for as much as to choose good instruments is the noblest testimony of goodnesse and the influence of Princes upon servants is greater then that of servants upon Princes I have heard that the then Earle of Pembrooke being sollicited by other Court Grandees to erter into a confederacie with them about some alteration in Church and State he told them plainly he durst not venture his manner of Wilton in the businesse unlesse Cecyll and Bacon were first hanged at the Court gate and to hang them would be a matter not to be compassed till they with their Rhetoricke in Cheapside should avert the Citizens hearts from them and that he left as a fond conceit Neverthelesse in censure of Queen Elizabeth some have said that she swept the roome cleane but yet left all the dust heaped up behind the doore and did not carry it forth as she ought to have done Their meaning I conceive is that though she much awed and restrained both Prelates and Papists so as they durst not attempt any thing against the constitution of this State during her raigne yet she left them not in so desperate a condition but that they did recover strength and reunite againe after her death This censure seemes to me too harsh for Prelates without the copulation of Papists to gender a filthy spawne upon them are not of any considerable danger and Papists by her long and prosperous raigne were as much quelled and disabled as possible they could be If any dust was left behind the doore 't was because her life-time was not extensive enough for the carrying it forth forthe reduction of Ireland was very late shee scarce survived it and yet to make the Irish Protestants was of farre more difficultie and would consume longer time then to make them subjects The propogation of the true Faith therefore in Ireland was a taske which Queen Elizabeth was of necessity to leave to her successors and 't is very probable had they begun where shee desisted and not deviated from her resolution that Kingdome had long ere this afforded as many Protestants as subjects whereas now it denyes both for doubtlesse Q. Elizabeth at her decease left Ireland in better disposition to conforme to England then she found England in at her sisters decease to revolt from Rome and therefore with the same industry her successors might have done the same in Ireland as she had done in England But alas no such course was takē there we have reason to think rather that Popery was cherished and preserv'd in Ireland to make way for these tragicall divisions then that there was any designe or undertaking to plant Protestantisme in it for the establishing further union between the nations The example of Q. Elizabeth to whom the protection of God was as constant in saving her from the bloody Emissaries of Rome did not work so strongly to animate King Iames as the Apostacie of Henry the French King whom God deserted for his desertion did serve to intimidate him The revolt of Henry the fourth who gained the Title of Great by his warlike atchievements and the horrible conjuration of the Powder Traytors here in England made so strong impression upon the soft and mild temper of King Iames that to temporise a little with Rome for better security of his Person appeared at that time very seasonable wherefore to dally with Antichrist a little letters were written to Cardinall Perrone and answers received about a reconciliation of Religions and in order thereunto the rigour of penall lawes was rebated nay countenance was shewed to Papists the grandour of Prelates and pompe of Ceremonies in the Church began to be affected The neerer also that King Iames his end approached the more it resembled Salomons and grew tainted with the foule symptomes of a declination in so much that scarce any but Papists were admitted to governe his Councels and then the whole Kingdome began to be exposed as a prey to Spanish French Italian pensioners It was well observed by the Duke of Roan that no Prince in Europe so much opposed his owne interests both in civill and religious affaires as King Iames for doubtlesse the Pope by his agents in all Church matters was more potent then the King himselfe and so was Gundamore in matters of State had not the French and Duch and some other Nations interfered with the Pope and Spantard and given gold for some part in us rather to save us then that we should be lost to their enemies doubtlesse we had been disposed of quickly our happinesse was that France was liberall enough to buy us from Spain and Spain liberall enough to buy us from France c. though our misery was that both sides pulled away more from us then they parted withall from themselves And now when three Kingdomes are under the subjection of one Prince who is under the subjection of one lustfull rash young Favourite and that Favourite solely at the devotion of his vitious opprobrious mischievous mother and that mother a meere Votaresse to Rome utterly forfeited resigned and sold to the commands of Jesuites When our miserable Nations are in this ridiculous preposterous posture of government who can wonder that a Spanish or French Match for our Prince should be designed As great a masse of treasure might have been received with a German Lady and that with lesse expence for the portion of Spaine or France can scarse equall the charge of fetching it all that can be said is Pistols and Patachoons are more valuable than Dollars in our judgement Alliance also amongst Princes if it be of any it is of dangerous consequence it is certaine to produce reall enmitie and emulation but it is uncertaine to produce so much as a shadow of amitie and union especially amongst Princes of the Romish Religion If we negotiate concerning a marriage with the Spanish Infanta 't is necessarie that wee keep faire intelligence with France and capitulate strongly with the German Princes and if wee break off with Spaine and treat with the French Lady 't is necessarie that wee enter into a new confederacie with Spaine and prepare a Fleet for the Isle of Rhees So much weaker than cobwebs are the bonds of matrimony amongst ambitious Monarchs Something also may be said against the incestuous extractions of the House of Austria and the Florentine mixtures of the House of Burbon whereas the nobilitie chastitie and beautie of the German Dames hath ever been not only beyond all exception but also beyond all comparison Nothing then but Poperie unlesse wee will add also the manifold mifchiefes of Poperie could be aimed at in a Popish Alliance by those devillish Engineers which were the insolent Lords of our Lords or rather of our Lords Lords Lords And if we desire further satisfaction therein let us consider the substance of the Popes letter written the 20 of April 1623. to our Prince in Spaine and our Princes Answer thereunto as they are faithfully translated and registred by
Du Chesne the French Geographer in his Book fol. 1162. The Popes Rhetorick in briefe flowes thus MOst noble Prince the former Kings of Britain have been very famous for their devotion to the Popes Chaire and now though the state of the English Church be altered yet the Court is adorned with such morall vertues as may support our charitie and the more the glorie of your most clement Father and the resentment of your royall nature or inclination delights us the more ardour there is in us to open the gates of Heaven to you We commend your designe which hath directed you to take a journey into Spaine to allye your selfe to the House of Austria it elevates us to the hope of extraordinarie advantage our open testimony is in this present affaire that you are he which has the principall care and regard of our Prelacie for since you desire to take in marriage a daughter of Spaine we easily conjecture that your Progenitours Zeale may againe revive in your soule and it s not credible that hee that loves such alliance should hate the Catholike Religion or take delight in oppressing the holy Seat Therefore publike intercession is made continually by our command that you may be put into possession of that most noble heritage which your Ancestours have purchased for you to defend the authoritie of the Soveraigne Bishop and to combat against the monsters of heresie The most sacred Kings of England came formerly from England to Rome accompanied with Angels to honour and doe homage to the Prince of the Apostles in his Chaire Apostolicall let their actions be as so many voyces of God to exhort you to the same and to bring you back againe into the lap of the Romane Church Their sighs and groanes are ancessant for your salvation and you cannot give greater consolation to Christendome than to put the Prince of the Apostles into possession of your most noble Isle holding his authoritie as the defence of your Kengdomes and as a Divine Oracle Our great charitie makes us desire that you and your royall Father may be enobled with the names of Deliverers and Restauratours of the ancient paternall Religion of Britaine and the care of our charitie in this is no other than to procure your happinesse The Answer in short is thus couched Most holy Father I received your Sanctities dispatch with grand contentment and with a respect beseeming the pietie and benevolence thereof I have read the Elogies of my Royall Progenitours who have exposed their estates and lives for the exaltation of the holy Chaire set before mine eyes by your Holinesse for imitation with pleasure unexpressible and as justly deserved by them Neither was their courage against the enemies of the Crosse lesse than the thought and care which I have to unite all Christian Princes nor doe I esteeme it a greater honour to be descended of so great Princes than to represent them in the Zeale of their pietie The knowledge which I have of my most honour'd Fathers mind and the concurrence of his Catholike Majestie to whom the present divisions of Christian Princes is so grievous and the fore-sight of your Holinesse who judged this marriage with the Infanta of Spaine necessarie for procuring of publike union and therefore designed it are great encouragements to me Wherefore 't is most certaine I shall never be so extremely affectionate to any thing in the world as to seek alliance with a Prince that hath the same sense of true Religion with my selfe I have been alwayes verie far from encouraging novelties or being a partie in any faction against the Catholike Apostolike Roman Religion but have sought all occasions to remove such suspitions from resting on me And for the future since wee all beleeve in one Iesus Christ I will straine all my power to have but one religion and one faith and I am resolved to spare nothing in the world but to suffer all manner of discommodities even to the hazard of life and estate for the effecting hereof It rests only that I thank your Holinesse for your permission and accord herein and I pray God to blesse you for the great travaile which your Holinesse hath sustained in his Church If this was Court-dissimulation Gods name was too far used in it and the dissimulation has extended further than to language the maine affaires of our Court and Church for many yeares together have been conformable to the same expressions And if here was plaine meaning without dissimulation no words of man can more fully and clearly justifie Poperie and protest against the novelties and heresies of the Reformed Churches than these do And the Pope it seemes suspected no dissimulation herein nor his Councellours and principall Ministers and yet they are not usually gulled or blinded or out-done in that kind of Craft and for proofe hereof I will instance in Father Iohn de Monte-Major of the Societie of Iesus and I will be verie briefe herein and confine my selfe only to him This Jesuite was a subtile States-man â—s we may perceive by his arguments now in print and in the Iunto at Madrid when the marriage of the Infanta with our Prince was upon debate for answer to such difficulties and objections as some other of the Iunto had offered to oppose the marriage he divers times insisted upon such points as these Since the Prince is a man settled in his manners and makes great account of our holy Law it may with sufficient probabilitie be heped that by the good example of the most illustrious Infanta and all her Attendants both men and women and by the holinesse and doctrine of her Confessour he will be easily brought to our holy faith fol. 6. a. And therefore as we have seene that the Prince and his father have kept their agreement made at the Treatie of peace for the well using of Catholikes and we are informed out of England that this yeare in the holy week within London there have been at the Communion 4000 Catholikes in the Embassadours house and that they have made 40 monuments no body speaking one word to controll them fol. 7. a. Both the Prince and his father doe extremely desire the friendship of his Holinesse and of Spaine which Henry the eighth little did care for and that 's the reason which moveth the Prince and his father to procure this marriage is to establish the said friedship with the Apostolike See and the Crowne of Spaine fol. 7. b. Another principall thing to be observed is that the Prince at all other English and French Hereticks doe beleeve that we are saved keeping the religion of the Church of Rome fol. 8. b. There are sufficient signes shewing that the King of England is well affected to our Religion since it appeares hee with such care and paines endevours to match his son with a spouse so much Catholike daughter to so Catholike Parents and hee being the only Heire of his Kingdome against the advice of all the Hereticks
tempters to our Saviour all these royalties and glories will I bestow upon you but with this proviso that you then prostrate your selves to serve me but what is that service which he requires that they may endure a baser vassallage under him then their Subjects do under them On the contrary the Protestant Religion seasons us with such unstained loyalty that Princes do presume thereupon fear the lesse to grieve provoke us as by Contzens the Jesuits advertisements the practice of divers Princes in Europe of late is testified too clearly well may we wonder then at the frontlesse impudence of such Papists as upbraide Protestants with disobedience to Magistracy especially when they charge it as a sin resulting issuing out of the Protestant principles themselves What doth Barclay imagine of his readers stupidity when in his book contra Monarchomachos he inveighes against his countrey man Buchanan as injurious to Royalty and imputes this as an effect or product of the Protestant Religion His Relgion was ever infamous for excommunicating murthering deposing Princes and imbruing nations in unnatuall treasonable execrable warres whereas the Protestant Religion equally abhorres both cruelty in princes and disloyalty in Subiects aiming at nothing but that Kingly prerogative and popular liberty may be even ballanced and yet this foule railer here inverts nature calling white black and black white The King of England hath some Subiects wherein none hath an interest but himself and he hath other Subiects wherein the Pope hath an interest as well as himself the first are English the second are Irish in whether Nations loyalty he may rather confide I cannot tell for at this present he bends himself with more violence against the Englsh then Irish but the end will reveal to the confusion of his malignant seducers that there was nothing but fidelity in English Protestants nor nothing but perfidie in Irish Papists I shall use no other instances If there be any curse impendent over the Nation both King and People it is this that this truth is not yet sufficiently credited and acknowledged But to our present negotiation again it seemed to our Venetian that the King aimed at such a dispensation from the Pope as that his Catholick Subiests might resort to our Protestant Churches and take the oath of Supremacy and fidelity and that the Popes iurisdiction here should be declared to be but of humane right c. but what needed the King to seek these things from the Pope or what hope was there to obtaine them at all and if they were to be obtained but not without the losse of other things ten times more precious and profitable to the King what advantage was in them We cannot apprehend that the King should expect any good from Rome of himself some strong inchanting solicitation there must be to induce him and that by such as aimed not at his but their own interests and this our Venetian layes open and makes clear enough for he tells us that the Court of Rome treated according to its own maxime and in pursuance of its old pretences The Popes end was temporall grandour and what coâ—ld all the Popes vassalls here more expect then his advancement but the Pope and his party were but Treaters of one side the question is who were Treaters on the other side and what it was which they were to treate for This question is without question for the Merchants of our side were our Preâ—ates some whereof being single were to be made Cardinalls and others were to receive pensions from Rome as our Venetian tells us The Protestant Religion doth not so much affect the outward opulence pomp and splendour of the Church that is of Clergy men as the Popish doth and therefore the main body of the Clergy and the Universities have been long conspiring to alter Religion at least in that point and rather then faile in that they care not how they debosh the Church inducing an hotohpodge as Mr. Cheynell has well observed of Arminianisme Popery Socinianisne any thing rather then a plaine Gospell If Canterbury may not be allowed to be Alterius Orbis Papa as some of his predecessors were called and as able to give check to the Crowne of England and if Scholars generally may not insult and lord it in Church and state as the use was amongst our ignorant forefathers they will make a league with Rome nay with hell it self rather then endure it The Religion of Scotland is a nasty invention the discipline of Geneva is a profaine confusion the City of London is a nest of Anabaptists the Parliament a croud of croundheads All Protestants that are not for beautified Altars gilt Organs clinquant copes are worse Christians then the Romish Catholicks how soever the true Protestant desires not to see the Clergy despicable or the house of God to be without bread or order confounded in the Church these are scandals invented to make all men odious that are not addicted to the Popish gaity tyranny of Priests That Reformation which the Parliament aimes at will avoide all unjustice and extreames and if the Clergy stand not in their own light Religion will flourish and the Church prosper better then they have done hitherto for the Vine which is the most naturall resemblance of the Church that can be proves equally unfertile by luxuriance when her branches for want of pruning spread abroad too wildly as it does by indurance when shee bleeds two prodigally under the dressers knife And this cannot be unknowne to the Parliament 5 We come now to vew the true obstickles and impeâ—chments of this Reconciliation one hindrance was Sr. Toby Mathewes his ambition who thinking his imployment lessned and his person cheapened by the comming over of feig Panzani and not finding such compliance from Panzani as he expected openly expressed himselfe an adversary to his undertakings the great stomack also of the Jesuites who before had the sway at Court did not well brook a lay Legate here in England and if the reconciliation thrived they did perhaps feare that the English Nation might rather incline to favour the seculars then themselves Then the Pope doubtlesse with reverence be it spoken to his infallibility was a little too majesticall at first in his moving towards us he saw us so precipitate in our pace towards him that he thought he himself might safely stand upon rigorous punctilio's The King required from the Pope onely such naturall allegiance of his subjects as other Catholicke Princes use to have paid them without futher distinguishing and yet his holinesse did conceive it was too much to tolarate this oath for the assurance of that His holinesse thought it rather fit that the very words formerly conceived and enacted by the states of the whole kingdome should be presently expunged or altered and though the King was contented to qualifie and correct the letter of the law by a milder declaration and interpretation yet even that was not held satisfaction