red haire Regent in the Colledge of Trers who also assured him that hee had conferd touching that enterprise with three of his companions who tooke it wholy to be from God assuring him that if he died in that quarrell he should be enroled and registred in the Kalender of the Martirs And the second confessed that the Iesuits of Doway hauing promised him to procure a Prebend for one of his chyldren the Prouinciall gaue him his blessing before he went about it said vnto him Friend goe thy wayes in peace for thou goest as an Angell vnder Gods safegard and protection And vpon this confession he was put to death in the Towne of Leyden by solemne sentence giuen the twentie-two of Iune in the yeere 1598. Neither am I ignorant of this that the Iesuits will say that they gaue that councell to kill two Princes who had armed theÌ„selues against their King But I tell them that then the King himselfe must put them to death be they neuer so many because they were the first enterprisers and attempters of our last troubles in Fraunce as well against the King that dead is as against the King that presently raigneth But their murthers haue a further reach then that For minding to stirre vp Robert Bruse a Scottish Gentleman eâ—â—her himselfe to kill or to cause to bee killed by some other my Lord Iohn Metellinus Chauncellour to the King of Scots euen of hatred towards him because hee was the Kings very faithfull subiect they caused the said Bruse because hee would not condiscend yeelde vnto them to be summoned and sore troubled at Bruxelles And were they not pertakers with the Iacobin in the assault and murther that was committed against the last French King And haue they not at sundry times and by sundry meanes attempted to take away the 〈◊〉 of the Lady Elizabeth Queene of England And to be short haue they not doone the like against ouâ— King both by the meanes of Peter Barrier and Iohn Caâ—â—ill froÌ„ which God hath miraculously preserued him To euerie of which particularities I will allow his proper discourse and begin the storie of their assaults and murthers that should haue been committed by the Scottish Gentleman CHAP. 2. ¶ Touching an extraordinarie processe and course that was held in the Low-countries against Robert Bruse Gentleman of Scotland vpon the accusation and information of Father William Chrichton Iesuit because he would me cause the Chauncellour of Scotland to be murthered MEn ordinarily giue out and grant extraordinarie processe against such as murther or consent to murther but to procure it or make it against one that would not consent thereto this is the first of that qualitie that euer was heard of And this is the very argument of this present chapter A little after the death of Mary Queene of Scots the late King of Spaine coÌ„maunded the Duke of Parma who was then Gouernour for him in the Low-countries to send Robert Bruse a Gentleman of Scotland to the Scottish King with Letters in the which he promised him men money enough to reuenge him selfe for the death of the Queene his Mother vnto who he protested that hee bare alwaies a singuler affection because she had vowed and so declared herselfe to the last gaspe of her life to be of our Catholique Religion which affection hee would continue to the King her sinne by successiue right but yet so as hee should promise to become the inheritour of the vertues and religion of that good and worthy Princesse My purpose is not largely and by peece-meale as me say to meat and declare howe this matter proceeded though I haue good and faithfull Intelligences of it This onely I will tell you that the said Gentleman had at the same time charge of certaine great sums of money for the fraight of threescore shipps to the end that they might first serue for transporting of victualls and munitions into the Low-countries and afterwards for men of war which the Spanyard resolued to send into England hoping that the Queene of England should be assaulted on both sides A short time after Bruses arriuall in Scotland he hauing beene all his young dayes brought vp and nourished with the Iesuits there came thether Father William Crichton a Scottish man who some-time had berne Rector of the Colledge of the Iesuits at Lyons And he was in the company of the Bishop of Dumblaine who was sent by Pope Sixtus the 5. to the King of Scotland to make him offer of a marriage with the Infant of Spaine so that hee would become a Catholique and ioyne with them against the English My Lord Iohn Metellenus set himselfe against thys negotiation and for sundry good and weighty reasons councelled his Maister not to regard it Insomuch that the Bishop returned thence without effecting any thing leauing Crichton in Scotland who ioyned himselfe with Bruse and was his companion And because hee conceiued that Metellenus alone had turned the King from accepting the offers made him he purposed to shew him a Iesuits â—â—ick indeed And that was this A catholick Lord had inuited the King his Chauncellour to a banquet Crichton solicited Bruse if it would please him to lende him soâ—â— mony to compasse thys Lord that should giue order for procuring the slaughter of the Chauncellor assuring himselfe that by 〈◊〉 of the mony he should make him doe whatsoeuer hee would Bruse flatly refused and that not onely because hee was sent to another end as hee made it appeare to him by the iustructions and memorials which hee had from he Duke of Parma but also and that much the rather by reason of the shame that would fall out vpon the execution of that enterprise especially he hauing before made shew of friendship familiarity with the Chauncellor Yea that that murther would neuer be thought good and lawfull beeing committed in the midst of a banquet and in the Kings presence against whom the iniutie should specially be performed as well by reason of the small account they made of his Maiestie as for the slaughter they should commit vpon a person whoÌ„ he entirely affected for his fidelitie and wisedome And that if he did this deede they should minister matter to the King to exasperate him against the Catholicks as murtherous infamous and trayterous persons to God and the world who to that present houre had receiued all bountifull kindnesses curtesies from their King Crichton seeing he had missed of this his match weâ—â— to moue him to another and to perswade Bruse to giue fifteene hundred crownes to three Gentlemen that did offer to kill the Chauncellor after some other lesse flauÌ„derous and offensiue manner But Bruse answered him that as in respect of the fault or sin it was all one to kill a man with his owne handes and to giue money to procure such a purpose and act to be doone And that for his part hee was a priuate person that had not anie authoritie ouer the
openly in Fraunce The one sounded nothing but the word of GOD in their preachings The next tooke vp the Name of Iesus in their Sinagogues The third was our auncient Catholiques to whom we attribute in our Churches the honour of our fayth by the onely Gospell of Iesus Christ CHAP. 5. ¶ The decree of the French-Church against the Iesuits in the assembly had at Poissy 1561. FOr all this I would not haue you thinke my Maisters but that our French church did put many notable ingredients into this Iesuiticall poyson to qualifie it For after the recitall all along the Decree of all the priuiledges and fauours diuersly giuen them by Paule and Iulius the third and some Letters-Patents obtayned by them and reckoning made of theyr request presented to the Court and put ouer to these Prelates in the end behold what order they set downe The Assembly according to the matters put to them by the Court of Parliament of Paris hath receiued and doth receiue hath approued and doth approue the said Societie and Companie in forme of a Colledge not of theyr new institution of Religion with expresse charge that they take another title then the Name of IESVS or of Iesuits that the Bishops of the Dioces shal haue all superioritie iurisdiction and correction ouer this societie and Colledge to thrust out and expell from the saide Company all men of euill life and misbehauiour Neyther shall the Brothers of this Company enterprise or performe any action temporall or spirituall to the preiudice of the Bishops Chapters Curats Parrishes Vniuersities or other religious but they shal be bound to conforme themselues wholly to the disposition of the Common-lawe without hauing any right or iurisdiction and renouncing all their former priuiledges expresly theyr Bulls contrary to the things afore-said prouided that if they fayle heerein or shall heereafter procure any other that then this present Decree shall be voyde of none effect or exceptions to be taken to the right of the sayd Assembly of others in all cases Giuen in the Assembly of the French Church held by the kings commaundement at Poissy in the great hall of the venerable religious men of Poissy vnder the signe and seale of the most reuerend Cardinall of Tournon Archbishop of Lyons Metropolitane and Primate of Fraunce President of the said Assembly and of the reuerend Father in God the Lord Bishop of Paris the messenger of this request Giuen vnder the signes of Maister Nicholas Breton and William Blanchy actuaries and Secretaries of the said Assembly vpon Monday the 15. of December 1561. Pontius Congordan theyr Agent now furnisht with this holy Decree presented it to the Court of Parliament of Paris where it was soone ratified Heere I will make a pause and tell you that if euer though not all yet the least part of this decree had beene obeyed I would here aske them forgiuenes assure my selfe that these Gentlemen Marion Pasquier Arnault Dole which haue all vowed to make warre vppon them would doe the like But if the request they put vp was but a meere mummery not onely to mocke the French Church heereafter but the Court of Parliament and that they haue made no account of that which was commaunded them they must with one consent confesse that neither the particular aunswere made by Fraunces de Montaignes against Arnalts impleadment nor the venomous tooth of one Fon I wot not whō striken into Marion and Pasquier the one the Kinges Aduocate in Parliament the other of the Chamber of accounts in Paris nor the hipocriticall request made to the King without the Authors Name shall euer be sufficient to proue thē any naturall or French brood The Facultie of the Vniuersitie of Paris denounced them at theyr first arriuall to be Schismatiques disturbers of the peace of the Church and monasticall discipline Afterwards the Church of Fraunce to prouide for their great disorder allowed them by way of limitation before rehearsed notwithstanding all the ingredients coolers put in to temper this poyson the venim ouer-came their vertue For as soone as they had seazed vppon this sentence they wrote vppon theyr Colledge gate The Colledge of the societie of IESVS They followed theyr first course which they haue continued will continue so long as they remaine in Fraunce As it is the nature of the French to be more hardie then men at the beginning and more cold and feeble then women in continuaunce So suffred wee our selues to be led away at last by these wit-foundred newe Friers Euerie man if hee be not hunted hote abandons the publique affaires to be wedded to his owne in particular CHAP. 6. ¶ Of the request preferd by the Iesuits to the Parliament the yeere 1564. to bee incorporated into the Vniuersitie of Paris and howe many sides made head against them POntius Cōgordan for his part did not lay him down to sleep when he saw vs wearie but thinking hee had got the day preferd a petition to the Vniuersitie in the yeere 1564. the tenour whereof was this The Principall of the Colledge and company of Iesus called the Colledge of Clairmont beseecheth you to incorporate thē into the Vniuersitie that they may enioy the priuiledges of it The Vniuersitie hauing giuen them the repulse they fledde to the Court of Parliament where Congordan Chos Versoris for theyr Aduocate the Vniuersitie entertaind Pasquier The cause pleaded by these two here was the sport Pasquier at the first push shewed them that to read theyr request onely was enough to ouerthrow them For the foundation of theyr cause depended vppon the French Churches decree which forbad them expresly to take vppon them the name of the societie of Iesus which title notwithstanding they had inserted into theyr request This was to strike thē right vpon the visor by meanes whereof they were compeld to flie to a deniall where they tooke sanctuary for the liberty of their actions as often as they found themselues driuen into any narrowe streight that might preiudice them Versoris denied him that framed the request that was in plaine termes Congordan who denied himselfe by the mouth of his owne Aduocate whom hee chose By the negotiations which haue on their part passed between them and vs to set vp their sect An Asse and a Foxe haue beene tyed together A meruallous matter and worthy to be rung into the eares of all succeeding ages First they of the newe Religion troubled vs about the towne of Amboise against the Lords protectors of the young King Fraunces the second partly by the conference had at Poissy and Geneuian preaching insinuated into Fraunce Lastly by the surprize of townes and a bloody battaile fought before Dreux In briefe by a ciuill warre of 18. monethes continuaunce vpon the parcialities of Papists and Protestants which was afterward luld a sleepe with an Edict of conniuence our hands beeing yet embrued with the blood of those troubles and hauing scarce any leysure to take our breath In
name which they had once giuen as they thought vnto the truth Nay the matter proceeded so farre that this name grew to be imposd vppon the rest of that societie almost throughout all Portugall Trust me this passage is of such desert that I should deceiue these good men if I should not translate it into French to discouer with howe great pietie they haue purchast this title For Fraunces Xauier is honoured for a great Saint among all the Iesuits Was there euer any impietie or imposture greater then this that these two hypocrits to be counted Apostles bruted it abroad that two new supplies were added to their Sect to make vp the number of twelue Apostles and that vpon this false alarum they were called Apostles This was against theyr will saith Turcelline belieue the reporter For Xauier tooke speciall care not to loose his tytle when hee came into the Indies Tincel 2. booke of Xauiers life cap. 3. Therefore as before in Portugall so in India he began to be commonly calld an Apostle and the same title afterwards flowed from Francis as from the Head to the rest of his fellowes Tell me I beseech you whether this be not to renue the heresie of Manes whose followers were cald Manichees he naming himselfe the Paraclet had twelue Disciples whom he cald Apostles and for such he sent them abroad one by one to other prouinces to spread abroad the poyson of his heresie through their preaching To say the truth Ignace neuer tooke on him the name of Paraclet yet was he willing inough to be accounted for another Iesus by his company As I wil discourse to you in his proper place when I come to speak of their blind obedience He did not only take this authority power vpon himselfe But resigned it ouer also to all the Generals of his order that succeeded him who in like manner haue embraced the title of Apostles wherewith their inferiours were endowed in Portugall This is apparant in Rome and yet no man sees it but quite contrarie this Family is there had in honourrable regard vpon a wrong conceit men haue entertained touching their absolute obedience whereof these my Maisters make semblance vnto the Pope And shall we hereafter haue any maruaile to heare a barking at the holy Sea by diuersities of new opinions that fight against it Pardon me I beseech thee O holy Sea for it is the heat of my zeale deuoted to thee that inforceth me to vtter this speech Great and vnspeakable are Gods iudgements to suffer that in the Citie of Rome in your sight and knowledge there should bee a Manes continued by successions from one to another which hath not twelue onely but infinite Apostles dispersed here and there God will reuenge it early or late though it be by his enemies The Aduocate as a man much wounded in heart was desirous to prosecute this in a chafe when the Iesuit interrupting him said Verie well sir you are in daunger to be drawen drie Marking your discourse you put me in mind of those young Historiographers which imputed it for folly to Alexander the great that he would haue all men thinke him to be Iupiters sonne they attributed this to his immoderate ouer-weening neuerthelesse it was an excellent wise drift of his Can you imagine why so long as the country of king Darius was the marke he shot at he was too wise to take that title vpon him and chose rather to thrust forward his fortune by ordinarie meanes of armes But as soone as he plotted to passe into India a kind of new world deuided from ours he would haue the people perswaded by the great Priest of Aegypt that he was Iupiters sonne and from that time he would be adored as such a one not by the Macedonians his natural subiects bred in the liberty of a Greeke spirit But by the barbarous people with such respect and beliefe that from that time forward they should take him not to be a meere Prince but a great God that came to the conquest of the Indies this deuice tooke so good effect that he made himselfe Lord of the country without striking stroke The Kings Potentates and common people saying that their countrey was first vanquished by Bacchus then by Hercules both sonnes of Iupiter and that the whole rule and Dominion was reserued for the comming of Alexander a third sonne of his Thinke you our Societie followes not this plot you see we neuer tooke the name of Apostles any where but in Portugall but when we were to go to the same Indies where Alexander had beene we thought as he did that it was fit we should be authorized beyond others by a more ample sacred and maiesticall title which was to be called Apostles It had beene ill for vs to challenge it in Portugall if Xauier had not continued it by an entercourse of his companie after his arriuall in the Indies to the end he might be reputed another Saint Thomas sent thither after the passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ And it were impossible to recount what conquests of soules we made there vnder this holy perswasion Ha quoth the Aduocate verily if this be your fashion I haue nothing to do with you for as when you entred Italy you borrowed I know not what of their Mountebanks so would you do the like of Machiauell in Portugall and the Indies Meane while you my maisters that haue bragged much of your knowledge in Diuinitie haue verie ill turnd ouer the history of the kings in the the Bible from whence you gather by a continued ranke that God tooke away the crownes of all the Kings of Israel as oft as they became Idolaters eyther while they liued or in all time to come neuer suffered them to descend vnto their children How thinke you I pray ye that God hath left the true Kings of Portugall without heires and that their Realme came into the hands of the first Prince that caught it That one Don Anthonio a bastard one Katherine de Medices Queene-mother of our King pretended title to it and last of all that one Philip King of Spaine became maister of it without any great resistance I will not discourse in partriculer of the goodnes of his title for mine one part I thinke that the best title he had was the iustice of God whō it pleased in reuenge of the giddie Idolatrie and blasphemie of the kings and people to make this realme without triall of the cause passe from one family to another by this holy title of Apostles attributed to these hypocrites And I perswade my selfe that the King of Spayne now raigning will one day fall into the like mischiefe if he suffer this impietie CHAP. 10. ¶ The impieties of William Postell a Iesuits BVt why should we thinke this blaphemie strange in them if within few yeeres after they tooke the title of Apostles on them some one of them was found so abhominable in the sight of God and man
haue any possibilitie of agreement vvith our Church of Fraunce let vs forget all the miseries and calamities that haue been brought vpon vs by their means in our last troubles and let vs not enuie theÌ„ their aboade in the principall Cittie of Fraunce It is no small aduantage for them that would plant and spread a new religion to be placed in the chiefe Cittie of a kingdome by the authority of the soueraigne Magistrate They cast in our way two great words to stoppe our mouth altogether the name of Iesus to which euerie knew must bow and the name of the Pope which wee must receiue with all submission and honour But to whom doe they sell theyr trash Are wee any other but followers of Iesus Are we any other then the children of the holy Sea 1. All of vs acknowledge by a common and generall faith that we are a part portion of the church of Iesus by the merit of his passion euer since that we haue been regenerat by the holy sacrament of Baptisme They by an arrogant name applyed entitle themselues and their sect Conference at Poissy 1561. Act of parliameÌ„t in the same yeere the societie of Iesus a title forbidden them both by our Church of Fraunce and by the Court of Parliament at Paris in the yeere 1561. 2. Wee in this country of Fraunce auow with all humilitie and readines our holy Father the Pope as Primate but not as prince of all Churches In this fayth we liue and die vnder him renewing the oath of allegiance from the day of our baptisme to the day of our death Part 7. of their const c. 1. arti 2. The Iesuit as a vassaile peculiar aboue others acknowledges him for his prince to whom hee specially renewes the oath of his allegeance at the change of euerie Pope 3. Our church of Fraunce holds that our holy father the Pope is vnder a generall oeconomicall counsell so we haue learned of our great diuine Gerson so of the councell of Constance and so when in former times any decree came out from his holines to the preiudice of our Kings or their realme our auncestors appeald from it to a generall Councell to be held afterward Cap. Noui de iudie. ext cap. ad Apostolicae de re iudie. capit vnam sanâ—tam de maior et obed The Iesuit maintaines a cleane contrarie opinion that in the same sort as the courtiers of Rome doe 4 With what dissimulation soeuer the Iesuit cloakes his writings now a dayes hee acknowledgeth the Pope prince of all kingdoms as well in matters temporall as spirituall because the Popes haue acknowledgd themselues for such in their decretall sentences and namely of late in their Bull of the great Iubile publisht for the yeere 1600. S. Peter and S. Paule whose successors they are called princes of the earth if the Iesuite doubt of this article he is an hereticke in his sect Our church of Fraunce neuer belieued that the Pope had any power ouer the temporal estate of our Kings Looke the chap. of this book where wee entreat of blindfold obedience 5 The Iesuit obayes the Pope by an obedience which he calls blindfold a proposition of a hard consequence for the King and all his subiects A proposition also which we obserue not but stoutly improue in our Church of Fraunce 6 By an auncient tradition which wee hold as it were froÌ„ hand to hand froÌ„ the Apostles euery Dioces hath his Bishop ouer whoÌ„ it is not lawful to vsurp any authority Bellam. lib. 1. de indulg cap. 11. The whole sect of the Iesuits is nothing els but a generall infringing of the authoritie of Archb. and Bish yea the hold that the Bishop hath no other iurisdiction or power then that which he holds of the Pope 7 The administring of the word of God and of the Sacra appertaines principally to the Archb. Bishop after to the Curats within their parishes to none other except a man haue permission of some of them within their charges By the Buls of 1540. 1550. The Iesuit giues to himselfe full power to preach the word of God and to administer the holy sacrament of Pennance and the Eucharist wheresoeuer it please him to the preiudice of the Ordinaries 8 Only the B. in his dioces can dispence with the vse of meats forbidden according as necessitie requires The Buls of Iulius the 3. 1552. The Iesuit acknowledges herein none but the Superiors of his order 9 We admit not to the order of priest-hood any that are borne in adultery or incest The Buls of Paule the 3. 1546. The Iesuit admits them without difference 10 By our ancient canonicall constitutions Church-men may not say Masse but before noone The Buls of Paule the 3. 1545. The Iesuit may sing Masse after none if it please him 11 Our priests are forbidden to say Masse any where but in our Churches except for the succouring of them that are sick and that by the permission of the Curat The Iesuit may make a particular oratory within his house and in all places where soeuer he comes there say Masse and haue an Altar to carry about with him 12 One of the auncientest parts of deuotion that we haue in our Church Teâ—t lib. 2. ad vâ—oâ—em Sib. Apul. lib. 5. epist are the Processions for euen Tertullian makes mention of them and we find that Mamercus Bishop of Vienna brought in the Rogation which wee obserue euery yeere in the weeke of the Ascention of our Lord Iesus Christ The Puls of 〈◊〉 13. 1576. The Iesuit doth not onely disalow of them but maintaines that they are forbidden him 13 We celebrate Anniuersaries in our Church in the remembrance of them that lately bestowed any goods on vs by way of almes The Iesuit receiues a pace what soeuer almes are giuen him to this end Part 6. of thâ—â—r const ca. 3. art 6. but yet he admits not of the Anniuersaries nor the Obits 14 We haue in our Church a certaine place neer the Altar which we call the Quire where our priests say diuine seruice Part 6. coÌ„st ca. 3. art 4. Iâ—b lib. 3. cap. 22. The bull of Gre. the 13 â—â— of Octo. 1576. apart from the common people The Iesuit hath no such place 15 We say our canonicall houres aloude in our churches of ordinary that euery man may pertake thereof The Iesuit is not bound but that he may say them in a low voyce 16 As our country of Fraunce hath alwaies abounded in deuotion aboue all other Nations so it hath had speciall priuiledge of God that all the heads of religious orders that haue been graffed vpoÌ„ the ancient orders of S. Austin S. Benet haue vowed theyr perpetuall houses amongst vs French men as the orders of Clugnie the Cistercians the Premonstratenses and Gramont There is neuer an order but that of the Charter-house Monks The Plea of the
then the godly zealous of our faith desire Besides the labourers of this Societie without hauing Colledges prepared for theÌ„ for the conseruation of Christians conuersion of the heathen frequent the countries of Mount Libanus of Aegypt of Africa of China When I read this passage with a friend of mine I told him that this Iesuit without name played in the dark and the verie lyer As of old Apollonius Tianneus the coozner did alleaging to the Greekes for witnesse of his miracles the Gymnosophists that were in India Whereupon Aeneas Goseus in his Theophrast saith that it was not without reason that this impudent coozner tooke for warrant of his cooznages them that were a farre of and dwelt as it were in an other world I said that our Iesuits Theatins did the like at this day who to feed vs with toyes send vs to the same Indies and other countries whereof we scarse know the names But at this word my friend smiling said that there was some Picrochole in their doing What Picrochole quoth I I think it is the name of a diuel as Macrobe is I perceiue quoth he again that ye haue not studied our Rabelais who discoursing of a great warre that king Picrochole made vpon Grandgosier after that his foolish noule had reckned vpoÌ„ the whole couÌ„try of France which he took to be already conquered his gallants that followed him added therto And moreouer you shall assault the kingdomes of Tunis of Hippo Argier of Bone of Corode valiantly all Barbarie Passing further you shall take into your hands Maiorca Minorca Sardinia Corfu and the other Islands of the Ligustick and Balearick Sea and in coasting on the left hand you shall beare rule ouer all Gallia Narbonensis Prouence the Allobroges Sionna Florence Luca you shall take Italy euen Naples Calabria Apulia and Sicill and sacke them all Malta to Afterward we will take Candy Cyprus Rhodes and the Cyclades we will set vpon Moria It seemes that this wise foole Rabelais meant then in the person of Picrochole to paint out the imaginarie victories of our Iesuits with their wallets though they were not then hatcht You are a merrie man quoth I but let vs leaue these trickes for the Iesuit De la Fon For I see nothing in this matter but to laugh at If the Iesuit had taken Munsters Cosmography he might haue added many other sauage countries and it had beene hard for vs to haue proued him a lier I remember that the wise Tulenus seeing vpon a time the lawyer Balduin walking with Andrew Theuet the trauailer said that they took no care to disproue one with another because the one had been alwaies in his chamber wedded to his booke and the other had employed his whole time in trauaile without looking vpon a booke That the one might quote many false authorities without being reproued the other name many countryes where he had neuer beene without being contrould The very same you shall find in this case of the Iesuits we haue in hand It is aboue 40. yeere since they bragd that they had made these great conquests in the most part of those countreyes Their Statutes ordaine that when their General is dead all the fathers of our prouinces that are in any estate or dignitie must come to Rome to proceed to the election of a new successor After the decease of Ignace in the yeere 1556. many came thither where Iames Lainez was chosen he dead in the yeere 1565. Fraunces Borgia was chosen in neither of these elections though there was a great care had that the titles of all the fathers Prouincials might be sent thither yet I find not any one of those farre countries and yet the names and titles of all the fathers that were brought thither were verie carefully set downe They are bound to send letters to their Generall euery yeere from euerie Colledge to certifie him how their matters stand I haue runne ouer all that were sent to their Generall Aquauiua in the yeere 1583. yet find no mention among them of any of these Colledges It should seeme their winning of soules hath beene meruailous great since that time Let vs leaue things as they be let vs not speak vpon idle imaginatioÌ„s but agreeable to common sense If they be scattred in so many barbarous countries haue there conueried so many soules to our Christian faith they must needs haue had the gift of tongues to conuert theÌ„ It is in the power of our holy Father to send them into these vnknown countries but not to bestow vpon them the gift of tongues That was a grace of the holy Ghost particularly reserued for the Apostles for the spreading of our Christian faith Consider I pray you whether there be not likelihood of reason in that I say Besides where are the sauage Kings Princes Lords which after their conuersion haue come to kisse the feet of the holy father to receiue his blessing I vnderstand that once in 60. yers they haue had a Maske in Rome of 3. beggers disguisd like kings this is all I place therfore their vow of Mission in the chapter of money counted but not receiued It is a very coozeâ—age by which these honest felowes dally with vs. And yet this cooznage is nothing in comparison of that whereby they abuse our holy father It must be granted by euery man that he only and none but he hath authority to send into heathen countries for their conuersion so that no man in this case may be ioyned in commission with him But for all this there is nothing wherein the Iesuits despise his authority more then in this the least part of this Mission depends vpon the holy Sea and the residue is in their Generall Bull of Paule the 3. the yeere 1549. Possit tamen ipsemet Praepositus pro tempore existens suos quocumque locorum etiam inter Infideles cùm expedire in Domino iudicabit mittere ac reuocare per nos ac successores nostros ad locuÌ„ aliquem missos sine temporis certi limitatione cùm id expedire ad Dei gloriam animarum auxilium visum fuerit super quo conscientiam dicti Praepositi oneramus ad alia loca transmittere liberè licite valeat Yet let their Generall saith the Bul for the time being whensoeuer he shall thinke it expedient send them of his order into any heathen country whatsoeuer and when he list call them home againe and if we or our successors shal send any of them to any place without limitation of time let him whensoeuer he shal see it expedient for Gods glory the good of soules wherin we charge the said General vpon his conscience remoue them from thence whither he shall think meet From hence you may gather that the Generall not only may send them as well as the Pope but which is more may alter clippe curtall the Popes letters Patents as please him Besides there
life of any man lesse ouer the life of the Chauncellour who was a chiefe man in the execution of the iustice of the Land Furthermore hee added that besides hee had no charge from the Prince of Pâ—â—â—â—â— to employ his money in such stade â—â—d Merchandize Matellinus beeing wâ—â—beloued of the King his Maister had two offices to wit the Chauncelloure the chiefe Secretaries of estate that after his death there were two great Lords worse then he to the Catholicke who beeing favoured of the King would part between them the spoyle of the other To be short that for an vncertaine good thing which a man might promise vnto himselfe hee should not accomplish a certaine euill thing no though a man were assured of good to come therby And seeing the question was touching the aduancing of Christian religion this should be the meanes wholie to ruinate the same in as much as men went about to promote iâ— by slaughter and murther and that to the great scandale of all in generall the perpetuall dishonour of the holy order of the Iesuits in speciall And thus spake Bruse in his conscience as one that hauing spent all his youth in theyr Colledges bare them all manner of reuerence And yet Father Crichton would not yeeld for all this for hee his companions haue they common places of antiquitie but yet euil alleaged to prooue that murthers and such like vvicked practizes are permiâ—ted By meanes whereof Bruse being more importuned then before demaunded of him whether in a good conscience hee might consent to that enterprise or whether he could dispence there-withall To which the Iesuit replyed that hee could not but this that the murther beeing committed by him and hee comming to confesse himselfe vnto him hee would absolue him of it Then Bruse replyed in these 〈◊〉 Sith your reuerence acknowledgeth that I must confesse my selfe of it you also thereby acknowledge that I should commit a sinne and I for my part know not whether when I haue done it God would giue me grace and inable me to confesse it And thereto I verilie belieue that the cofession of an euill that a man hath done of set purpose vnder aâ— intent to confesse himselfe thereof to haue absolution of it is not greatly auâ—lable and therefore the surest way for mee is not to put my selfe into such hazard and danger And so my Maister Iesuit missed at that time of his purpose But afterwards hee know verie well to haue his reuenge for it For the Duke of Parmâ— being dead and the Countie Fuentes a Spaniard and Nephew to the Duke of Alua comming in his place Crichtou accused Bruse of two crimes before the said Countie The one that he had ill managed the Kings treasure The other that he was a Traytor because he would not disburse money to cause Metellenus to be slame and thys was the principall marke at which the Accuser aymed A great fruit certainly in the Iesuit common wealth for which hee was worthily kept prisones in Bruxells full fourteene months together For as concerning the first point Crichton made no great account of that but touching the second he to the vttermost stood vpon it and that so much the more because the prisoner demind not the crime The processe had his course At the last after that Bruse had beene a long time troubled and afflicted the prisons were opened to him and he was set free but not with any commaund to that holy Father the Iesuit no not so much as to repayte his good nume or to pay his costs dammages or losses whatsoeuer The reason whereof was as a man may easily belieue it that hauing attempted this deuout accusation he did nothing at all therein but that which might be directly referd to the holy propositions of his owne Order CHAP. 3. ¶ Concerning the murther which William Paâ—â—y a◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man thrust â—â—theâ—â—â— by the Iesuits 〈…〉 against Elizabeth Queene of England in the yeere â—â—84 HE that writ the humble temonsâ—â—ance petition to the King minding to make it appeare that men slaundeâ—ouâ—â—y accused the Iesuits of hauing a purpose to attempt any thing against the Queene of England sayth thus In respect of English people those that 〈◊〉 â—â—rite of these matter 〈◊〉 witnes our faithfulnesse and neuer yet durst accuse vs of attempting any thing against the Queene in her estate those that meant to calumâ—â—â—â— charge vs there with all could neuer fasten their lies and leasings vpon out bâ—bâ—â—â—â—â—s and cause gâ—t of 〈◊〉 selues by any probable or likely reason of truth But now I will shew that this Iesuit is a second Heredotus And let him not thinke but I doe him great honor when I resemble him to that great personage whoÌ„ men say was the first Father of a lying historie William Parry Doctor in the Lawes a man full of vnderstanding but yeâ— more full of his pleasures delights after that â—e had consumed all his owne stocke substance and the greatest part of his wiueâ— also yeâ— charged with a great controâ—â—sâ—e and question against Hâ—gh Hare Gentleman of the Temple purposed in the yeere 1582. to take the mind and to faile into Prâ—â—â—ce where being arriued and come particularly to the cittie of Paris and purposing to be familiar with certaine Enlish Gentleman that â—â—â—â—led ouâ— of theyr Coâ—â—â—â—y for theyr religion they doubted to be familiar with him thinking that he came expresly to them to spy out their actions By meanes whereof hee tooke his iourney to Lyons and from thence to Venice where euen at his first entrance because hee was an Englishman hee was put into the Inquisition but he yeelded so good an account touching Catholique religion that his Iudges found he had a desire and dutie to returne beeing â—â—beloued of all the Catholiques and particularly of Father Bonnet Palmeo a Iesuit of great reputation amongst his owne brother hood After wards he tooke a concâ—t to do such an act as be once did that in old time burned the Temple of Diana at Ephesus that so hee might be spoken of for it Hee plotted to kill the Queene his naturall Ladie and Soueraigne by the same meanes to set fire on and in the foâ—â—e corners and quarters of England making thys the ground vvorke of his practise and enterprise and that as well to deliuer his Countrie from tyrannie and oppression as to aduaunce to the Crowne Marie the Queene of Scots vvho vvas a Catholick Princesse â—erest of the bloud to succeed An oponion and conceit that came from his owne instinct and motion without acquainting the Scottish Queene any whit at all before his departure as hee afterwards confessed when hee was in person But because this enterprise and attempt was verie hawtie and that he vndertooke it with a great blow to his conscience before God he conferred hereof with Palmiâ— the Iesuit who according to the ordinarie Maxim and principle of that Sect did not onely
Copie of his triall and who by posts sent it with speed by commaundement of the King to make it manifestly knowen through all this Realme and lastly being drawen forth he made me partaker of a Copie thereof which I haue kept vnto my selfe and thus it is The King hauing made peace with God and truce with those that were his enemies tooke his progresse from the cittie of S. Denys to come to Fountane-bleau and as he entred Melun hee was aduertised by Lodowic Brancaleon an Italian Gentleman vnto him vnknown that a souldier departed purposely from Lyons to kill him He told the King that he had not onely seene the partie but that he had drunke twice with him in the Iacobins Couent And besides he said that this man was of a tall stature mightie and strong of his ioynts his beard was of an abrun cullour hee had on a Spanish leather Ierkin and a paire of Oringe-tawney culloured stockings vppon his leggs The King not easily astomshed yet full of prudence sent for Lugoly beeing then Lieftenant general of the long gownes in the Prouostie of the Altar To whom when he had recited that which he had vnderstood commaunded him to make a priuie search through the Cittie for this man who had beene thus set forth and thus described vnto him The same day the reporter saw this fellow whom he looked for in the Kings house but as hee was in the midst of many people so lost hee the sight of him vnwares as God would to the end the partie should be remitted vntill the next day Which Traytor hauing lodged in a Hamlet a part of the ruinated suburbs of S. Liene as hee would haue entred the Cittie by S. Iobs gate he was taken vpon presumption of the fore-saide marks This was the 27. of August 1593. Lugoly caused him to be put in prison where hee examined him and finding him some what variable caused yrons to be put on his hands and feet as the importance of the matter did require Presently after his departure Anna Rousse the Iaylors wife asked the prisoner what he would haue to dinner He answered her that he would neither eate nor drink vnlesse that hee might haue poyson brought him This aunswere being well noted of the assistants caused him more to be suspected and his actions more narrowly to be looked into Amongst the rest there was a Priest prisoner called Maister Peter the Ermite who according to the loosenes of the time became a souldier determined for the League Barriere hauing learned of him that they were both of one Societie acquainted himselfe with him So after some conference the priest enquired of him if he had not a knife the other thinking to haue met with his mate aunswered him yea and at that instant time drewe foorth from his hose a knife whereof the making was thus the blade thereof very strong about two ynches neer vnto the handle hauing a backe as other kniues haue and the rest of the knife being fiue ynches long diâ—â—cut on both sides like a two edged sword the poynt was made in manner of a Barly corne or poynard the knife of a right murtherer as one who would not fayle of his stroake The Priest in a smiling manner told him it was a fit knife to payre nayles but if it were seene it would be his death Barriere now requested him to lay it vp for him the which the other did promise him But at the same instant he sent for Lugoly vnto whom he discoursed what had hapned betweeene them and deliuering the knife into his hands Lugoly informed and examined the Iailors wife touching the poyson the Priest touching the knife and the Italian Gentleman of that which had past at Lyons the 28. of August The prisoner being diuers times examined you shall vnderstand that in all his examinations hee named himselfe Peter Barriere alias La Barre borne at Orleans by his first trade a Basket-maker and since that inticed by one Captaine De la Cour being in a Ladies seruice whom he forsook became a souldier of the coÌ„pany of the Lord of Albigny the space of one whole yeere making warres for the League vntil he was taken by the Lord De la Guest Gouernour of Issoire where he remayned some certayne daies And from the time that he serued this great Lady he had purposed to kill the king eyther with knife or pistoll in the midst of his Guards By which act he thought to haue made a great sacrifice to God in killing a King of a contrarie religion to his owne Vpon which motion being sent backe againe by the Lord De la Guest he intended to passe by Lyons where he would inquire of some religious if he might iustly kill the King being conuerted to our religion to whom was aunswered no. And beeing constrained in the same place to sell his cloake and a paire of silke slockings to get him victuals from Lyons he passed by Burgonie then to Paris and in the ende arriued at Melun where hee had lien in a barne neere Saint Liens Church Neere which place a little before he had receiued the blessed Sacrament at Bricontre-robert vpon a working day and that he was come to the kings Court to seeke a master And that if he were put to death those of his confederacie would find themselues grieued He said also that the knife had cost him 18. pence in Paris and that he bought it to no other purpose but to vse at the Table The next day being the 29. he was examined the 4. time vpon the same articles and amongst other points whereof he was examined he affirmed that being at Lions he might haue had the Liuetenantship of the Marques of S. Surlin or vnder him the leading of a company of light-horsemen if he had beene willing Then Lugoly pressed him and asked him why he held for the League and parting thence came to seeke seruice in the kings Court At these words he remayned dumbe for a time and at last said that he had aunswered alreadie as the truth was Foure witnesses were examined against him Brancaleon who gaue information of Barriers counsel takeÌ„ at Lyons to slay the King who had kept nothing hid from the Commissioners that he knew the Iaylors wife examined of the poyson Maister Peter the Ermite concerning the knife and Maister Thomas Bowcher the Curate of Bricontre-robert being called for declared to haue confessed him eight daies before and the next day after communicated with him and further that he had told him how he had confessed himselfe 4. daies before in the Citie of S. Dennis but not a word of any thing concerning his attempt against the king All these witnesses who of him were imbraced as coadiutors and councellers are not onely not reproued but withall they attest their depositions to containe the verie truth of all they knew Brancaleon excepted who affirming that he had communed with him of this enterprise against the King acknowledged therewith
moribus ipsamque tanquam scandalosam ad fraudes deceptiones mendacia proditiones periuria vias dantem reprobat condemnat Which is to say This holy Councell chiefly desiring as it is bound therfore assembled to prouide for the rooting out of errors heresies which now begin to spread abroad in diuers parts of the world hath lately beene enformed that some divulge opinions erronious in faith against good manners and verie scandalous tending to the subuersion of the whole State and order in States among which this assertion passeth for currant Euery Tyrant may and ought lawfully and meritoriously to be killed by any his Vassal subiect euen by ambushments or flatteries or faire allurements notwithstanding any oath passed vnto him or League made with him and without attending the sentence or commaund of any Iudge whatsoeuer Which this holy Counsel endeauouring to resist and wholly to root out decrees ordaines and iudgeth to be erronious both in matters of faith and manners and reprooues and condemnes it as a point most scandalous opening the way vnto all manner of guiles deceits lies treasons and periuries An ordinance which I respect and reuerence not only because it was enacted in that great counsel of Constance wherby the abuses of the Church and heresie were rooted vp but in that it was deriued from our Fraunce Gerson being the first and principall Solicitor against the new Diuines who then had intertained this opinion which since that time our Iesuits haue reuiued in the death of good king Heny whom they called a Tyrant had done the like to our great King now liuing if God by his holy grace had not preserued him But because the Iesuits would seem to deny their Peter Mathew as not being of their Sect what say they to father Emanuel Sa terming himselfe a Doctor of Diuinitie and of their Societie who by two artcles in his Aphorismes of confession hath maintained that it is lawfull for subiects to kill the Tyrant and to expell a misbeleeuing Prince out of his Realme as if the people could or should giue lawes vnto their King whom God hath giuen them to be their soueraigne Magistrate I am ashamed that I must prooue no subiect ought to attatch his Prince what part soeuer he doth play but hauing vndertaken to combate an heresy which Iesuits haue practized by deeds now would faine go from it in words I purpose to giue thē a fulsome gorge therof Learne therefore of me this lesson Iesuit for I owe this duty to al Christians we ought to obey our kings whatsoeuer they be I will say good or badde this is that the wise man teacheth vs in his Prouerbs S. Peter in his Epistles S. Paule vnto the Romans to Titus to Timothie the Prophet Baruch speaking of Nabuchodonozer whō God of all other Princes had made to fall into a reprobate sense the goodly example of Dauid persecuted by Saul Such Kings as God bestoweth on vs such are we to receiue without examining as thou dost whither they be Kings or Tyrants The hearts of Kings are in the hands of God they execute his iustice euen as it pleaseth him to punish vs or more or lesse whereto we are not to oppose our selues but by our humble praiers vnto him if we deale otherwise we resemble those ouerweening Giants described by ancient Poets who offring to skale the heauens there to sit cheek by iowle with Gods were in a moment tumbled down to hel by their god Iupiter Yet ought not a King abuse his power but know he is a father not to prouoke his subiects his children vpō euery sleight occasion for if he do God the father of Fathers king of Kings wil when he least thinks of it dart his vengeance against him with a most dreadful horrible arme To conclude seeing that thou Iesuit yeeldest a blind obediēce to thy superiors who are but thy adopted Lords thou owest it in greater measure a hundred-fold vnto thy King thy true lawfull naturall Lord father Therfore art thou a most dangerous yonker to propose vnto vs in thy writings this distinction of a King Tyrant not that I know not the great difference which is betweene the one the other but we are to blindfold our eyes vnder their obedience otherwise we shroud a rebellion of subiects against their Prince Rebellion which produceth much more euell then the tyrannie whereunto we were subiect CHAP. 10. ¶ A memorable act of Ignace whereupon the Iesuits haue learnt to kill or cause to be killed all such as stand not to their opinions THere remained in the confines of Spain certaine dregs of the Marranes whom king Ferdinand had chased out of that realme therfore got the title of Catholique a surname wherwith his successors haue since adornd themselues One of these rascals mounted on a Mule accoasted Ignace on the high way somwhat after he had changed his former life haning told one another to what place they were bent they entred into sundry discourses at length fell into talke of the blessed Virgin Mary whom the Moore acknowledged for a true Virgin before her Conception but not after grounding his opiniō on natural reasons the which haue no affinity with our faith Ignace vrged the contrary with good deuotion that she was a Virgin both before at and after her deliuery searched euery corner of his braine to make it good But being then a simple nouice if you wil needs know it but an a. b. c. man in points of religiō it was not for him to manage so high misteries so that supplying the want of arguments wherof he had none left with a iust choller the Moore who laughed at him in his mind spurring his Mule and giuing him a ful carriere left Ignace all alone who chafing that he was not able to get the victory at the blunt of the tongue went yet to win it at the sharp with the sword and so resolued to pursue him amaine presently to kil him Notwithstanding like a man of a good conscience he found himselfe extreamly perplexed For on the one side it vexed him to see a monster fraught with impiety and blasphemie goe vpon the ground on the other he weighed his owne feare of offending the Virgin in sted of defending her In this cōtention suspended between yea and no at length hee determined to take his Mules aduise Hee sawe the fellowe passe into a crosse way and knew whether it led wherefore in admirable wisdome he resolued not to slacken the reynes of his choller but to giue his beast the bridle on condition that if of her owne instinct she followed the tract of that Infidell along the crosse-way he would dispatch him without all remission but as God would haue it she chose another path by meanes whereof Ignacius suddenly appeased himselfe supposing the matter happened to his Mule by diuine inspiration God sometimes giues aduise vnto false Prophets by their beasts as we
may seeme to be an enemie of some value yet so it is that by Gods secret iudgement it is more for our profit to haue him our enemie then our friend I will prooue it by fiue or sixe notable examples They went about to make alteration in the State of England and to that end bent all their strength what followed of that their enterprise the ruine of a number of poore Catholiques misse-led by them which before time liued at ease in their owne houses the death of the Scottish Queene the establishing of the Queene of England for a long time both in her Religiō estate I come next vnto Scotland as being next in place to England where Father William Crichton and Iames Gourdon both Scots by birth had their residence Crichton tooke a conceit vpon some discontentment to depart the land he takes his course directly into Spayne by the licence and permission of his Generall Whether he is no sooner come but he practiseth to insinuate himselfe into the Kings fauour and to that effect drawes a tree of the descent and petigree of the Infanta his daughter shewing therein that the Crownes of England and Scotland did by right appertain vnto her and to incite him the rather to take armes against the Scottish King he scattred abroad diffamatorie libels against him Whereunto the King of Spayne giuing no eare Crichton determined with himselfe by letters to sollicite the Catholick nobility of Scotland to the same purpose and to that end wrote letters in the yeere 1592. to Gourdon and other Iesuits remayning in Scotland whereby he gaue them to vnderstand in what grace he was with the King who by his incitement was resolued aswell for the inuasion of England as for the restoring of the ancient religion in Scotland But this mightie Prince desired to haue assurance before hand from the Catholique Lords of their good affection towards him from whom he willed them to procure blanks readie signed to be supplied afterwards by himselfe with deputations in their names which being obtained he had the Kings promise for two hundred and fiftie thousand crownes which should be sent ouer to be distributed amongst them The Iesuits of Scotland vpon this aduertisement drew many blanks from diuers persons which they deliuered to George Ker to carrie who being discouered by the folly and indiscretion of Robert Albercromi a Iesuit was apprehended with his letters and blanks and the Scottish King supposing this aduertisement giuen by Crichton to be true indeed caused the Baron of Fentree a Gentleman endued with many good parts to be beheaded The like had hapned to the Earle of Anguis the chiefe Earle of that country if he had not cunningly escaped out of prison After in continuance of the troubles his Castles were ruinated as also the Earle of Huntlies a man of the greatest power of them all the Earle of Arrols the Constable of Scotland All which since that time haue made profession of the pretended reformed religion as wel to returne into fauor with the king as to liue within their owne countrey in securitie of their goods persons Insomuch as in conclusion Scotland hath lost that small remainder of our Catholique Religion in the yeere 1596. The like fell out as well in the Realme of Portugall as of Arragon I will first speake of Portugall To say that the Iesuits procured the death of King Sebastian as some in their writings haue charged them is hard to beleeue for as Montaignes hath very well declared they were too highly in his fauour But marke the proceedings among all the nations of Spaine there is none so superstitious as the Portugall and of all the kings of Portugall there was neuer any more superstitious then Sebastian The Iesuits being cunning and subtle headed thought this to be a fit soyle for them to plant their vineyard in And to win the more credit they caused themselues at their first comming to be called not Iesuits but Apostles putting themselues in rank with those that followed our Sauiour Christ in person A title thich they hold as yet in that place as being generally assented to The kingdome being fallen to Sebastian these holy Apostles conceiued a hope that by his means it might descend vnto their family dealt with him many times that no man might from thence forward be capable of the Crown of Portugal except he were a Iesuit chosen by their Society as at Rome the Pope is by the Colledge of Cardinals And for as much as he although as superstitious as superstition it selfe could not or rather durst not condescend thereunto they perswaded him that God had appointed in should be so as himselfe should vnderstand by a voice from heauen neere the Sea side Insomuch as this poore Prince thus caried away resorted to the place two or three seuerall times but they could not play their parts so well as to make him heare this voice They had not as yet got into their cōpany their impostor Iustinian who in Rome fained himselfe to be infected with a leaprosie These Iesuits seeing thy could not that way attaine to the marke they shot at yet would they not so leaue it This King being in heart a Iesuit determined to lead a single life Therefore to bring themselues into neerer employment about him they councelled him to vndertake a iourny for the conquest of the kingdom of Fesse where he was slaine in a pitcht field losing both his life and his kingdome together This then is the fruite which King Sebastian reapt by giuing credit to the Iesuits And this which I haue here discoursed vnto you I had frō the late Marques of Pisani an earnest Catholick who was then Embassador for the king of France in the Spanish kings Court I omit all that hath since passed in that Realme as being impertinent to my discourse I come vnto that which hath since hapned within the Realme of Arragon wherein you shall see the like accidents by the indiscreet dooing of the Iesuits The people of Arragon had in their foundation from all antiquitie verie great priuiledges against the absolute power of their kings and the oath of fealty which they tendered their King at his Coronation ranne thus Nos qui valemos tanto come vos y podemos mas que vos vos elegemos Rëy con estas y estas conditiones intra vos y nos que el á vn que manda mas que vos That is We that are as great in dignitie as you and of greater power then you doe elect you our King with this and this condition between you and vs that there shal be one amongst vs who shall commaund aboue you And vnder that they specified all their priuiledges which the King promised by oath to obserue most exactly These liberties hauing beene infringed in the person of Antonio de Peréz their countriman and Secretary of Estate to the late King of Spayne he escaping out of prison wherein he had beene
controuersies which they would haue referred to him at what time he distinguisht the power of God from the power of the Romane Emperour saying That wee must yeeld vnto God that which belonged vnto God and vnto Caesar that which was due vnto Caesar And being demaunded of Pilate whether he were a king or no he made him aunswere that his kingdome was not of this inferiour world The second was the time of his glorie whereunto all those excellent sayings of the prophet Dauid are to be referred as when he said that the earth was the Lords Aske of mee and I will giue thee nations and heritages and they shall be vnto thee for a possession vnto the vttermost bounds of the earth And in another place that hee was Lorde of Lordes and King of Kings Let vs not falsifie the holie Scripture For the more you ambitious Iesuits apply out of it to the Pope to authorise not his greatnes but your owne the more you take from him At what time did Christ assigne Saint Peter to be his Vicar Surely while hee was yet on earth and at the poynt to finish his pilgrimage that he might represent his person heere below in his estate of humilitie and so gaue him the keyes of heauen not of earth to signifie vnto vs that he gaue him the charge of spirituall matters without mingling there-withall temporall busines And certainly our auncient Popes were very ignoraunt if giuing them-selues the title of Seruus seruorum they meant to represent Iesus Christ as hee is in the fulnesse of his glorie and after hee ascended into heauen to sit on the right hand of GOD his Father In like manner was it an heresie in Luther to teach his folowers that the Pope was wrongfully termed head of the church Vicar general to Iesus Christ no lesse heresie was it in Ignacius when to oppose Luther hee affirmed that the Pope was Christs Vicar not onely in his estate of humility but euē in his estate of glory likewise Hee then is a true Catholique liegeman to the Pope who doth acknowledge and approue his authoritie according to the originall institution thereof without any augmentations or additions from men Iesuit I now come vnto thee let vs weigh how ful of danger this position of thine is Our Kings know best what is expedient for the maintenance preseruation of their estate and like skilful Pilots are faine somtimes to strike sayle in a tempest This course the Pope being carried away with other respects will not like of will perhaps summō our kings to cōform their proceedings to his mind After some two or three admonitiōs if they obey not he wil proceed to censure thē consequētly to make a diuorce between them their subiects or if not so to interdite the Realm expose it for a pray to any Prince that shal be first able to possesse himselfe of it Good God! into what a confusion dost thou bring our State Iesuit learne this lesson of me for I wil not suffer either our countrimē to be infected with thy poysonous propositions or straungers that shal read this booke of thine to conceiue that the Maiestie of our kings is by thy comming any whit empayred First we maintayne and vphold it for an article inuiolable in Fraunce that the Pope hath no authority to be liberal of our Realme for any mans aduantage whatsoeuer what fault soeuer our king shall be found culpable of none excepted The Pope hath no power but what is giuen him by commission from God he is neither that Samuel nor that Iehoiada who were commaunded by God to doe what they did vnder the olde law for vnder the new which we call the new Testament there is no mention of any such matter The Pope cannot by the power of his spirituall sword controule the temporall I say not therefore that any king of Fraunce should forget himselfe eyther in the Catholique Religion or in the gouernment of his subiects to whom he ought to be a second father for if he doe let him be assured that God will sooner or later forget him and auenge himselfe by some meanes vnexpected and vnthought of but that we are to seeke this redresse at Rome I flatly denie For this first position I hold it to be cleere that which now I will deliuer may seeme more questionable We hold it for another article firme and indubitable in this Realme of Fraunce that our kings are not subiect to the Popes excommunication A thing which we haue receiued from all antiquitie I remember I haue read that Lothaire king of Austracia deceasing left Lewes his brother who was Emperour and King of Italy to be his successor King Charles the Bald vncle to them both seazed on it by right of occupation as lying fit for his hand Lewes had recourse to Pope Adrian who vndertooke the quarrel for him and summoned Charles to do his nephew right vpon payne of excommunication but Charles would giue no eare to him By reason wherof the Pope went on to interpose his censures with bitter curses and comminations and knowing the high authoritie which rested in Hingmare Archbishoppe of Reims he enioyned him not to admit the king to communicate with him vpon paine himselfe to be depriued of his Holinesse his communion There was neuer Popes Iniunction more iust holy then this For what colour could there be for an vncle to intercept his nephewes right in succeeding his owne brother Yet neuer was I niunction worse entertayned then this For Hiagmare after he had imparted the letters Apostolical to diuers Prelats and Barons of France to be aduised by them how to carry himselfe in the matter he wrote backe to Pope Adrian what he had drawn and collected out of their aunsweres namely that all of them were much offended agreeued with that his Decree alledging that the like proceedings had not beene seene no not when the kings were Heretiques Scismatiques or Tyrants and maintayning that kingdomes were purchased by the edge of the sword and not by the excommunications or censures of the Sea Apostolique or of Prelates And when I vrge them said Hingmare with the authoritie which was delegate by our Sauiour to Saint Peter and from him deriued by succession to the Popes of Rome they aunswere me Petite Dominum Apostolicum vt quia Rex Episcopus simul esse non potest Et sui antecessores Ecclesiasticum ordinem quod suum est non Rempublicam quod regum est disposuerunt Non praecipiat nobis habere regem qui nos in sic longinquis partibus adiuuare non possit contra subitaneos frequentes Paganorum impetus nos Francos iubeat seruire cui nolumus seruire Qua istud iugū sui antecessores nostris antecessoribus non imposuerūt Quia scriptum in sanctis libris audimus vt pro libertate haereditate nostra vsque ad mortem certare debeamus That is Tell our Apostolicall Lord that he
Paris Doctores Sorbonici quorum magna pars discipuli nostri fuere The Doctours of the Sorbone a great part whereof haue beene our Schollers And by your Pleas It is certaine that for those fewe yeeres a great part of the Bachelers of Diuinitie the better sort of them haue spent the course of their studies in our Colledge Which caused mee somewhat to suspect that thys conclusion had been before handled frō time to time in your Lectures I read in the same Letter that notwithstanding you were inhibited by Gregorie the 13. to come at any Processions yet as soone as the Reuolt was concluded on one of your Societie to stirre the people against theyr King assembled three or foure thousand boyes which he led in procession all ouer the cittie with a rabble of all sorts of people at their heeles I read in another place that about that verie time you instituted in Lyons the Brotherhood of our Lady and in Burges of the Paenitents vnder the name of Ieronomitans not to appease the wrath of GOD but to prouoke it against the late King And as I was turning ouer your Letters there commeth in Father Iames Commolet whom I name with al due title of honor who with teares standing in his eyes as one that at al times hath teares at commaundement confessed vnto me that the day following this determination of the Sorbone hee in a Sermon made at the Church of Saint Meri publiquely preached that the whole Sorbone was resolued to take Armes against the King if any should oppose themselues to withstand it they ought not to thinke it strange in asmuch as in that number which followed our Sauiour the most perfit societie that euer was there was one Iudas found And that thereuppon the people ranne head-long to Armes Wherein hee ingeniously confessed his fault in concealing from the people that this Resolution vvas referred to the pleasure and arbitrement of the holie Sea Furthermore that the 15. of the same Month certaine of the chiefe and principall Iudges of the Court of Parliament beeing committed prysoners to the Bastille he went to visite and comfort them and for theyr consolation preached nothing else but of the tyrannie of King Henrie the third thereby to stirre and excite them to rebelliou that he who had been their king should be so no longer Moreouer that as long as the Troubles endured hee was a Trumpet in all Churches to rend and deface the reputation as well of the late King as of him that nowe raigneth but that this was vsuall with all Preachers and therefore the more excusable in him Which Montaignes did not denie excusing it by the heate and choller vvhich is incident to Preachers when they are in the Pulpit With that a troublesome fellow whispering mee in the care bad me looke to my selfe For saith he that which he termes choler he would say it were the holie Spirit if he durst I told him hee was a busie companion and bad him hold his tongue if hee could All thys did Commolet cōfesse he had done in Paris but Father Bernard Ronillet proceeded on further acknowledged that by his packing and preaching hee had vvithdrawne the cittie of Bourges from the obedience of the King But aboue all the Confession of Father Alexander Hayes did most satisfie me who entertained me with these words Right honourable Pasquill seeing you charge and coniure me in the name of God and in vertue of the Apostolicall censures I will deliuer my whole knovvledge as well concerning the proceedings of our Colledge at Paris as mine owne particuler actions in thys busines As touching the generall I must confesse to you that vppon the first breaking out of the Troubles wee presently instituted within our Colledge of Paris a Brotherhoode which we named a Congregation in the honour of our Lady beeing for that cause called the Congregation of the Chappelet because the Brethren of that Companie were bound to carry a Chappelet or payre of Beades and to say it ouer once a day Into this Congregation did all the zealous and deuout personages of our holy League cause themselues to be enrolled the Lord Mendoza Embassadour for the Catholick King of Spayne the Sixteene Gouernours of Paris with their whole families and diuers other holy religious persons whereof I haue kept no register neither was it any part of my charge Our Congregation was kept euery Sonday in a certaine high Chappell where all the brotherhood vvas bound to be present if there were no necessarie cause of let or impediment There were we all seuerally confessed on the Saturdayes and on Sonday wee receiued the Sacrament When Masse was done one of our Fathers went into the Pulpet and there exhorted all the Audience to continue stedfast in their holy deuotion which at this day is in Fraunce called Rebellion sith it pleaseth the Magistrats to haue it so I cannot be against it This done all the common sort departed and those of greatest place and authoritie stayed behind to consult about the affayres of the holy League Our good Father Odon Pigenat vvas long time President of that Counsell And this briefely in the summe of what I am able to deliuer as touching the generall proceedings of the whole Colledge As concering my selfe in particular you must vnderstand that those that know mee call me Father Alexander Hayes the Scot who during the troubles was Regent of the first Forme of our Colledge for the space of 3. or 4. yeeres Not to recapitulate the whole but some of the principall and most notable acts of my historie which may peraduenture giue light to the residue I read to mine Auditours Demosthenes his Inuectiues against Phillip king of Macedonia where in I some-what suited with our good Father Commolet for as hee wrested to his purpose all the texts of Scripture against the n = * A by-name which the leaguers gaue the king that now is for that he was borne in Biarne Biarnois giue me leaue to vse that terme before your Highnes which was then currant in Paris so did I play by the Philippica which to say truth were not Lectures but despightful railings against him which I amplified accordingly as I was caried by a violent kind of deuotition which I was neuer able to bridle or restraine For it was an ordinary braunch of my Lectures that he were a happy man whosoeuer could kill him if he fortuned to die in the execution of so blessed an enterprise hee should goe directly into Paradise and though his soule were stained with some veniall sinnes yet should it be exempted from the paines of Purgatory And if God should so much afflict the citie of Paris as that the Biarnois should enter passe through S. Iames his gate I made open protestation that I would leape downe vpon him frō the highest window in our Colledge being assuredly perswaded that this fall would serue me for a ladder to clime vp into heauen That
King He aunswered that he had heard in many places that it was to be held for a most true principle that it was lawfull to kill the King and that those who said so called him Tyrant Being demaunded whether that argument of killing the King was not ordinarie with the Iesuits Hee aunswered that hee had heard them say that it was lawfull to kill the King and that he was out of the Church and that they ought not to obey him or hold him for theyr King vntil such time as he was absolued by the Pope Againe beeing demaunded in the great Chamber my Lords the Presidents and Counsellours therof and of the Tournel being assembled he made the same aunswers and did in especiall propound maintaine that Maxime that it was lawfull to kill princes by name the king that now raigneth who was not in the church as he said because he had not the Popes approbation The truth is this poore seduced fellow doth not particularly designe or note any of your Societie to haue taught him this damnable lesson yet doth hee not spare the whole bodie of your Order And musing somwhat thereat this controller of your actions that stood neere vnto me told me it was a thing not to be wondred at because the Iesuits lesson when they would procure any prince to be murdered consisted of two braunches the first was to giue an assured promise of Paradise to whomsoeer could atchiue this high peece of seruice that they should not spare to kill him though hee were in a Church in the midst of diuine seruice The second that if the partie that should attempt this were intercepted and deliuered into the hands of the Magistrate to be made an example he ought aboue all things to beware of discouering or reuealing theyr names by whoÌ„ hee vvas set on worke vppon paine of eternall damnation certainly in Barrieres processe it appeared that these instructions had beene giuen him albeit not hauing beene bred vp in the schooles of the Iesuits as Chastell was hee did not obserue them before his Iudges After I had examined this processe I lookt vpon the triall of Robert Bruce a Scottish gentleman who was appeacht and accused by Father William Crichton a Iesuite because he would not procure Metellinus Chauncellor to the King of Scots to be murdered I enquired from whence all these tricks of Matchiauelisme Anabaptisme might arise Whereupon they shewed mee your Constitutions which enioyne you a blinded obdience to your Superiours and with as constant resolution to follow their commaundements as if they had issued out of the mouth of our Sauiour Christ And therwithall they bring me The Aphorismes of confession made by your Emanuell Sa a booke composed by the Principall of the Seminarie at Reims wherein they maintaine that in certaine cases it is lawfull for the subiect to kill the King But aboue all Father Iohn Guignard his Booke one of your Priests wherein he laboureth to prooue as well that the late King Henry the third was iustly slaine as also that hee who now raigneth ought to be serued in the same manner The wordes of his booke are these That cruell Nero was slaine by one Clament and that counterfet Munke was dispatched by the hand of a true Munk. This heroicall act performed by Iames Clement as a gift of the holie Spirit so termed by our Diuines is worthilie commended by the Priour of the Iacobins Burgoin a Confessor and Martyr The Crowne of Fraunce may and ought to be transferred froÌ„ the house of Bourbon vnto some other And the Biarnois although conuerted to the Catholick fayth shal be more mildly dealt withall then he deserues if rewarded with a shauen crowne he be shut vp into some strict Couent there to doe penance for the mischiefes which he hath brought vppon the Realme of Fraunce and to thanke GOD that he hath giuen him grace to acknowledge him before his death And if without Armes he cannot be deposed let men take Armes against him if by war it cannot be accomplisht let him be murthered These are the scandalous and if I durst so call them the blasphemous words of a booke sprinckled with an infinite number of others In conclusion I read with all diligence your Petition made to the King full of pretie flourishes whereby you condemne all those attempts as forbidden by all lawes both of God and man While I was beating my braines about these euidences meaning to rest vpon the Sentence of the Parliament of Paris pronounced as well against Chastell as against the whole Societie one of the companie said vnto me Remember that notwithstanding this Sentence the prints of rebellion remaine still in their harts And to prooue that this is so you shall see Montaignes a Iesuit extoll Iames Commolet Claudius Mathew Hanniball Coldrettâ— Bernard Rouiliet Ambrose Varade And after Montaignes you shall see his Ape La Fon increase that number by many more which are notoriously knowne to haue proceeded Doctours in the profession of murder and rebellion You shall see the booke of miracles composed by Richeome their Generall of Aquitania wherein amongst other things hee saith that our Ladie of Buy wrought many miracles during the troubles to preserue the Cittie against her enemies that is against the King for this Citty was of the contrary partie But as for the miracles that S. Geneâ—iefue shewed for the King hee is not too hastie to recount them Yet were they most euident in three cases The first wheÌ„ the League being to set forward towards Diepe this Saints shrine was taken downe to carrie in solemne procession the second was when the Chenalier d' Aumalle the night of this Saints feast attempted to surprise the Towne of Saint Denys the third when the said shrine was againe taken downe in March anno 1594 and generall procession made for the withstanding of the Kings forces Notwithstanding all these vowes prayers and purposes turned to the coÌ„fusion of his enemies For about Diepe he obtained a famous victorie beyond all hope or expectation The Chenalier d' Aumalle was slaine within the cittie of Saint Denys vvhen hee thought himselfe Maister of it and all his Companie put to flight And in conclusion Paris yeelded vp to the King within two or three dayes after the taking downe of the said shrine S. Geneâ—iefue is the holy Patronesse of Paris The Cittie of Paris did in right appertaine to the king and was therefore by her miraculously preserued in the preuenting of these three chaunces These miracles this worthie reporter Richeâ—me is far enough from mentioning hee makes a conscience of that seeing it is in fauour of the King Furthermore read Montaignes who maintaineth that the Pope may translate kingdoms from one to another in his booke De la veritè Defenduâ— A plausible and true position in this Cittie of Rome but scandalous in Fraunce and subiect to corporall punishment These three bookes were printed since the Sentence of the Court of Parliament
not haue beene auoyded but their Generall the Prouincialls of their Order and the Priors of their Monasteries must haue beene of the conspiracie or at the least some part of them A clause which would not haue beene forgotten in the Decree that Pope Pius the fift the holy Consistorie of Rome sent out hauing so great intention finallie to suppresse them And this is the reason the Iesuits haue layed this condemnation most falsely vppon all the Order who had in Chapter as they say conspired against Borrhomeo Let vs acknowledge a truth like the children of Christ and not like the disciples of Ignacius This Order vvas growne very infamous by reason of their incontinency and licentious life the which the good Cardinall Borrhomaeo would haue helpt if it had beene possible This was I must confesse a fault and that verie foule and scandalous yet for this it is like they should not haue beene suppressed It is a vice whereunto naturally wee are prone Insomuch that hee who would suppresse all houses of Religion where this vice aboundeth especially those which are seated in places farre from resort wee may say with Tacitus Vt antea vitijs ita tum demuÌ„ legibus laboraremus And there might be peraduenture more scandale in suppressing then in winking at theyr vices How then What caused the suppression It vvas GODS will that vnexpectedly Lignana Pryor of Versellis and some others angry with this new reformation conspired against Borrhomaeo as it is expressed in the Bull. And this ryot was the cause of the suppression and this is the cause the Bull dooth recount theyr disorders in generall but specially theyr attempt against Borrhomaeo The which is set downe verie particularlie and not the incontinencies which La Fon reciteth VVhat is there in this storie but will fit the Iesuits as well as if it were made for them They are notorious throughout the world for the troubles raised by them in Fraunce And as manifest it is that they practised and bargained with a stranger to bring in a newe King into this kingdome The detestable fact of Barriere The howlings of Commolet to the people to kill the King euen in the time of the truce The people vvith one mouth from the youngest to the most aged cried vengeance on them so soone as the King reentred Paris The cause was pleaded in the name of the Vniuersitie and as it falleth out oftentimes that in matter of iudgement where the cause is of consequence while we feare to be negligent wee growe ouer-curious so heere the cause was referred to counsaill GOD would so haue it that Chastell a disciple of the Iesuits poysoned vvith theyr damnable positions wounded the King with a knife and beeing taken hee maintained in the open face of iustice that hee might doe it lawfully The haynousnes of thys fact aggrauated with other circumstances gaue occasion of the pronouncing the processe against the whole Order Nowe I pray you tell mee if the same holie Ghost which wrought in the suppression of the Humiliati had not a stroke likewise in driuing the Iesuits out of Paris They are the same things the same proceedings vnder seuerall names Theyr difference is in these two poynts The one that the Humiliati in being too subiect to their pleasure sinned yet committed such a sinne as our corrupt nature teacheth vs but the Iesuits beeing the principall Authours of the troubles wherein two hundred thousand lost theyr liues haue sinned against GOD against nature For nature abhorres nothing more then death which is so cheape among the Iesuits to the losse of others The other difference is that the attempt of Lignana was but against a Cardinall whoÌ„ I acknowledge willingly to be one of the holiest men our age yeeldeth A Cardinall whom the Colledge would be loth to spare yet notwithstanding hee liues and liueth in as great reputation as euer hee did Whereas the attempt of Chastell endangered a King sole in his kingdome such a king as the world must yeeld to bee as valiant wise and curteous as anie before him and by whose death if the treason had sorted to effect wee were to expect nothing but horrour and confusion our olde inhabitants And yet they must be cherrished in some part of the kingdome But because some not remembring or not obseruing things past others not foreseeing lesse laboring to preuent dangers to come suffer themselues to be abused by them accounting them the Champions and protectors of the Catholick faith I wil make it manifest vnto you that their sect is as dangerous as Martin Luthers that there is nothing the Pope hath more to feare as preiudiciall to his authority and greatnes then their Generall what showes and protestations soeuer they make to the contrary notwithstanding CHAP. 24. ¶ That the Sect of the Iesuits is no lesse dangerous to our Church then the Lutherans THis position may seeme at the first sight Paradoxicall but it is true The distribution of the hierarchicall Order of our Church hath a proportion and correspondeÌ„cy with the humane body wherin the head coÌ„mandeth ouer the other members amongst the which there are certaine noble parts as the hart the liuer the lungs without which the bodie cannot consist So as hee who would take from the head to adde to the noble parts or diminish them to giue vnto the head disordering the proportion and correspondency which should bee betwixt the members hee should confound destroy the bodie So is it in our hierarchy the head of the Church is our holy father the Pope the noble parts vnder him are the Archbishops Bishoppes Cardinals Priors Abbots I will adde Princes Lords Vniuersities as for the rest of the people they represent the other members of the body Martin Luther was the first who durst traduce this head bringing in a form of Aristocratie into our Church making all the Bishops in their seueral dioceses equall to the Sea Apostolique There succeeded him Ignactius Loyhola some yeeres after who by a contrarie course defended the authoritie of the holy Sea but after such a fashion as hee no lesse endamaged our Church then theirs For pretending more zeale to the Sea and our holy Father then the rest and still intituling him to more predominant and new authoritie ouer the Ordinaries hee and his successiuely obtaynd from diuers Popes so many Priuiledges Indulgences and Graunts in disaduantage of the Prelats Monasteries and Vniuersities that suffering them to liue in the midst of vs you disfigure stain the face of the Catholique and Vniuersall Church RemeÌ„ber what the Iesuit said to you this other day you will find my words true The difference betwixt Luther and Ignace is that hee troubled our Church fighting against the head And this warring against the noble parts All extremitie is a vice vertue is â—â—â—ympiere betwixt both For mine owne part I beleeâ—â—â—hat the true Catholique Apostolick Roman faith is that which hath bin in vse euer
cannot at once be a King and a Prelate and that his predecessors ordered the Ecclesiastical State which belongeth vnto him and not the temporall which pertaines only to kings Let him not inioyne vs to receiue a King who remayning in a countrie so farre distant cannot ayde vs against the sodain oftē incursions of the Infidels Neither let him commaund vs who of our Franchise and Freedome beare the name of Franks to serue him whom we list not to serue which yoake his predecessors neuer imposed vppon our Auncestors And we finde it written in holy Scripture that we ought to fight to the death for our libertie and inheritance And a little after Propterea si Dominus Apostolicus vult pacem quaerere sic quaer at vt rixam non moueat That is Therefore if our Apostolicall Lord seeke after peace let him so seeke it as he be not an occasiō of war And in conclusiō Hingmare shuts vp his letter with these words Et vt mihi experimento videtur propter meam interdictionem vel propter lingue humanae gladium nisialiud obstiterit Rex noster vel eius Regni primores non dimittent vt quod coeperunt quaniū potuerint nō exequantur That is And as I find by proofe our King or the Peeres of his Realme are not minded eyther for my excommunication or the sword of mans tongue vnlesse some other matter come to stop them to desist from prosecuting what they haue begun By which letters you may vnderstand that the Pope tooke vpon him not onely to censure King Charles the Bald for his disobedience in so iust and rightfull a cause but to make himselfe Iudge also of Empyres and Kingdomes wherevnto neither the king nor his subiects would euer assent auouching that the Pope could not confound Religion with State and that they were resolued to withstand him whatsoeuer it cost them as being a new law which he meant to obtrude vpon the land to the preiudice of our kings It may be some honest meaning man will say How doth this hang together You allow the Pope all primacie and superioritie in spirituall causes and yet limite his general power in your owne king though he should runne astray out of the right way For in respect of temporall matters I grant it but as for this high point of spirituall authority all things make against that position Whom I aunswere thus We acknowledge in Fraunce that the Pope is supreame head of the Catholique and Vniuersall Church yet is it not therefore absurd or inconsequent that our Kings should be exempted from his censures We see that all auncient Monasteries are naturallie subiect to the iurisdiction of theyr Diocesans yet are many of them by speciall priuiledge exempted from the same Our auncient Kings haue beene the first protectors of the holy Sea as well against the tyrannie of the Emperous of Constantinople as against the incursions and inuasions of the Lombards which were dailie at the gates of Rome One king alone Pepin conquered the whole state or Herarchie of Rauenna which he freely gaue to the Pope deliuering their Cittie from the long siege which Astolpho king of the Lombards had held about it And Charlemaine the sonne of Pepin chased out of Lombardie Didier their king and his whole race making himselfe Maister as well of the Cittie of Rome as of all Italie where he was afterwards acknowledged and crowned Emperour of the West by Pope Leo whom he restored fully and wholly to his auncient libertie against the insolencie of the people of Rome who repined and mutined against him And at that time was it concluded that the Popes elect might not enter vpon the exercise or administration of theyr functions vntill they were first confirmed by him or his successors I am certainly perswaded that hee and his posterity were at that time freed and exempted from all censures and excommunications of the holy Sea And albeit we haue not the expresse Constitution to shew yet may it be extracted out of the Ordinaunces of the said Emperour recorded by Iuon Bishop of Chartres Si quos culpatores Regia potestas Epist 123. 195. aut in gratiam benignitatis receperit aut mensae suae participes fecerit hos sacerdotum populorum conuentus suscipere Ecclesiastica communione debebit vt quod principalis pietas recepit nec à Sacerdotibus Dei extraneum habeatur If the king shall receiue any sinner into the fauour of his clemencie or make him partaker of his owne table the whole companie of the Priests and people shall likewise receiue him into the cōmunion of the Church that that which the princes pietie hath admitted be not by the priests held as cast off or reiected If then the table or the fauour of our Kings did acquite and absolute the excommunicated person from the Ecclesiasticall censures wee may well say that our kings themselues were exempt from all excommunications Our kings had right to confirme the Popes after their elections a right which the Popes alledge to haue beene by them remitted then why should we be more enuied then they if the auncient Prelacie of Rome haue priuiledged our kings from all excommunications and censures whatsoeuer Sure I am that Pope Gregorie the fourth going about to infringe that prerogatiue to gratifie the sonnes of king Lewes the Milde the sonne of Charlemaine the good Bishops and Prelats of Fraunce sent him vvord that if he came in person to excommunicate their king himselfe should returne excommunicated to Rome A peremtorie speech I must confesse but it wrought so as the Pope to couer his packing pretended hee came into Fraunce for no other intent but to mediate a peace betweene the Father and the sonnes as indeede he did and had he stood vppon other termes hee would haue gone out of Fraunce greatly displeased So much doe wee embrace this priuiledge of our kings as wee dare affirme that it had his beginning eyther with the Crowne it selfe at what time Clouis became a Christian or at least in the second line within a while after our kings had taken in hand the defence protection of the Church of Rome for so doe we find it to haue beene obserued successiuely in Charlemaine Lewes the Milde his sonne and Charles the Balde his grand-child And since in the third line when our kings seemed some what to forget the right way and that it was requisite to extend the authoritie of the Church towards them the Pope or his Legates were fayne to ioyne the Clergie of Fraunce with them In briefe as long as all thinges were quiet and peaceable betweene the King and his subiects the censures of Rome were neuer receiued against our Kings In our auncient Records wee finde a Bull bearing date from Pope Boniface the eyght the tenor whereof is Vt nec Rex Franciae nec Regina nec liberi eorum ex communicart possint That neyther the King nor the Queene of Fraunce nor theyr