King-killers and Assassins wherein their weake or wilde Nouices are first frighted out of their Wits and so animated and prepared for any the most desperate enterprises Neuer was Sect so iustly and vniuersally hated and feared All Nations detest and suspect Them yet still they prosper So strangely that whosoeuer seriously eyes their Power and Practises will see they doe but equiuocate with their owne Masters the Pope and Spaine pretending to be their Factors and Instruments but indeed hauing their right eye vpon Themselues So that if the World do not quickly resolue to preuent Them by an vtter abolishing of this pestilent Vermin the next Age will see the Iesuites plant both the Catholique Crownes vpon the Head of their Generall In the meane while we sleepe and which is worse we sinne Neuer more need we had to be at peace with God and well vnited among our selues being threatened with so many dangers and Enemies abroad What then can wee iudge of so many new Doctrines in the Church so many old sinnes in the State but that they are certaine symptomes and indeed Causes of our approaching ruine which in all humane iudgement cannot be auoided vnlesse the Lord as he is wont work some Miracle in our preseruation He hath long wooed vs with innumerable vnparalell'd mercies and of late scourged vs with a furious Mortality but our dull dead hearts are still stupid and insensible we do not turne to him that smiteth vs we doe not meet our God by Repentance we returne nothing but insolence and ingratitude We despise his Mercy and defie his Iustice we scoffe at Holinesse in stead of honouring and imitating it we laugh at sinne in stead of lamenting it and those are called Manners with vs which our honest Fore-fathers would haue counted Vices Our Atheisme Sacriledge Luxury Excesse Pride Vnthankfulnesse open Prophanenesse c. crie downe vengeance vpon our heads and will doubtlesse make vs the example of Gods indignation to all the World as we haue beene formerly of his loue the pity of our Friends the hissing and reproach of our Enemies round about vs. Tunc votorum praecipuus locus quum spei nullus All you that loue and feare God and that tremble vnder the expectation of his wrath giue him no rest stand vp in the breach and quasi manu factâ Deum ambientes assault him with your prayers helps to quench this fire of his anger with your teares of sorrow Giue not ouer weeping repenting and praying till you haue receiued a gracious answer till the sinnes of our Nation be pardoned his imminent iudgements auerted his ancient fauours recouered till he haue rebuked Satan and trodden him vnder our feet till he haue frustrated the bloudy hopes and desires of the Enemies of his Truth till he build vp the breaches raise the ruines binde vp the wounds of his Sion Saying with Daniel O Lord God which art great and fearefull which keepest couenant and mercy towards them that loue thee and keepe thy Commandements We haue sinned and committed iniquitie and haue done wickedly we haue rebelled and haue departed from thy Precepts and from thy Commandements For wee would not obey thy Seruants thy Ministers which spake in thy Name to our Kings to our Princes to our Fathers and to all the People of the Land O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee and to vs open shame and confusion of face as appeareth this day Yet compassion and forgiuenesse is with the Lord albeit we haue rebelled against him Now therefore O Lord heare the prayers of thy seruants and their supplications and cause thy Face to shine vpon thy Sanctuary that lyeth waste for thy Names sake O Lord heare O Lord forgiue O Lord consider and doe it deferre not for thine owne sake O my God for thy Name is called vpon thy City and vpon thy People Errata PAge 8. line 1. for was sent reade was neere sent p. 16. l. 19. for degree r. decree p. 23. l. 1. for Neralse r. Neruese ibid. l. 10. for Priorie r. Prior. p. 37. l. 9. for of Fen r. of the Pregadi p. 115. l. 14. for Prinli r. Priuli p. 119. l. 3. for could r. would p. 164. l. 4. for obedience vnto r. obedience due vnto p. 193. l. 16. for Damila r. Damiata p. 206. l 5. for Papatins r. Papalins p. 207. l. 26. for Courts r. Commands p. 210 l 21. for there Sosa r. Frier Sosa p. 211. l. 2. for as be was desired r. as he desired p. 229. l. 11. for it is r. it was p. 245. l. 16. for that not hauing r. that hauing ib. l 19. for repaied r. repaired p. 334. l. 16. for his horse r. his House In Epist to the Reader conclusions r. combustions amased r. amused THE HISTORY OF THE QVARRELS OF POPE PAVL 5. With The State of Venice First Booke POpe PAVL the fift was addicted from his youth and nourished in those studies which haue no other end but to acquire vnto the Pope the Spirituall and Temporall Monarchie of all the world and to aduance the order of the Clergie so farre as not only to exempt them from all power and iurisdiction of Princes but further to exalt them about Kings themselues and to submit vnto them Secular men in all kindes of seruices and commodities Being come to perfect age hee had yet better means to manage those armes by which this doctrine is maintained For hauing exercised the office of Auditor of the Chamber a charge altogether agreeable to his nature and inclination in as much as the power attributed to that Magistrate is to be Sententiarum censurarum intus extrà latarum vniuersalis executor He employed himselfe in this charge more exactly than any of his Predecessours so that more Monitories and Citations were thundered out by him during the fiue yeares of his office than had beene in any fiftie yeares before In that while he conceiued a vehement desire of vengeance against those who seemed to him to bring some empeachment to the libertie or to speake more properly licentiousnesse of persons Ecclesiasticall and to the free and arbitrary exercise of Excommunication But because the desire of reuenge is extinguished or at least repressed when it is directed against Persons so potent and eminent that there is no hope to effect it his courage and resolutions were bent not so much against Kings and Monarches as against Republiques or popular Common-wealthes because that considering the Gouernours thereof in their priuate persons in which respect they are without power he might hope to attaine his end howsoeuer they were ioyned in one body and assisted by authoritie which accompanieth publique forces But aboue all he had a particular designe of reuenge against the State of Venice as well because it alone sustaineth the dignitie and hath the true markes of a Prince independent as because the Ecclesiastiques haue no dealing in that Estate and yet further it alone among all Princes doth not giue pensions to any
permissiō of the Senate which he blamed with rude and violent termes At last he concluded with these words Euen the Heretique Moulin saith that sapit haeresim Hee adioyned further that the State retained 500000. crownes of Ecclesiasticall Legacies and charged that in all these particulars they should giue him satisfaction The Ambassador answered that God had not giuen to Popes any greater authority in the Gouernment of their Estate then to other Princes who by the Law of Nature haue all power which is necessary And as it appertaineth not to the Venetians to Gouerne the State of the Church no more doth it appertaine to Ecclesiastiques to Gouerne the State of Venice That the Law had not beene kept so secret since it was published in all their Cities and enregistred in the Chanceries where any one might haue a Copie Moreouer he shewed clearly how false a suggestion it was that the State reserued any portion of Legacies Ecclesiasticall adding further that if his Holinesse would examine all the Lawes of their Signiory and giue credit to such calumnies as might be cast vpon them by their ill willers the differences would grow infinite Here the Pope stayed him and said that for the 500000. crownes his answer had satisfied him and that he would not multiply differences but restraine them to three heads that is to wit to the Ordinance touching the building of Churches to the Law against the alienning of Lay mens goods vnto Ecclesiastiques and to the iudgement of the causes of the Canon and the Abbot In all these three he would be obeyed adding that they should not thinke to draw out the businesse with delayes for if speedily they did not satisfie him he would vse such remedies as he thought conuenient That he had beene placed in that Chaire for to sustaine the Iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall in defence whereof hee would esteem himselfe happy to spill his bloud that for his kindred he regarded not if they remained still priuate persons being resolued to neglect all other respects and to proceed in this matter to the vttermost whatsoeuer should be the issue Withall againe he threatned to send a Breue exhortatory vnto the State hauing a designe to passe on further if he were not obeyed This Abbot of Neralse was accused to exercise a most vniust and cruel tyranny vpon the Countrey neare about his dwelling taking vp the goods of any man at what price himselfe was pleased and to commit vile rapes and impurities with all sorts of women and withall to practise in Sorcery and other Magicall operations That he studied the Art of tempering and composing of subtill poysons whereby he had wrought the death of his brother of a Prio rie of Saint Augustines Order and of his seruant these two latter because they were conscious of his crimes and the first because he was his competitor in the House And that with the same poison he had brought his owne father in extreame danger of his life that he had for a long time the carnall knowledge of his owne sister and had empoisoned her maide fearing by her to be discouered that he had caused an enemie of his to be killed and after that empoisoned the murtherer lest he might accuse him Shortly that he was guiltie of many more murthers and notorious vile crimes In the beginning of December they of Genoa by mediation of the Cardinals of that Nation herein more moued with their particular interests then with any respect which they owed to their Countrey reuoked the Decree which they had made touching the Oratory vpon the Popes promise that for the time to come they should not therein treat of any thing but matters spirituall Of this reuocation his Holinesse quickly gaue aduice to the Ambassador of Venice exhorting the Senate to deliuer vp the prisonners into the hands of his Nuntio and to reuoke the two Ordinances And proposing the example of the Genuois he said Sequimini paenitentes To this the Ambassador answered that there was not the same reason of the State of Venice seeing they had not seuen Cardinals their Citizens to mediate betweene them and his Holinesse that the things were very different considering that the Ordinances of the State were very necessary for the good Gouernment of it that they were well knowne to his Predecessors who before their election to the Papacie had liued at Venice in qualitie either of Confessors or of Inquisitors or of Nuntio's and that after their promotion they did not question or disproue them To these reasons the Pope replied that if the lawes of alienation and of erecting Churches were necessary himselfe would make them hauing power to doe that which is not lawfull for Secular Princes that if they would haue recourse to him they might finde him very ready to impart all kind of fauours being willing euen to establish these Lawes when it should appeare vnto him that they are necessary But that he would not endure them to iudge Ecclesiasticall persons who are not subiect vnto Princes and whom they cannot chastise though they be rebellious that the former Popes did not well vnderstand themselues that he desired to haue regard to the safetie of his soule and would handle these holy businesses according as was meet and as his reputation required that till then he had done the office of a Father but now he would come to further remedies Therefore hee purposed to send a Breue exhortatory concerning the three points aforesaid and if he were not obeied within a time which he would prefix he would proceed further because he had power ouer all and could depriue Kings and to this end had legions of Angels for his aid and assistants The Ambassador requested the Pope to consider that it was not meet to proceed in this matter with so much precipitation seeing it seemed not to the purpose to confound the law touching Churches with that of alienation much lesse yet the cause of the Canon with that of the Abbot especially for that he knew not yet the intention of the State in these two points as hauing yet receiued no answer and exhorted his Holinesse to weigh well the businesse The Pope made answer that himselfe ought therefore to reply that he might more speedily know their resolution The Senate when they had throughly weighed the affaire and balanced on the one side the disdaine and the rash proceedings of the Pope on the other side the publike libertie and the necessitie of their Gouernment the first of December returned answer vnto the Nuntio and writ to Rome to their Ambassador that they could not render the Prisoners so lawfully detained nor reuoke the Lawes so iustly ordained lest they should preiudice their natural liberty giuen by God vnto the State and preserued by the helpe of his diuine Maiestie and with the bloud of their Ancestors for so many hundred yeares and to the end that their Gouernment might not be disturbed which had prospered vnder such Lawes and Customes vntill this age
calumnies seeking all occasions to offend them For these causes they should neuer be admitted or receiued in any place of the State nor this Decree reuoked vnlesse the whole Processe against them were first read in full Senate which consists of no lesse than 180. Senators whereof fiue parts the whole being composed of six should giue suffrage for their reuocation And this may be one certain argument of their enormous and euident crimes that there was not any one Person of so great a number who spake anything in fauour of them and in the Scrutiny made by secret voices all were found vnanimous to decree their perpetuall banishment notwithstanding that some of this number had formerly vsed them as their Confessors who had much fauoured them on many other occasions But the Pope fore-seeing the difficulties to come to this accord so much desired with the honour which he expected and likewise considering that all the shifts and artifices as well of the Iesuites as of other Ecclesiastiques could not cause any trouble in the State of the Republique which he thought might be greatly profitable to induce the Senate to yeeld to his will all enterprises to this effect resting vaine and without fruit as also being not able by so many deuices and trickes to draw to himselfe any other than some simple persons aduised himselfe of a most subtill inuention Which was that on the nineteenth of Iune he published a Iubilee whereby he inuited all Christians to pray God with him for the necessities of the Church and to this end granted Indulgences Absolutions and Remissions to all excepting them that were found in Cities or places Interdicted whom hee excluded from these fauours not comprehending them so much as in their number whose prayers he implored In Italy no Spirituall thing is more wished or expected by the people and when it is granted nothing receiued with more deuout affection than a Iubilee Whereupon at Rome they beleeued that the people within the State of Venice seeing themselues depriued of such Graces giuen to all the faithfull would certainly be moued with sedition to seeke their part in them But the euill designe which the Iesuites did hope would succeed by their Sermons in the neighbouring places where they had publiquely declamed against the Honour of the Republique being frustrate they aduised hereupon to put in worke their last artifice to raise vp commotions by writing to their Adherents that although the Pope had excluded from the Iubilee in generall all the Subiects of the State of Venice yet they had power from his Holinesse to grant it to such persons as would obserue the conditions by them propounded among which these were some not to goe to Masse not to approue the publique reasons and actions and others more important The end of this Inbilee was very well knowne in Spaine for although they haue a very great deuotion towards the Indulgences which come from Rome and principally in the Iubilees neuerthelesse they remained in suspence and though the Nuntio were very instant to cause it to be published yet three Moneths passed before they gaue their consent In this same time wherein at Rome they were thus busied in Ceremonies a certaine Writing was affixed at Vicenza and many other places whereby the Republique was exhorted to withdraw it selfe from the obedience of the Romane Church and hereupon it touched many points of Religion calling the Pope Antichrist Which being knowne at Venice the Senate was there with greatly troubled their resolution being to continue alwayes most constant to conserue their Religion inuiolable They considered that howsoeuer such actions might be done by stealth and some one man neuerthelesse if prouision were not made strictly to deterre any more to imitate the like there might follow very pernicious consequences Whereupon they caused to bee published a very rigorous Ban promising recompence to him that could discouer the Author giuing charge to the Gouernours to make an exact search after him But with all the diligence which they could vse nothing could be fouÌ„d saue only some obscure coÌ„iectures that this was an Artifice of the Ecclefiastiques themselues whether to shew the danger wherein they were and thereby to incite the State to some speedie accord with the Pope or for to verifie the calumnies which the Iesuiticall Fathers dispersed against the Republique At the same time when the Pope published this Iubilee he wrought in such sort with the Marquis de Villena that he dispatched a Currier into Spaine to giue aduise vnto his King that his Holinesse would cast himselfe intirely vnder his Protection and that for this reason he demanded not onely his fauour but some succour of men But the King of Spaine answered his Ambassador that he ought to represse these thoughts in as much as the troubles of Italy would not be aduantageous either to the See Apostolique or the Crowne of Spaine And although this answer afflicted the Pope beyond measure neuerthelesse to trie all meanes he himselfe dispatched a Post with a Breue to that King and a Writing containing his Reasons which he accompanied with a Letter addressed to the Duke of Lermâ—â— wherein with an ardent affection he recommended vnto him his Person and Affaires with offers of Obligation and acknowledgment calling him the Base of the Crowne of Spaine vpon whom depended the Catholique Monarchie and the onely pillar of the Church This Breue was written first in Latine but afterwards in the vulgar Italian for to giue vnto him the title of Excellence a thing which the Popes haue not vsed Notwithstanding all this the Pope distrusting to obtaine from Spaine that which he desired hearkned vnto the treaties of peace proposed And it is certaine that the offices done by the Cardinals and Ambassadors at Rome and especially those of the Ambassador of France had such effect that being ioyned with the remorse which the Pope felt in his conscience they reduced him to such a point that he was neere perswaded to condescent to a suspension of the Censures to open a way to some farther treaty and he came so far as to collect hereupon the suffrages and opinions of the Cardinals But whilest he was considering of their aduice in the beginning of Iuly at the same time when Fresne made his last instance whereof we haue spoken and when the Ban against the Iesuites and the publication of a Iubilee interrupted the treaty came the answer of the King of Spaine to the Letters of his Holinesse Which was presented vnto him by the Marquis de Villena being accompanied with three Cardinals which imported That the King had desired that the differences with the Repub. of Venice should not haue come so far but because He saw the honour of his Holinesse much interessed he was resolued to assist him with his forces which his intention he had signified to his Ministers in Italie and likewise giuen order that they should make it knowne to the Princes his Dependents This Letter was
The Duke said That for the repose of Italy and to hinder so many mischiefes as might follow vpon the warre if it were begun if the Catholique King were certaine that the Pope being moued on this fashion would remoue his Censures he would not hold it any great inconuenience to be so contented that yet notwithstanding he would giue him a more resolute answer with the Senate Then the Ambassador taking him at the word immediatly answered that he receiued that word from his Serenity which was to pray the Pope and euen in his Name to take away the Censures but being to treat with him in words of courtesie he thought it necessary to adioyne that his Serenity was sory that he had giuen any disgust vnto his Holinesse that such like words of courtesie were vaine and nothing but yet necessary in this occurrence The Duke replyed that neither himselfe nor the Senate had giuen any occasion of disgust vnto the Pope if he had taken any himselfe without cause they could not helpe it that in voluntary discontents there is no other remedie than a voluntary acknowledgement The same day the Ambassador of France was at the Audience where he reported how the Pope had said to Mounsieur de Alincourt that he had taken the voices of all the Cardinals which were found all conformable and that according to their aduice he could not come to a suspension of the Censures if in behalfe of the Republique there were not made some demōstration of submission Then he added that haply the Pope might suffer himselfe to be perswaded by reason and be induced to begin the first but certainly it was necessary to tell him what the Repub would doe afterwards otherwise he would neuer be moued And therefore that it behoued the Republique to declare what they would doe and to rest confidently on the King who was their Friend and Confederate and who tooke to heart the interests of the Republique that they might safely open themselues to him and ought not to beleeue that his King had any other end saue only the Weale of the Signiory The Duke answered that to this matter they had spoken already sufficiently and their answer sent vnto the King both by himselfe and by the Ambassador which they had with his Maiestie that this demand was not meet seeing he could not yet haue receiued any answer to that which had bin written and said vnto the King Mounsieur de Fresne replyed that he foresaw what the King would say seeing that which they had written was only in generall termes and that he was forced to preuent that which the King would say being much pressed on the side of Rome where affaires were treated with great dignitie that it was needful in some sort to submit themselues and that the Temporalty did not receiue any preiudice by yeelding to his Holinesse it being à ius Commune to humble ones selfe vnto the Soueraigne Bishops And he adioyned that he made this instāce beleeuing that they should doe great wrong vnto the King and to that affection which he euer bare to the Republique not to be confident in him and freely to open vnto him the heart And therefore to gratifie the King that they should make this declaration seeing that by means of a simple promise made to his Maiesty the Pope would be content to suspend the Censures He put also in great consideration the Letter of the King of Spaine to the Pope magnifying the promises of that King and the Popes acknowledgement to him concluding that it was no time therefore to disgust the King of France who without doubt would take it very vnkindly if they should not speake plainly and freely with him To this last point the Duke began to answer telling him that the Letter was not such as it was published nor the promises so great as men made them and that the Pope himselfe did not much trust vnto them That the Ambassador of Spaine euen then was come to treat with them in very milde termes confessing the Reasons of the Republique to be such as that if they yeelded all Princes should thereby be much preiudiced and that when the Republique should doe any thing not fitting or should be wronged in their Authority the King of Spaine should equally partake in the damage because of the Interests common to all Princes and that it was cleare and euident that the King of Spaine applyed himselfe to an accord that it was not meet to precipitate the businesse by putting before what should come after Further he added that whatsoeuer were the euent the Republique would neuer degenerate from the vertue and constancy of their Ancestors Then Mounsieur de Fresne prayed the Duke not to take in euill part the words which he had said proceeding from a singular affection and that only to signifie that the Pope being assured that no Cardinall would consent to the Suspension if first something were not done at Venice it was necessary to aduise what might be done how farre they could yeeld which being done they might with all confidence communicate with his King as with their Friend The Senate hauing considered the Propositions of these two Ambassadors made answer to him of Spaine saying That it was necessary to apply the remedies to the part whence the euil proceeded that in these Differences the Republique had not giuen any cause and that all did arise only out of the Popes will who had not only attempted to violate the Liberty of the Republique and to take away their Power but further had gone to offences and iniuries Notwithstanding since the King desired to pacifie these Cōtentions to the end that they might proceed no further it was meet that he should turne to the Pope and there helpe to begin the Peace by the reuocation of his iniuries And when the King should haue certaine word that the Pope would take away his Censures the Republique for to gratifie his Maiestie would be content that by forme of Office he might pray the Pope in their Name to remoue them and they yet adioyned that the Senate with displeasure resented that his Holinesse had taken in euill part the Actions of a Republique so well deuoted to him which had no other end but the glory of God the conseruation of publique tranquillity and of that Liberty Power which God had giuen them This same answer was also made to the Ambassador of France and withall that if the King did thinke good he might serue himself of the same Forme towards the Pope This was the first word giuen to make ouerture to the Negotiation whereof when the Senate saw there proceeded no good effect but further obserued that not only the Pope continued his preparations of War but also made pressing instances with the King Catholique for the execution of his promises that he dispatched often into Spaine and pursued the Designes of the Count de Fuentes to arme powerfully they beleeued that the Pope