Althogh it might haue bene in some sence a speciall point of vncharitable pollicy for the Iesuits to haue reiected that friendly offer to haue brought vp 30. of our English youthes as at Rome because that probably many of those would haue bin Benedictines and haue frustrat the Iesuits hope of hauing al here for themselues without copartners yet was it no pollicie in thē to beate a Priest almost to death for but making the motion of receiuing one into the Benedictines order for that foule fact did openly bewray their vnmortified passionate humours pride ambition malice auarice and other shamefull vices too too bad to be spoken of but most of all to be in any religious person that with the worlds weapons they make their vaunt that they can conquer the world Therefore dare they attempt to bid battell liuing in the world to religious men liuing out of the world and still themselues be no worldlings Herein then consists the miserie which being discouered any man may reade the riddle plaine scil that for asmuch as the Benedictines had all or the most part of the Abbey lands in England bequeathe vnto their Monasteries by sundry deuout holy and vertuous Catholike men and women in times past liuing in this Realme and for that the Dominicanes haue the chaire of authoritie for reading in the schooles especially in Salamanca in Spaine which grieues these pure spirited soules at the very heart and what banding brawling and quarrelling they haue made with them about it were too long to recite and also to them belongs of due right the soueraigne authoritie of the sacred Inquisition and withall to be called Predicatores preachers where euer they go with an higher prerogatiue then euer any Iesuite could or I hope euer shall haue for it were daungerous and great pitie that euer such ambitious men should obtaine such ample priuiledges And lastly for that the Scotists Franciscanes especially the Obseruants haue also had sundrie Frieries here in England as also the Carthusians commonly called the Charterhouse Monkes haue had the like in some sort Therefore was there bona causa cur none of all these or any other religious order that had euer enioyed either house or land in Albions Ile should euer come there again or any other religious order that might liue without the Iesuits for their sakes But all of them as reprobates and of God forsaken must be banished hence and a statute made in that high Councell that none such should euer come within this land after it is conquered by Spaniards and Iesuits sicut placuit Iesuitis The second Act enacted or statute made in that high infernall Consistorie was concerning the Church and Abbey lands scil That forasmuch as there be an hundred Bishoprickes great and small in these three kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland with well nigh 20000. Parsonages and Vicariges and how many Monasteries Nunneries Frieries and other religious houses it is hard to tell the number Notwithstanding there was a booke brought into Paules Churchyard in written hand to be bound vp and sent God knowes where into Spaine as it may be thought because the partie that brought it was a sideman of the Iesuits the collection wherof as it was there reported stood the party in foure hundred pounds In which booke of a huge volume in a small hand there were set downe all the religious houses that euer haue bene in this Realme what land was giuen vnto them where it yet lyeth who gaue it how long since vpon what condition and prouiso when by whom how much and wherein altered diminished or increased and in whose possession it is at this present These with other circumstances and particulars being set downe no man can iudge otherwise but it was a worke fit for that Synodicall court to haue the perusing and censuring of it And there if any where is their nūber of religious houses like these to be found All which as also nothing else belonging either to the Ecclesiasticall or Monasticall state must be any longer in the hands of Bishops Abbots or other secular or religious persons as heretofore they were accustomed and incorporated vnto their seuerall orders But all must be vnder the holy society of Iesus presently vpon the establishing of the spiritual monarchy Which done their father General or Prouinciall must call out foure Iesuits two secular Priests who must be also demy Iesuites else all were naught These sixe Vicars I pray God not of hell for of heauen they are not they smell so ranckly of Cartwrights and Bruses pure synodall ministery like sixe Dutch Peeres of whom the Prophecies talke or so many mighty Lords shall haue the lands mannors Lordships parsonages monasteries and what soeuer else belonged to Church or cloister resigned ouer into their hands allowing to the Bishops Parsons and Vicars competent stipends pensions to liue vpon according as Bishops Suffragans Montseniors haue allowance in other Catholike countries or rather as the Turkes Bassaes Ianizaries vnder him are maintained And all this sicut placuit Iesuitis as the Romanes in their leagues were wont to write or rather iuxta decretum Medorum atque Persarum à quo prouocare non licet as king Darius sayd Liuery and seisen thus taken by these sixe Tribunes or popular Nobles all the rest must be imploied in pios vsus as father Generall of Rome shall thinke good The Colledges in both Vniuersities must be likewise in the power of these mortified creatures No Bishop nor Parson nor Vicar nor fellow of any Colledge must be so hardy as once to demand an account what is become of their reuenues lands and Lordships If they do this shall be the answer mirantur superiores c. or in plaine tearmes how dare you seeme to inquire how a Iesuite disposeth of any thing being peculiarly guided by the Spirit c. The third Statute was there made concerning the Lords temporall and other of the Nobility Gentry of this land And this Statute did consist of this point especially sci That euery Noble or Gentleman of special account and liuing such as to omit others Sir Robert Cicill Sir Iohn Fortescue Sir Iames Harington Sir Robert Dormer Sir Iohn Arundell now his sonne maister Iohn Arundell called great Arundell of Cornwall Sir Iohn Peter Sir Mathew Arundell of Warder his sonne and heire Sir Henry Constable Sir Iohn Sauage with sundry other Knights and Esquires all which were there limited by that blind prophane Parliament what retinue they should keepe when time came of inhauncing how much should be allowed them to spend yearely and what diet they should keepe at their tables The fourth Statute was there made concerning the common lawes of this land and that consisted of this one principall point that all the great charter of England must be burnt the manner of holding lands in see-simple free-taile franke Almaigne c. by Kings seruice soccage or villanage brought into villanie scoggerie and popularitie and in
attainment of euerlasting happinesse Whereupon the party hath time to consider with himselfe whether he wil be a Dominicane Benedictine Iesuit or what he list And yet thus far well But that time expired the holy father entreth into a new stratageme The sayd party exercised as is before expressed comming thus vnto his electioÌ„ hath peraduenture determined to be a Dominicane or to take some such other course as he himselfe hath thought of So as when the said holy father commeth vnto him if he find him bent to any other profession then to be a Iesuit he beginneth to cast many doubts and collecteth at his pleasure by something that he hath confessed vnto him that his said choice is not agreeing to such godly motions as the spirite of God wrought in him in the time of his exercise and therefore aduiseth him to consider with himselfe better of his choise that the same may be sutable to the said motions of the holy Ghost The conclusion is that the holy fathers by this meanes hauing sundry poore soules in their hands to worke them by turnes deuises and perswasions as they list neuer leaue or suffer them to be quiet vntill if it be possible they make choise to be of the society of Iesus if in all these practises with them they find them fit men for their turne Howbeit sometimes it commeth to passe that the said deuout fathers do meete with such persons as will rather chuse to be of some other order do what they can then to be Iesuits for that spiritus vbi vult spirat In which cases when their practises to win the parties for their learning strength of wit paretage other good parts more then ordinary do faile they desist from dealing with them by litle and litle so in the end giue them quite ouer meaning nothing lesse then by such their paines to increase the number of any other order of religious persons and leaue them to take what course they list But yet with this fruit of their exercises that they will neuer loue or endure them afterwards but raile on them and plague them so much as is possible Those they vndertake for their wealth and large possessions although such things be an hinderance from entring into any religious profession at all yet do the Iesuits so farre preuaile as for the most part they either allure them to be Ecclesiasticall Iesuits if they haue any tollerable gifts besides their riches and then all that they haue must be sold and the mony committed to the fathers discretioÌ„s or at least they draw theÌ„ to be lay brothers finding none other good stuffe in them In which case they get from them either all or most part of their riches and turne them either to be some of their officers or leaue them at large to be practisers for them in such matters as they thinke fit to employ them in abroad as to be soliciters for them and to stirre vp the peoples charitie to that societie not ceassing to perswade so many as they can to follow their example This was the effect of one M. Gilbert and M. Druries exercises vz. that they got from them all that euer they had and then employing them in maner aforesaid procured the Popes blessing for them for the better approuing vnto them their new calling as appeareth in the faculties granted to Fa. Parsons Campian Heywood c. about 20. yeares since The euent of which proceedings with the said Gentlemen was so apparant that diuerse greatly disliked of such exercises in somuch as some in iest would say such a one is Gilberted and such a one is Druried And others againe would say to the like effect they shall neuer Gilbert me nor Drurie me nor cousin me with such their holy sleights Another young Gentleman not long since entring into this exercise vnder a young Iesuit here in England was found by his meditations to haue lands yet vnsold amounting in value to a 100. markes a yeare whâ—â—h because it hindred his iourney to heauen he offering the same to the said yoâ—g Iesuit the good young father allowing well the offer said that if he should receiue the land her Maiestie would take it from him but quoth he sell it and then I am capable of the mony By which ghostly counsell the gentleman set his land to sale and was offered 900. pounds for it but the holy father insisting vpon a thousand the Gentleman died ere euer a Chapman could be gotten and so the good father lost all I could here recite many cousening parts plaid by sundrie of theÌ„ through the abuse of giuing this holy exercise but I will only enlarge my selfe with a few golden threedes of Fa. Iohn Gerrards web worke and weauing whoÌ„ as I haue often pitied in my heart by reason of a good disposition in nature which I euer taking him to be of haue sundry times hartily wished that he would forsake them and liue like a secular Priest so finding Vâ—â—gils Eclogue truly verified in him scil Torua leaena lupum sequitur lupâ—s ipse capellam Florentem cythisum sequitur lasciua capella c. Therefore to the end none that readeth these Quodlibets vnlesse they be wilfully blinded shall euer feare cousinage of him or his company hereafter and for that it shall well appeare he is not the man as but a simple man God wot whom fame reports him to be I will here set downe part of the cousining gaines he hath made of this exercise First he was the man that caused Henry Drurie to enter into this exercise and thereby got him to sell the Mannor of Lozell in Suffolke and other lands to the value of 3500. pounds and got all the mony himselfe the said Drurie hauing chosen to be a lay brother Afterwards he sent him to Antwerpe to haue his Nouitiat by the Prouincial there by name Oliuerius Maâ—erius for at that time Fa. Garnet had not his full authoritie to admit any where after twelue or fourteene dayes he dyed not without suspition of some indirect dealing Fa. Holt the Iesuit ascribed it vnto the alteration of his diet saying that he might haue liued well enough if he had remained at home and not haue come thither Two other had the exercise giuen them at that time by Fa. Gerrard vz. Maister Anthony Rowse of whom he got aboue 1000. pounds and Maister Thomas Euerard of whom he had many good bookes other things Also he gaue the exercise to Edward Walpoole whome he caused to sell the Mannor of Tuddenham and had of him about 1000. markes He dealt so in like manner with Maister Iames Linacre his fellow prisoner in the Clinke from whome he drew there 400. pounds And afterwards got a promise of him of all his lands but was preuented thereof by the said Linacres death Furthermore vnder pretence of the said exercise he cousined Sir Edmond Huddlestones sonne and heire by sundrie sleights of aboue 1000. pounds And so he dealt with
this as an ordinarie kind of blazon for their preferment or no or whether it be in them lawfull so to do or else only a Machiuilean sleight Atheall pollicie THE ANSWER WIthout all question it is a meere Atheall pollicie in their heads as their Prouincials Rectors and others directly and in their inferiour substitutes it is so too but indirectly as doing what so euer they do for obedience sake forsooth to bring great masses of mony multitudes of friends and other helpes vnto them for their better speedier aduancement by pulling downe all others that seek not their preferment or haue any fauor shewed them independeÌ„t vpon them a notable example wherof was a tragicall tricke of Fa. Parsons against one Maister Fixer a secular Priest This very great and reuerend man as good a linguist as the most were of our nation comming into England with one maister William Warford a busie and arrogant stirring headed body and therfore fittest to be a Iesuit as afterwards he became one together with Maister Cecill now a Doctor in Paris hauing all of them a protection from the Lord Treasurer Sir William Cecill Lord Bourghley that died last an odious speech going out against them all at the first for that cause at length they all fled out of the land By these innumerâ—ble the like examples a man may see how dangerous a matter it is to come within a Iesuits daunger for either must he be an impudent copesmate dâ—ponendo conscientiam to act anie thing that the Iesuits will haue acted yea besides this he must if out of credit with their masships do som desperate act or bring some gaine oâ— commoditie to them or theirs or some thing or other must he performe to their honour and credite in testimonie of his loyaltie towardâ— these high conceited perfectiues otherwise non introibit in requiem eorum as was manifest by all these This good Cardinall a worthier then whom they neuer had on in their societie being moâ—â— spâ—â—â—fully infamed by these three Priests though in one preâ—icâ—ment of spâ—eâ—e if any were yet the meanest of the three highly esteemed for his submission to theÌ„ swallowing vp the greatest gaâ—â—geâ—â— they could giue him vnder hand with out once gasping at a haust the other â—wo especially the chief Minister Fixer neuer able to come in credite againe c. mightily persecuted by the Iesuites Maister Cecill went into Scotland where he plaid on both sides as is thought he doth still like to one Maister Tilletson som others notwithstanding that Fa. Parsons had tearmed him a very base fellow a villaine a knaue a consiner and other like speeches he vsed of him of his fatherly zeale to an honourable Earle who told me it The other Maister Warford as ambitious as any which his actions as well in Wales as in sundrie places of the West countrey declared seeing the onely meanes to recouer his credite and thereby to aspire was to make the Iesuites his friends who then ruled the rost and did what they list throughout England He therefore insinuated himselfe so farre and became so officious on their behalfe especially in getting an annuall stipend from certaine Catholikes for Father Parsons mother and sister being otherwise not able to liue and by sundrie of my friends and mine owne furtherance and procurement therein much helped otherwise his accompts had come short that at length he became a young father forsooth pater minister at Rome and what a stickler he was in his new office I leaue it to another discourse how he went skulking in and out in the English Colledge about the time of Cardinall Tolleds death one while abroade with gloria patri when newes came that the Cardinall was dead another while retiring in mournefull wise with non sicut erat in principio when he heard he was againe reuiued whome the Iesuites tearmed an Apostata because this good Cardinal hauing bene earst a Iesuite sought to bring them into order which was thought to haue cost him his life the Rector and his companions denying the Students to come at funerall or come in place of publike prayers made for him And this for his part Well now to the third of that companie Maister Fixer was the man most hated of them because he had spoken most on his Prince and countries behalfe against the Spaniards and their gouernement and rebellious attempts and practises as by a letter of his may well appeare wherein he toucheth some pure spirited Iesuites fautors with infection of the Spanish pippe for these be his words here in England But in conclusion he was so vexed lacerated and calumniated by these Atheall Fathers that he became almost past himselfe he renounced his protection and in bitter teares often bewailing his hard fortune that his innocencie could not saue his credite amongst deuoute vertuous and true meaning Catholikes as holden no better then a spie for the State an Apostata from his profession and an Atheist in his religion yea the good Gentleman that kept him was so belaboured as inuitis dentibus ensibus he was forced to leaue him and yet for that which is past he hath not recouered his credite to this day with that Puritanian Iesuiticall faction In conclusion this reuerend Priest Maister Fixer was constrained to leaue the land went thereupon into Spaine and so into Portugall where he intended to haue bene a Reader in some religious house And being at Lisbon in good credit he procured the release of some fourteene or fifteene English men there taken prisoners willing them to thanke Maister Bluet and Doctor Bagshaw for their libertie Hereof Father Parsons hearing note well the Atheall emulation of this Machiuilean vpon speciall notice and information had of the daunger of impairing the Iesuites credite forsooth if this secular Priest should be in such high esteeme within the King of Spaines dominions he sent for him presently into Spaine vnder pretence of his preferment But when he came he no sooner had him in his cloutches but foorthwith procured him to be laid in prison for a spie where he still remaineth vnlesse he be dead THE X. ARTICLE VVHether then the Iesuites arrogating an immunitie and libertie of speech hand and pen against all the world vnto themselues may it be or is it excusable or otherwise to be holden as Atheall and irreligious in them to suffer their seditious faction and Iesuiticall followers that are lay persons as simple or busie headed men women boyes and girles to defame contemne and talke like ale-benchers at their pleasure of Princes Priests and all sorts of persons as they do and as in the two first generall Quodlibets we haue deliuered their impious dealings therein is it therefore Atheall pollicie in the Iesuits for their owne aduancement and in defence of themselues against all that are not currents of their fatall course to set downe principles and bookes or infamous libels of common places for their brothers to kon per