accounted by Catholickes to be a point of faith 4 Thirdly that from the time of Gregorie the seuenth who was the first Authour that cleerely taught this Doctrine but after he had first put it in practise and was the first Pope that contrarie to the custome of his Ancestors saith Onuphrius deposed the Roman Emperour for which cause he had much adoe to cleere himself euen with his own friends as appeareth by the Letter which Hermannus Bishop of Mentz his deare friend and follower in all such his proceedings wrote vnto him desiring to be satisfied herein and was by Sigebert who in those dayes was greatly esteemed by the wisest for his singular vertue and learning although Cardinal Baronius and Cardinall Bellarmine doe without sufficient ground call him a Scismatick at that time impeached of noueltie not to say of heresie for so bee Sigeberts words it hath been continually euen to these our daies contradicted by Catholike Authors as appeareth by Ioannes Trithemius a Jn Chronico Monasterii Hir. saug ad annum 1106. and Iacobus Almainus b In lib. a◠dominio naturali c. inprobatione conclus 2 ae there related but especially by the Kingdome of France as witnesseth Petrus Pithaeus c In codice libertatum Eccles Galli canae a man greatly commended by Fa Posseuine the Iesuit for his singular learning and knowledge in Antiquities d In Apparatu verbo Petrus Pithaeus and it is sufficiently confirmed by the late proceeding at Paris against the bookes of Card Bellarmine Becanus Schulckenius and now lastly of Suarez whose booke was for this Doctrine by a solemne Decree of the Parliament of Paris and Printed by the Kings Printer and with the Kings priuiledge condemned and reprochfully burned the 27. of Iune past by the hangman before the great Staires of the Pallace and foure of the chiefest Iesuites of France therein named were enioyned vnder paine of treason in their Sermons to exhort the people to the contrarie Doctrine And doubtlesse this Authour who in all points followeth these former mens steps if his booke had beene printed in Latine would haue quickly perceiued by the fruits of his own labours whether in France there be any Catholikes who doe impugne this Doctrine of deposing Princes by the Popes authoritie or no And yet this Authour would cunningly perswade the simpler sort of Catholikes therby to perplexe their consciences that I onely am the man who doe impugne this temporall authoritie of the Pope to depose Princes whereas hee cannot be ignorant that besides mee many others of our nation as both the Barclaies Mr Blackwell Mr Warmington Mr. Barret those thirteene Reuerend Priests all by publike writings and many others of the best learned of our Nation both Priests and lay-men I could name who are of my opinion and if it were not for the clamors threatnings and violent proceedings of our Aduersaries I meane not Protestants they vvould publikely professe as much as I haue done and as for the State of France what opinion they be of it is manifest And therefore that Doctrine of Vasquez concerning probable opinions may bee very wel applyed to this my doctrine howsoeuer this Author falsely supposing the Doctrine for the Popes power to depose Princes to be defined would gladly perswade our English Catholikes to the contrarie 5 Fourthly I shewed in that booke that seeing the Pope is not the Church but onely a principall member thereof their is to bee made a great distinction betweene the facts and practises of Popes and betweene the facts and practise of the Church neither is the practise of many Popes to bee accounted the practise of the Church vnlesse by the vvhole Church it be allowed as that opinion and practise for the Popes power to depose Princes and to inflict temporall punishments by way of coërtion neuer was and therefore although it be and hath beene the more common opinion of Catholikes for some ages past that the Pope hath authority to depose yet that it is certaine and not to bee contradicted but to bee beleeued as a point of faith and the contrary not to be accounted an opinion but rather an heresie is altogether false To the Councell of Lateran which but of late yeares hath been vrged and that onely by some few because Suarez did onely barely relate it and not vrge the wordes thereof I did remit him to the Preface of my Apologelicall Answere wherein I largely discoursed of the Decree of that Councel But because this Author seemeth to stand much thereon as the chiefe pillar and ground of his pretended definition I will at large in my Answere to his Reply treate of that Councell and satisfie all the cauils which neuerthelesse should bee cleere demonstrations if this Author did intend to proue his purpose vvhich hee hath taken out of D. Singletons or rather Fa Lessius his Discussion of the Decree of that Councell and I will shew that it cannot be sufficiently proued first that the Councell by those words temporall Lord did intend to include Soueraign Princes secondly that although it did by those words vnderstand Soueraigne Princes yet that it did not suppose that the Pope had authoritie to depose Soueraigne Princes thirdly that although it did suppose it yet it did not suppose it as a point of faith and an vndoubted doctrine but at the most as probable opinion so that from the authoritie of this Councel it can not bee conuinced that it is a point of faith or an vndoubted doctrine that the Pope hath authoritie to depose Soueraign Princes 6 Lastly thou maist perceiue Good Reader what strange paradoxes this Author dare aduenture to maintaine by this that he blusheth not to affirme would cunningly perswade our State that my manner of handling this controuersie probably concerning the Popes authoritie to depose Princes c. is dangerous pernicious to his Maiestie and therefore that my books deserue to be prohibited no lesse in England then Rome and that wise men in the parts where hee is doe greatly maruell how it can stand with the wisedome of his Maiesties Councell to permit them to bee printed and published in England 7 But if this Author had either sincerely or entirely related my opinion or else had put in minde the Reader against what kinde of Aduersaries I doe oppose he would presently haue perceiued that it is too apparantly shamefully vntrue that my manner of handling this question probably is dangerous and pernicious to his Maiestie as this Author doth endeuor to perswade his Maiesty not for any loue that he is knowne to beare vnto the State but to the end by all likelihood that hee and such like violent spirits may vvrite more freely and without being controuled or contradicted by Catholikes who as hee is perswaded doe little regard the writings and opinions of Protestants concerning this or any other Doctrine For it may be dangerous to his Maiestie to handle a question probably against one Aduersarie which
will bee nothing dangerous to handle it probably against an other As for example if it were agreed vpon by all Catholikes that the Pope hath no power to depose his Maiestie then it were dangerous to his Maiestie that any Catholike should call this in question and dispute it probably but if on the contrarie side all Catholikes should agree in this that it were certaine vnquestionable and a point of faith that the Pope hath power to depose his Maiestie and to absolue his Subiects of their allegiance to command them to take armes against him c. then if a Catholike should call this in question or which is all one dispute it probably and maintaine that it is not certaine that the Pope hath such an authoritie but it is questionable and probable that hee hath it not no man of any sense or vnderstanding can affirme that such a manner of disputing this question probably against those Aduersaries who hold it for certaine can be any way dangerous or pernicious to his Maiestie 8 Now behold the manner that I haue taken in handling this Controuersie Card. Bellarmin Gretzer Lessius Becanus Suarez and other Diuines especially of the Society of Iesus whom this Authour doth in euery steppe as though he were their Creature follow haue laid this for a sure and vndoubted ground that it is a point of faith and to be beleeued as certaine and vnder paine of eternall damnation by all Catholikes that the Pope hath power to depose Princes to absolue Subiects from their Allegiance and thereupon to commaund them to beare Armes and raise tumults against their Prince so deposed So that you see that they already haue layd the danger and vndoubted ouerthrow to his Maiesties person and Crowne if the Pope should perchance depose him in that they affirme that all Catholikes are bound in conscience to forsake him and to fulfill the Popes commaund to the destruction of His Maiesties person and State This Doctrine to wit that it is a point of Faith and vndoubted principle of Catholike Religion that the Pope hath power to depose Princes and to inflict all temporal punishments by way of coercion and that all Catholikes are bound in conscience to forsake his Maiestie and to beare Armes against him in case the Pope should depose him I haue taken vpon me for two principall reasons to impugne and do not doubt cleerely to maintaine the same against the clamours of this Authour or any other whatsoeuer My first reason was for that it is against the truth and puritie of the Catholike Church She being the piller and ground of truth that doubtfull opinions and which among Catholikes are onely in Controuersie and by the Parliament of Paris haue beene condemned as scandalous seditious damnable and Pernitious should be enforced vpon English Catholikes as an vndoubted doctrine of the Catholike Faith to the vtter ouerthrow of themselues and their whole posterity by mē who are in no danger to loose but rather to gaine temporall aduancement thereby 9 My second reason was to assure His Maiestie that all English Catholikes may according to the grounds of Catholike Religion be true and constant Subiects and that notwithstanding any sentence of excommunication or depriuation denounced or to be denounced against his Maiestie by the Pope they may with a safe conscience marke well what I say and also in practise they are bound to adhere to his Maiestie and obey him in temporals as still remaining their true and lawfull Soueraigne and to resist any such sentence of Excommunication or depriuation The reason wherefore I affirmed that Catholikes might with a safe conscience adhere to his Maiestie and resist the Popes sentence of depriuation was for that it is a probable opinion and which with a safe conscience and without danger of Heresie error or temerity may bee embraced by Catholikes that the Pope hath no authority to depose Princes nor to inflict temporall punishments by way of coërcion but that the last punishment to which the Ecclesiasticall power is extended are onely Ecclesiasticall and spiritual censures Wherefore that which this Author affirmeth that I confesse that it is probable that the Pope can depose Princes is vntrue vnlesse he meane that I confesse it for disputation sake or as we vsually say Dato non concesso it being giuen not graunted for that it maketh nothing for or against the question which is in hand Therefore positiuely I neither affirme it nor deny it neither with that part of the contradiction Whether it bee probable that the Pope can depose and whether it be probable that the Oath may not be taken doe I intermeddle but whereas our Aduersaries doe with so great violence mayntaine that it is certaine and an vndoubted doctrine of Faith that the Pope can depose and that the Oath cannot bee taken I at this present doe affirme the contrary That it is probable that the Pope cannot depose and that the Oath may lawfully be taken Neither doe I as this Authour imposeth vpon me take probable in that sense as Cicero in his Paradoxes did take it when he affirmed That nothing is so incredible which by arguing may not be made probable taking probable for that which hath som shew or color of probability or do I take probable for that which I hold for probable howsoeuer absurde it be as this Authour absurdly affirmeth that without doubt I doe but I doe take probable in that sense as Diuines doe take a probable opinion and which may be followed with a safe conscience as I declared out of Vasquez and hereafter against this Authour and his confused description of probable which serueth onely to intangle the consciences of the simple I will more at large declare in which sense no Heresie or erroneous doctrine can bee made probable the contrary being decided by the Church as this doctrin for the Popes power to depose neuer was but hath euer beene impugned by Catholike Writers vpon sufficient grounds and now lately condemned by the State of France as pernicious and damnable doctrine 10 But the second and principall reason which I brought for the securing of his Maiestie and which this Author T. F. fraudulently concealeth wherefore English Catholikes not onely may in speculation for the reason aforesaide but also in practise are bound to adhere to his Maiesty and to resist the Popes sentence of depriuation was for that supposing speculatiuely it be vncertaine whether the Pope hath any such power to depose a King or no it is an vndoubted rule among Lawyers and grounded vpon the light of nature and principles of Diuinity that in causa dubia siue incerta melior est conditio possidentis In a doubtfull and disputable case the state of him that is in possession is the better And againe Cum sunt iura partium obscura fauendum est reo potius quà m actori VVhen it is vnknowne which of the parties that are in suite hath right the defendant is to bee preferred before the
minde but in manner of an humble petition sincerelie and for many reasons which I there rehearsed to informe your Holinesse more fully who as heere we thinke hath not beene rightly informed of the reasons for vvhich English Catholickes are of opinion that the Oath may lawfully bee taken and for this cause I did dedicate it to your Holinesse that after you had carefully examined all the reasons for which English Catholikes doe think the Oath may lawfully be taken your Holinesse might prouide both for their spirituall and temporall safety as according to your fatherly wisedome and charitie should be thought most conuenient And therefore as in the end of that Disputation I affirmed I did faithfully set downe all the cheefest arguments which are vsually alleaged as well against the taking of the oath as in fauour thereof neither did I intend to affirme any thing of my owne opinion but onely as representing the persons of them who of set purpose doe publikely maintaine that the Oath either may or may not lawfully be taken leauing it to the fatherly care of your Holines that when you haue beene fully informed of the whole progresse of the matter and haue diligently examined all the reasons for which English Catholikes obeying the Kings commaund haue taken the Oath you will bee pleased particularly to approoue them or to condemne them that Catholikes in this so most weightie a matter which doth so neerely concerne the prerogatiue of your spirituall Authority and of his Maiesties Royaltie being fearefull to resist your Holinesse precept declared in your Breues and also beeing desirous to obey as much as with a safe conscience they may his Maiesties commaund may clearely perceiue which particular clauses of the Oath they are bound to admit and which they are bound to reiect and may in plaine and expresse termes without any ambiguitie of wordes be instructed by your Holinesse in what manner they may satisfie their owne conscience your Holinesse will and also his Maiesties desire concerning all the particular partes of the Oath For as they are very ready to hazzard their whole temporall estate and also to loose their liues for the Catholike faith which by the Church to whom this office belongeth to define matters of Faith and not to priuate Doctours who may deceiue and be deceiued is declared to be truly the Catholike faith so doubtlesse they are vnwilling to expose themselues and their whole Family and Posterity which this our age doth so much labour to aduance to eminent danger of their temporall vtter ruine onely for opinions although they be maintained by the greater and better part of Deuines so that others although farre fewer in number doe defend the contrary But as they are desirous with all their hearts to obey your Holinesse in spirituall matters and in those things which cannot be omitted without sinne so also they might iustly thinke themselues to be more hardly vsed then children are wont by their Parents if especially in these times wherein by reason of the Catholike Faith which they professe they haue greeuously incurred his Maiesties high displeasure who is of a contrary Religion they should without sufficient reason be forbidden to giue that temporall Allegiance to his Maiestie which they thinke by the Law of Christ to be due vnto him hauing alwaies before their eies that commaund of Christ our Sauiour Render to Caesar the thinges that are Caesars and to God the thinges that are Gods 11 And that your Holinesse may yet more cleerely perceiue that this my Disputation of the Oath which is rather to be called a most humble Supplication to your Holinesse was written in manner of an humble Petition I thinke it not amisse to repeate also word by word these very last wordes of my Epistle to your Holinesse 12 This therefore most Holie Father is our most humble Supplication to your Holinesse First that your Holinesse will bee pleased to examine diligently the reasons for which our English Catholikes doe thinke the Oath may lawfully be taken and wherof they are perswaded your Holiness is not yet rightly informed Secondly that after you haue throughly examined them you will vouchsafe in regard of your Pastorall carefulnesse to instruct them which parts of the Oath are I do not say only according to a probable opinion of some Doctors but according to Catholike Doctrine necessarily to bee beleeued by all Christians repugnant to faith and saluation and therefore can not be taken by any Catholike with a safe and probable conscience Thirdly that if your Holinesse shal finde that you haue not beene rightly informed of those reasons for which our English Catholikes doe think that the Oath may lawfully be taken and that therefore they haue not in a matter of so great weight proceeded rashly and vnaduisedly you will be pleased to receiue them and their Priests into your ancient fauour and that if they or any of them haue not through their own fault but throgh the indiscreete zeale of others suffered any losse or detriment in their good names or other waies it may be restored againe to them in that best manner as shall seeme conuenient to the charitie iustice and wisedome of your Holinesse 13. Now what there is contained in this our humble Petition against which your Holinesse hath iust cause to take so high displeasure that you will not accept thereof I remit to the iudgement of indiferent men but especially of your Holines For by that which wee haue sayd it doth manifestly appeare that this disputation of the Oath was for that end composed by me to informe your Holinesse who is the Supreme Pastor of the Catholike Church and to whom Christ our Lord hath giuen charge to feed his sheepe not onely with precepts and Censures but also with the word of Doctrine and to instruct them in the Catholike faith truely of our state and to propound vnto your Holinesse sincerely and with all duetifull submission those doubts and difficulties which both to my selfe and other Catholikes doe occurre about this new Oath which is commaunded by his Maiesty forbidden by your Holinesse and dayly taken by almost all Catholikes of the better sort to whom it is tendred yea euen by those who haue the Iesuites for their directours howsoeuer these Fathers doe in outward shew seeme to condemne the same that after your Holinesse had duely examined the reasons and arguments which are vsually alledged on both sides against and for the taking of the Oath you would bee pleased to satisfie our consciences and to make knowne vnto vs what parts of the Oath may according to the principles of the Catholike faith bee lawfully and what parts may not lawfully bee taken and lastly to declare vnto vs which bee those many things which your Holinesse being not rightly informed by some as wee imagine hath affirmed in your Breeues to bee cleerely repugnant to faith and saluation for no man be he neuer so great an enemy to the Oath dare auouch that all things
and of my Countrey and for other more particular reasons which I related in the beginning of those Bookes without any respect of worldly fauour or fear neither with any obstinate mind but onely to finde out the Catholike truth in this most weighty Controuersie which belongeth to the yeelding of obedience due by the Law of Christ to God and Caesar to your Holinesse who is the supreame Pastour in Earth of our soules and to our King his most excellent Maiestie who in temporals is onely inferior to GOD and I did submit most humbly In Apolog. Lectâ—â— in fine whatsoeuer was contained in them to the iudgement and censure of the Catholike Romane Church whose Childe I professed my selfe to be and if perchance any thing through ignorance had escaped me which should not bee approoued by her I did disprooue it damne it and would haue it for not written In Disp in â—e 5 Besides I did professe In Dispuâ— Cap. 6. â— 3. Num. â— seq that with all due honour and respect I did reuerence all the Canons of the Catholike Church although I did freely confesse that betwixt the Catholike Church and the Pope who is onely the first and principall member thereof betwixt some Chapters or Decrees of the Cannon Law and betwixt others a great distinction was to be made and neuerthelesse I sincerely affirmed that to euery one in his degree and place I gaue dutifull but not equall credit For in the vast Corps of the Canon Law and in the Volumes of the Councels are contained eyther sayings or assertions of the Ancient Fathers or Decrees or sentences of Popes and Councels and these are either doctrinall and which are propounded as things to be beleeued by the faithfull or else morall and which in the external discipline of the Church are commanded to be obserued 6 And first I did acknowledge that the doctrine which the Ancient Fathers either in expounding the Holy Scriptures or in Questions belonging to Faith haue with vniforme consent deliuered I did also vndoubtedly beleeue as being certainly perswaded that it was inspired by the Holie Ghost 7 Secondly I also with Melchior Canus and other Diuines affirmed that the doctrine also of all the holie Fathers in thinges which do not appertaine to Faith may piously and probably be beleeued by Catholikes yet that it ought not of necessity to be followed as certaine and infallible 8 Thirdly I did professe that the definitions of Generall Councels lawfully assembled and confirmed by the Pope wherein any doctrine is propounded to the whole Church to be beleeued of al men as of Faith are to bee receiued by Catholikes as infallible rules of Faith Neuerthelesse I did freely affirme with the aforesaid Melchior Canus and Card. Bellarmine that those opini ns which in the said Councels are defined or else supposed onely as probable and those assertions which either incidently and by the way are inserted or for better declaration or proofe of their decisions bee produced are sometimes subiect to error and may be Catholikes without any wrong to the Catholike Faith bee reiected This withall obseruing of which also in other places I haue admonished the Reader that although I professing my selfe to be a childe of the Catholike Romane Church doe most willingly embrace whatsoeuer General Councel confirmed by the Pope which doe represent the Catholike Church doe propound to the faithful as necessarily to be beleeued of faith and which certainely and euidently is knowne to bee the true sense and meaning of the Councels neuerthelesse I do not vndoubtedly beleeue euery doctrine which either Card. Bellarmine speaking with due reuerence or any other Doctour seeing they are not appointed by God to be an vndoubted rule of the Catholike Faith doe cry out to bee Catholike doctrine to be the voyce of the Catholike Church to bee the meaning of the Scriptures and Councels if especially some Catholike Doctours doe hold the contrary Then truely as it is meete I doe reuerence with all dutifull respect and I doe much attribute to their authority but that all those collections which they in their iudgements doe imagine to be euidently concluded out of holy Scriptures or Councels considering that oftentimes they are deceiued and do deceiue and what they haue written when they were younger they may recall when they grow elder e For Carâ— Bell. himselfe in his old age haâ— recalled many thinges which he wrote whâ—â— he was yonger pâ—â— chance hâ— now being elder will recall moâ—â— are to bee accounted for vndoubted assertions of faith and the contrary opinion of other Catholikes to be rather esteemed an heresie then an opinion this truly I cannot take in good part 9 Fourthly concerning the Canons or Decrees of Generall Councels belonging to manners and to the externall gouernment of the Church I promised to bee most ready to receiue willingly all those Decrees which in places where I shall liue shal be generally receiued for these are properlie called the Decrees or Canons of the Catholike or Vniuersall Church which are by common consent admitted by the Vniuersall Church Neither doubtlesse is any man bound to admit those Lawes and precepts which in the Country where he liueth are not obserued by the people as according to the receiued opinion of Deuines and Lawyers I there affirmed And the same I there auouched was to be vnderstood proportionally of the decrees of Popes and Prouinciall Councels For as concerning the Popes definitions belonging to faith if he define without a Generall Councell I confesse that I haue oftentimes auerred that very many especially Ancient Diuines of the Vniuersity of Paris whose names I there related Cap. 10. sec â— num 27. are of opinion that such Definitions vnlesse they bee receiued by the Catholike Church aâ— definitions of the Catholike Faith are subiect to errour whose opinion both for the authority of so famous men and also for the reasons and grounds whereon that opinion is founded I with later Deuines to whose opinion also Card. Bellarmine himselfe doth plainly enough incline Lib. 2. de â—oncil cap. â— howsoeuer he would seeme to auerre the contrary Lib. 4. de â—om Pont. â—p 2 lib. de concil â—p 17. haue also oftentimes affirmed is not to be condemned of heresie errour or temerity which also now againe speaking with all dutiful submission I feare not to confirme 10 Lastly concerning my Disputation of the Oath and the Dedication therof which seemeth to be that stone of offence and rocke of scandall to some Deuines especially of the Society of Iesus and to those Catholikes who adhere to them I cannot to speake vnfaignedly in any wise vnderstand what can iustly bee obiected against it or what fault I haue committed either in making it or else in dedicating it to your Holinesse of which I should purge my selfe For first of all I the Authour of that Disputation and Dedication haue therein professed That I did not write it with any obstinate