the foundation it selfe being stoutly discovered hath given them a sore blow hath changed in great part the state of the question and hath driven them to a re-inforcement of new inventions and practises 12 Howbeit those positions being the ground of their state and the hope of their owne glory in them they admit no shadow of alteration but indevour still per fas nefas euen by all the meanes in the world to strengthen them and amongst their manifold adversaries hate them most of all other who have laboured most in stopping of that foundation And seeing that by reason of this bookish age they have not that helpe of ignorance which in times past they had they cast about greatly to soake and settle them in mens perswasions and consciences by another way They tell men that the very gound whereon we build our perswasion of the truth of Christianity it self are no other then credible That the proofes of the Scripture to be the word of God can be no other at this day than probable onely being impossible for any wit in the world to produce exact necessary and infallible demonstrations Eyther that the holy Apostle Saint Paule had his calling from above or that those Epistles were of his writing so likewise in the rest and that the chiefe proofe that we have therof is the testimony of the church a thing which their very adversaries are forced to confesse Now that this probable perswasion of the truth of Christianity doth afterward grow to an assurednesse therof this issueth from an inward operation of Gods divine spirit the gift whereof is faith and that faith being a knowledge not of bare science but of beleefe which searcheth not the particular necessitie of the veritie of things delivered but relieth in generall vpon the approoved wisedome truth and vertue of him that doth deliver it Then surely whosoever will have necessarie proofe of the severall Articles of Religion doth but wittily deceive himselfe and by over-curious indevour to chaunge his faith into science doth loose that which
verie apparant that by this Doctrine and policy the Popes opposices and enemies especially the states and Princes of the reformed Religion are inestimably preiudiced being reduced hereby to a continuall vncertaintie and confusion in all their weightiest actions counsels and resolutions there beeing a warrant for all men to breake league and oath with them and no neede of particular dispensation from his holines Their Church long since by her rules and some of great reckoning amongst them more lately by their writings have published preached to al the world that faith given to heretikes is not to be kept that leagues with them are more honourable in their breaking then in their making denying that right vnto Princes of Christian profession which Christians vnto Heathens Heathens one to another of how different religion soever yea al honorable princes vnto very traitors rebels have alwaies kept vnviolable And finally if father Parsons at his last coÌ„ming to Rome pretending to make peace betwixt the Eâ—glish scholers the Iesuits who were charged with too much indirect dealing large imblessing setâ—ing downe certaine indifferent Articles betweene them to that purpose whereby each part should be bound to desist impugning of the other did by handling the matter with such conveiance and cunning imitating therein a rule of fast on the one side loose on the other in the grouÌ„d of their order as first to sweare the Scholers to observe that which was their part after to leave the Iesuites vnsworne to theirs to effect his secret ambitious intent to the great grief of the Scholers made the Iesuites their governours what other account can be made of these leagues peaces betwixt those of the Romane of the reformed religion but that the one side being tyed by oath the other left free for so are they taught they shall so far-forth have performance continuance as shal be to the advancement and profit of that party which esteemeth it selfe at liberty the sacred the soveraigne instrumeÌ„t of all iustice amongst meÌ„ what is it what can it be in the world but an oath beeing the strongest bound of coÌ„science This is the end of strifes particular this is the sodder of publike peace the sole assurance of amity betweene divers nations which being made here below is inrolled in his high Court whose glorious name doth signe it who hath made no graunt of accesse to his celestial pallace but to such as have sworn true though it redound to their owne damage yet swarve not from it that nothing but mischiefe can be presaged to the world in this age most wretched wherin Peâ—iuty hath vndermined the tribunals of iudgement which hath chased out true iustice out of the world left no place for a iust man where to stand against the craftie But what may bee said when he that sitteth in the Temple of God shall so far advance himselfe above God as to dispence with oathes made sacred by the most holy high name of God when he that professeth himselfe sole vmpire peace-maker of the world shal cut in sunder those onely finewes that hold peace together when the father of Princes shall cary himself with so wicked partiality and cast by dissolving of oaths affliction on the partie he hateth and making the other perpetually obnoxious to him to worke his owne certaine advantage from both and lastly by making of that ancient bridle of the vniust to be now an onely snare to intrap the innocent and impose that blemish vpon Christianitie which the Pagans in their naturall morality have abhorred I will not here omit one other great helpe which casualty rather then cunning may seeme to have wrought it falling out often in the affairs of men that where wisdome hath furnished out sundry aids instruments there some also do frame themselves as it were by chance resulting out of the concurreÌ„ce of diverse accidents with the former as at this day the greatnesse of the house of Austia extending it selfe well nigh to all quarters of Europe and confining with many of the Popes principall adversaries who having long since vpon the rich purchase which they had of the Indies devoured in assured hope and conceit the Monarchy of our Westerne world and finding no fitter meanes to enlarge their temporall Dominions than by concurring with the Pope in restoring his spirituall have linked themselves most fast with his Sea and investing themselves voluntarily with an Office of their owne direction have taken vpon them to be the executioners of his Excommunications that having title from the Pope who giveth his enemies the foyle by distracting their owne Subiects from them vpon feare of his curse the rest they may supply out of their owne force and opportunities having erected for this purpose that superpolitique and irrefragable order as they count it of the Iesuites who couple in their perswasions as one God and one Faith so one Pope also and one King bearing the world in hand and there is no other meanes in the world for the Church to stand but by resting vpon this pillar and by vniting in this sort all the forces of the Christians this the onely meanes to vanquish the Arch-enemy of Christianitie that the Italians may not brag to have beene the onely men who have subdued the world vnto them by their wit the Spaniards having prooved so good Schollers in their Schooles that though they follow them in their grounds of pretending the advancement of Religion and in their instruments of religious Orders to practise mens minds with yet in this they out-goe them that they vse the Popes weapons lightnings and thunderings and terrors for instruments of their owne greatnes his hope of reestablishing his spirituall reputation by them to the immoderate increase of their secular power by him that the Pope also himselfe must in the end be constrained to cast himselfe into their armes and to remaine at their devotion acknowledging him henceforward for his good Lord Patron whoÌ„ he hath heretofore governed commanded as his Son a point which as some of the ministers of Spaine in the height of their pride have not beene able to hold in but have braved the assembly of Cardinals to their beards that they hope ere long to see the day that their master should tender halfe a dozen to the Pope to be made Cardinals at once wherof he should not dare to refuse to choose any one And the Cardinals themselves should as little daâ—e to choose any other Pope then whom he named so their too important pressing of the Pope in these latter times to serve all their ambitious and raging turnes in the long preiudicing the libertie of the Conclave in their elections have given them good assurance that they speak as they meane that their brags are hopes purposes and these threatnings being the naturall fruits of the Spanish hautines insolency who in the pride of their Monarchie are
to take a view of the present state of the Papacie or rather of some points therein more requisite to be knowne First to consider it in his owne proper and peculiar Dominions namely in the Seigniories and Territories which the Pope holds in Italy for as for Avignon with his Countie Uenassive in France by reason of the ill neighborhood of the Protestants of Grange it hath yeelded him I weene in these latter times no great matter yea rather it hath beene an overcharge vnto him for which cause they like well to be vnder the Pope as bringing more vnto them then he taketh from them I take it at this day of the foure great States of Italy by reason of the accesse of the Dukedome of Ferrara escheated to him of late to be clearely the third at least and to surmount the great Dukes which it hath well-nie surrounded also yea question might be made concerning the second place For although the Venetians in amplitude of Territories farre and in greatnesse of revenewes not alittle exceed it yet besides other difficulties and charges of necessity to which they are more subiect in militarie force they greatly come short the popes men retaining still the brave hearts of their ancestors and breeding among them plentie of able leaders whereof at this present both the great Duke and Venetians doe serve themselves whereas the Lumbards wherein is the scumme of the states of Uenice are as heavy and vnwarlike as their soile is deepe and fat inso much that the Venetians are driven to seeke abroad and especially to the Grecians from whom they are to have at all times ten thousand at call But on the contrarie side being to be alleaged that the Uenetians are by sea puissant where the Pope can doe nothing I suppose they may still hold the second place of greatnesse The first even in Italy without other respectes being incomparable due to the Spanish mightinesse and this in possession Besides which all Italy holding partly of the Pope partly of the Empyre save the Citie of Uenice who acknowledge no Lord of the Pope the Kingdome of Naples and Cicile with their dependants the Dukedomes of Parma Valencia Vrbin besides other lesse quillets of these The Dutchy of Urbin no great thing but full of goodly men and of some 100000. crownes revenewes is in great probability to devolve to the church ere long the Duke being in years and without heire though as now vnmarried by his olde wiues decease of late But the Iesuites labour hard that he so remaine perswading him that Bigamy is not so acceptable an estate to God Heere is also possibilities of the cheating of Parma and Placentia there being but the young Duke who remaineth still vnmarried being withstood as it is thought in his long love to Florence both by Spaine of old and now by the Pope also besides the great Duke is not hastie to forgoe his Neeces portion and the Cardinall Furnesy his brother who in that case I beleeve should finde as difficult a suit at Rome for dispensation to marrie as the Duke of Farara did before him for a transport of his tenure Of Naples I can say nothing eyther for probabilitie or possibility as things now stand onely it is apparant that the Popes have a verie great desire vnto it and opinion of good title also even in present but the vnfortunate successe and fearefull example of Pope Sixtus Quintus doth feare them who of a simple Friar being aduanced to the Papacy by the favour of Spayne whom of long he had served fore-seeing very plainly the inevitable bondage which together with all Italy the very Apostolique Sea and Ladie Church did grow into perceiving their irreligion in encroachmentes vppon their Church-rights their tirannous importuning him to serve their turne and humours their bravadoes threats insolencies and lording over him When his eies did see this daily and could not remedie it otherwise being constrained by these iminent dangers and present indignities hee durst harbour in his minde the afflicted forsaken thoughts of Paulus Quartus his predecessor and imbrace a designe of chasing the Spaniards out of Italy and especially of recovering the Realme of Naples to the Church which hath now but a quit-rent of foure thousand crownes out of it being one of the richest places that is in the world For the effecting of which purpose by enhaunsing his impostes vpon all commodities after the example of the other Princes and states his neighbours and by other devises together with good managing in short time he raised five millions of treasure a good ground of warre And moreover after the example of the same Paulus Quartus who brought into Rome it selfe two thousand Almanes Lutherans to oppose against the Duke of Alva King Philips Generall in Italy yea and was content to indure quietly those abuses and despites which they daily offered to his Images and Sacraments and sundry other devotions as remaineth in a report of credit not to be excepted against So this Sixtus began covertly to seeke strength from the Protestants propounding to favour this French Kingslabours yea and desiring to entertaine good correspondency with England conunending her Maiestics government above all Princes in the world by which neglect â—ee drew vpon him so great offence of the Spanish partie and especially of the Iesuites from whom also as being too rich for vowes of povertie he tooke at one clappe above 20000. crownes rent and bestowed vpon Saint Peter as I have heard reported as they have stiled him an Avarist that the divell with whom hee had intelligence came and fetched him away being in truth one of the worthiest Popes this age haâ—h seene The vnpropsperous events of these high indevours and his precipitated ruine who dared to advance them having beene poisoned by Spanish practise as the wisest there say and whilst my selfe was in Italy a Priest one of the Popes subiects reported in secret that there was lately a supplication pute vp to his Holinesse by a person vnknowne craving absolution at his handes for making away of a Pope which was thought could bee no other then this Sixtus dooth terrifie them that come after from venturing themselves in the like and for imitating his actions whose end they have cause to tremble at So Naples remaineth not in his view that hath most right to it but in his hands and armes that iâ— strongest to hold it And this for the Popes temporall state which may perhappes yeeld him now neere two millions of yearely revenewes by reason of the great increase Ferrara hath brought and be able to make at home for their owne defence some hundred thousand fighting men or thereabouts if neede were Besides which rent arising at home at his owne state that which he sucketh out of forraigne partes is not small even at this day though nothing perhappes in comparison of those former rich times when mony came in daily so flush from all quarters that there temporality which now