out of their houses and shops to follow him insomuch that he had presently above thirty thousand Followers crying out Long let Gnise live 9 Mâ—y Davila p. â—80 D'Aubigne tom 3. l. 1. ch 23. the Pillar of the Church All â—hewed their greatest affection to him some thanking him others bowing to him some kissing the hem of his garment others that could not get so near by their hands and gestnres shewed their zele and joy some ador'd him as a Saint touch'd him with their Beads kissing as they thought the then said hallowed stuff or touching their Eyes and Foreheads with them the Women strowing leaves and flowers from their windows Madam Vitri crying out O good Prince seeing you are come we are safe others adding Shall we not die for joy when we have seen you King To such an height of madness and wickedness will a giddy Zele for Religion transport the indiscreet Rabble Guise on the other side with a popular Face and and smiling Countenance shewed himself affable and courteous to all by Words Salutations or kind Looks and thus passing along with his Hat in his hand omitted nothing that might gain their Affections and Applause and in this complemental Triumph he rode directly to St. Eustache allighted at the Filles Repenties where the Queen-mother then lay with whom having some discourse she in the mean time informeth the King of his coming by her Gentleman-Usher Luigi Davila a Cyprian by birth and elder brother to Henrico Caterino Davila that excellent Author of the History of the Civil Wars of France which so perplex'd His Majesty that he was fain to rest himself upon his Arm hanging his Head down almost to the Table Guise having had some discourse with the Queen-mother who was not a little frighted at his coming waits upon her on foot to the Louvre she being carried in her Chair or Sedan being come before the King he endeavours to excuse and vindicate himself and so returneth to his own house in St. Antoine's Street And here not only Pope * ponâ— an 1588. § 3. Sixtus V. but several others condemned the King that he had not Guise forthwith kill'd whilest he was in his power in the Louvre and some of his Counsellours advised him then to do it whilest others thought there was no policy or safety in that seeing the People so furiously resolved for him Yet probably the King being then in an high passion might have order'd his dispatch but that Guise by whisperings and other demeanours perceiv'd their Resolutions not settled so very cunningly taking hold of their uncertainties pretending a weariness by reason of his travels took his leave and went to his House attended with the former multitude of his Admirers And now the Plot begins to work Guise that night gets above four hundred Gentlemen and Commanders to his House sends for the Council of Sixteen and the * Like our City Sheriffs Paris hath 4 Eschevins Eschevins then of his Faction with whom he consults ordereth Guards to be kept in every Ward all the Covenanters to be ready upon notice and had his own house well stored with Arms. And the same care was also taken by the Court to fortifie the Louvre The next day Guise attended with above four hundred Gentlemen privately armed with Pistols under their cloaks for upon his former jealousie 10 May. he would not venture himself so unprovided as he was before went to the Louvre waited upon the Queen his Cousin then the King and so â—eturn'd and held a deep consultation with Pierre Depinac Archbishop of Lyons his chief Confident and Counsellour After dinner he went to the Queen-mothers house whither the King came and after several discourses concerning the faults of the Government and the People each endeavouring to vindicate himself and Favourites they departed The next day the King order'd all strangers to depart the City thinking 11 May. by that means to lessen and divide the Forces of the Guisards but this could not be perform'd nor obey'd and Guise to render His Majesty more odious gave out that the King intended to put to death LX. of the chief Romanists a counterfeit List of whom he framed and sent abroad by his Creatures in which were named the Eschevins the chief of the Sixteen and Covenanters and then all their Curates and Preachers and to make this more terrible it was confidently reported how that the * The Townhâ—usâ— Hostel de ville was full of Gibbets to hang the said people on All which so incens'd the Rabble that they were thinking to rise up that very night their Commanders being settled in every Quarter And that which most confirm'd these Opinions to the People was the approach of the Kings Forces for His Majesty perceiving the high Attempts of the Leaguers determined to put it to the push to secure himself and daunt or quell his Enemies to which purpose he had sent for the several Regiments of the Swisses and French who quarter'd near Paris who accordingly were led into the City on Thursday morning by 12 May. Mareschal Byron and agreeable to the Kings Orders had taken up their Stations or Postes in several places of the City especially near the Court which some think was not done to the best advantage seeing they kept too great a distancâ— from L'Hostel de Guise in S. Antoine's street whereby with the greater ease all his Associates and Rabble might come to him and unite without any opposition However at the noise of these Royal Forces the people shut up their Shops fly to their Arms and according to their former Instructions what with Tubs Barrels and such like materials stop * Thâ—refore the French do yet call this day and action Les Barcieades de Paris or Journee des Barrieades barricado and chain up the Streets Lanes and Passages and that with such cunning and quickness that the Kings Forces being as aforesaid divided could not come to or assist one another whereupon after a little resistance and a few slain they yielded themselves And thus this vast City became subject to Guise who rode through the streets exhorting the people to stand upon their Guard since God had been so merciful to them as to secure their Lives Families Liberties and the Honour of the Holy Church desiring them to depend upon him and all would be well On the other hand the King and Court found themselves in a sad condition and seeing no help after many Consultations the Queen-mother is sent to treat with the Duke and being with a great deal of difficulty by reason of the stoppages and barricadoes brought to him upon discourse she findeth him haughty and exorbitant in his demands more like a Conquerour then a Subject not departing a jot from such as these That he should be Lieutenant General in all Provinces and places in the Kingdom That the States should be call'd at Paris who with the King should confirm to him that Power
and that cry for all the Abominations c. That he had the z Id. pag. 35. wounds according to this saying of Christ a Joh 8. 56. Abraham saw my days and was glad and is not this an excellent Catholick Exposition That in the Preacher 't is said of b Id. lib. 1. p. 11. and 160. him though the Text nameth Abraham c Eccles. 44. 19 20. In glory there was none like unto him who kept the Law of the most High That d Gen. 1. 26. Let us make man after our likeness was meant e Id. pag. 12 13. St. Francis in which place Pisanus hath many other fooleries To proceed they f Id. l. 1. p. 203. tell us that as by Adams fall all Creatures rebeld so to St. Francis are they subject because he kept and fulfild the Laws of God so that it pleased God that all things should obey this Fryar hence they affirm that he might deservedly say All things are given to me of my Father Farther that this Saint was g Lib. 1. p. 22 23 24 25 26 c. figured out to us by Joseph Isaias Jonas Isaac Samuel Job Abraham Salomon Moses David c. the Cherubins Angels Arch-angels Powers Dominions c. all the Apostles c. That Christ himself Prophesied of his h L'Alc l. 2. pag. 43. Order when he said i Luk. 12. 32. Fear not little Flock for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom And that he also meant these Minorite Fryars when he said k Matt. 25. 40. In as much as you have done it to one of the least of these you have done it unto me A ridiculous allusion from the Latine word Minores 'T is said of l Gab. Prateol Elench Haeres l. 5. Sect. 19. pag. 168. Eunomius that he taught that all who believed his Eunomian Tenets should be saved though they committed never so many sins I will not say that the Franciscans do positively teach the same of their Order though they offer very fair for it when they assure us that Francis m Gonon Chron. S. Deiparae p. 217 218. L' Alcoran pag. 205 206. desired that all the sins which were confest might be pardon'd and that Christ admitted of the Request but bid him go to his Vicar the Pope for farther Authority and that n L' Alcoran lib. 1. p. 313. 195 196. whosoever affected the Franciscan Order though he were never so great a sinner should have mercy and lastly that no man who dyed in one of their o Nullus qui moreretur in habitu est damnatus Barth a Pisis lib. conform lib. â— Fruch 9. fol. 130. col 4. Frocks or Habits should be damned Upon which pretty fidelity many from the Highest to the Lowest have industriously procured their departing bodies to be wrapt in a Franciscan garb If all this be true I shall not so easily question what they tell us viz. that all the r L' Alc. l. 1. p. 17. vertues that all the Saints as well of the Old as New Testament ever had were met together in St. Francis that he was better then all the Å¿ Ib. pag. 45. Apostles of which they give us a doughty reason viz. they left but a Ship and some such things but Francis left all nay threw off his Cloaths and went naked for Christs sake a good sign that he was of the Ranters Religion As for St. John the Baptist he must not by any means come in Competition with their Francis for which one of their Reasons is this because t Joan. verbum de poenitentia accepit à Domino Fran. à domino à Papa quod plus est Id. p. 36. he received the word of Repentance onely from the Lord but St. Francis received it both from the Lord and from the Pope which is a great deal more Wherefore methinks it might savour of presumption in St. Peter and St. Paul to come down from Heaven to meet Francis at Rome and to presume to u Ib. p. 19. kiss and embrace him as if he had been but their equal and familiar But well might Fryar Giles say that men should never name the word St. Francis but they should lick their w Ib. pag. 75. lips after it and well might such a Crowd of x Ib. p. 250. Angels guard and incompass him when dead that the Devils though greatly indeavoured could not come for the throng within ten miles of his Corps and in Heaven he sits in the y Pag. 44. 293. same Chair whence Lucifer was thrown down and why not since they tell us that God obeyed z Ib. p. 203. Francis in all things whilst he was upon Earth Many other Sottish and Impious Extravagancies concerning this Saint might be mustred up but I shall leave him to the consideration of the judicious and the Hyperbolies of his followers Nor is it this Francis alone but the People of his Order have also been pretty Fellows Fryar a 〈◊〉 Alc. p. 96. Rinaldus they say was carried in a cloud to Paradise where Enoch and Elias being informed that he was a Cordelier skipt and danced for joy and went about with him and shewed him all the Rarities there The same blade longing to see Daniels Tomb in Babylon which they say was kept by Dragons an huge Dragon which they suppose to be an Angel of God sweept him up in his Tail carried him thither where for manners sake he onely took a finger from the Prophet and so was brought home safe and sound again as he was carried and his heart never at his mouth all the while Fryar b Id. pag. 125. Suffian when sick would take no Physick but from the Virgin Mary who thrust into his mouth a whole box full of heavenly Syrrops by spoonfuls and then giving him a little out of another box the greedy-gut having eaten all the former he was so enlightned that he perfectly saw in the book of Life the names of all those who should be saved What need I tell you of Fryar c Id. p. 146. Benet who they would make you believe was Butler to the Virgin Mary but they never tell us where the Cellar was and suchlike fopperies since 't will be easily judged that I do it but in Drollery and then will they judge me never to be capable of those blessings which they attribute to the lovers of this Order but rather condemn me to the punishment of the poor d Id. pag. 174. Florentine who they say having no affection for the Franciscans was decreed to have two Hammers continually knocking him on the head and this punishment they assure us is to continue to him till the day of judgement These and many other such like stories may be read in e Lâ—ber Conformitatum S. Francisci câ—m 〈◊〉 Bartholomeus Pisanus a Book approved of by the general Chapter of the Franciscans at Assist
1399. who declared that after their diligent search they could finde nothing in it worthy of correction or amendment and so 't is intitled the Golden Book and hath been several times printed with approbation Henricus Sedulius hath writ a vindication for it and e Martyrol Francisc IV Novemb. Sect. 4. 5 6 7 8. Arthurus à Monasterio will have nothing spoke against it but commends the Author as worthy of f IV Octob. 11. belief and so I hope one may the more freely present them with that they so much magnifie Nor have the Predicant Fryars less extolled their Patron St. Dominick Vid. Antonin Archp. Flor. chron part 3. tit 23. who as they say had power over all Celestial Terrestrial and Infernal things and that both Angels and Elements did serve and obey him that he shew'd an easier way to Heaven than St. Paul did and that the Prophet intended this Dominick by the g Zech. 11. 7. Staff of Beauty as he did St. Francis by the bands and ten to one but he thought of both alike God they say never denyed him any thing that he h Nic. Jansenius vit Domin l. 2. c. 3. p. 119. asked that he received the Holy Ghost with the same glory of a flaming i Id. l. 1 c. 8. p. 56. Tongue as the Apostles did and had also the gift of k Id. l. 2. c. 11. p. 170. Tongues given him by Inspiration They go on and tell us that St. Dominick himself never committed l Id. l. 2. c. 14. p. 188. Villegas flos Sanctorum IV August mortal sin from the day of his birth and the other Fryars of his Order exactly m Villegas ib. imitated the Apostles in Life Works and Miracles And what favours might not St. Dominick be capable of since he was seen to proceed from Gods n Nic. Jansen l. 2. c. 14. p. 190. breast but Christ onely from his mouth And by this way of o Nic. Jans l. 2. c. 14. Antonin part 3. tit 23. Nic. Jans l. 2. c. 12. p. 179. comparing do they make our Saviour and this Fryar contend as I may say for superiority and yet in Miracles Dominick carries the day Nay so great was the Virgin Maries affection as they say to this Spaniard that not long since even within the memory of man viz. 1606. the Fryars of Soriano in the farther Calabria in Italy not having a Picture of their Founder Dominick she with Mary Magdalene came from Heaven and with their own hands presented them with his Picture which she bid them hang up in their Chappel and for ought that I know there it yet hangs and if you will believe them cures the blinde lame and such like diseases and miracles Nor do I know any reason why this Picture might not do as pretty feats as well as the very p Nic. Jansen p. 242. dust at Calervega in Old Castile where he was born though I think q Phil. Briet Geogr. Tom. 1. l. 5 p. 298. some doubt of the place And if this do not shew her love sufficient they will tell you other stories as that she preserves the Fryars of this Order safe and sure from harms-way under her r Ben. Gâ—non Chron. B. Virg. p. 212 218 223. Mantle and that by her Intercession she hath obtain'd of her Son that none of this Order shall continue long in s Id. p. 221. mortal sin and several other such like Tales for old Women to pass away the time withal Neither will their back-friends the Jesuits be wanting in magnifying their Founder and Order as that their t Imago primi Saeculi soc Jesu p. 64. Valderama serm Society was not of humane Invention but proceeded from Christ himself that the first Colledge of it was in the Womb of the Virgin Mary that instead of u Act. 9. 15. St. Paul their Patron Ignatius Loyola was him whom Christ declared should carry his name before the Gentiles as the Portugal Doctor w de societatis Origine p. 14. Jacobus Payva would perswade the world that this is an Order which the Prophet x Is 65. 22. 18. 2. Isaiah hath several times prophesied of as the Jesuits of y Imago primisaeculi soc Jesu p. 25. 60. Flanders testifie and that God the Father was seen to commend this Order to his Son Jesus by way of Protection Valderama Deza and Rebulloza though of other Orders have in their Sermons extoll'd this Ignatius to a wonder as that the name of Jesus was I know not how imprinted in his hands that he did greater Miracles than others for as Valderama saith Though Moses did great wonders with his Rod and that was onely by the vertue of the name of God written on it and also what the Apostles acted were onely by the power of the name of God But as for Loyala the Founder of the Jesuits he onely by his own name writ in a piece of Paper did more Miracles than Moses and all the Apostles which was admirable Nay that as long as he lived his actions were so holy that none but Popes as St. Peter none but Empresses as the Mother of God none but some Soveraign Monarch as God the Father and his Son had the happiness and favour to behold them And that which was spoke of our a Heb. 1. 2. Saviour Pedro Deza applies to the Institutor of this Order telling his Auditors and the world that In these last days God hath spoken to us by his son Ignatius whom he hath appointed Heir of all things 'T is true these three Sermons of Valderama Deza and Rebulloza were b 1 Octob. 1611 censured by the Sorbonists at Paris but within nine days after Francois Solier a French Jesuit and one well known for his many Translations and who also turned these three Spanish Sermons into French writ against this Sorbone-censure accusing the Faculty of Paris of c Leâ—tte justificative p. 25 32. Ignorance Impudence and Malice and that they acted more by Passion than Reason And a little after this Jaques de Montholon though there might be some probable Reasons that the true Author was the noted Jesuit Peter Cotten Confessor to Henry the Fourth but be it who it will under the name of Montholon was a large d Plaidoyâ— pour les Jesuites p. 462 463. Apology writ for this Order which towards the latter end hath also a Vindication of these Sermons and that printed too by publick Authority and lastly that they were received with applause and approbation needs no farther evidence than their several Impressions and Translations But besides these others are not ashamed to tell us that God did often e Imago primi saecula soc p. 584. Exod. 33. 11. talk with Ignatius Loyola as he talked with Moses face to face and as a man speaks unto his friend that the Virgin Mary is such a Patroness of this Order that she f
Hieron Platus de bono statu Religiosi l. 1. c. 34 p 108. Imago soc Jâ—s p. 1. â—0 preserves it also under her Mantle or Garments And which is more that God hath granted the same benefit to this Society that was formerly bequeath'd to the Benedictans that for the first three hundred years not any that dyed in this Order should be g Imago societ Jesu p. 648 649 damned And so much for the Jesuits and their Founder Ignatius Loyola whose life I have writ formerly in another Treatise They tell us that Pachonius was in that esteem with God that an h Dâ—â—â—ultius â—â—â—r Exempl cap. 7. tit 77. Sect. 1. Angel from Heaven brought the Rules for him and his Brethren to live by But the Trinitarian Fryars go a little higher affirming that the i â— â—â—â— Hist de Bâ—â—â—ie de les Câ—â—saiâ—â— â— 6. c. 1. Sect 2. p 466 Father Son and Holy Ghost were their Founders and Institutors which in part is hinted at by these Verses so common amongst them and for ought that I know may yet be seen over the Door of their Cloyster in the Suburbs of Arras in Artois and several other of their Covents Hic est Ordo Ordinatus Non à sanctis fabricatus Sed à solo summo Deo This Order made by God himself we see And not by Saints or men as others be The truth is this Order of the Trinity begun by two French-men betwixt four and five hundred years ago though I shall not give too much credit to the Miracles they say occasioned it was upon a Charitable Account viz. to redeem the Christian Slaves from the Turkish Tyrannical Bondage whereupon I shall willingly agree with i Caâ—aâ— gloâ—mundâ— part ◠〈◊〉 â—3 Cassanaeus and his Arch-bishop Antoninus of Florence that this Order should have preheminency above the rest But I fear of late days the Slaves are not so much regarded as their own preferments Though the Carmelite-Fryars will not draw their Institution so high yet they plead pretty fair for Antiquity and continuance by affirming the Prophet a D' Avity discours de l'Origine de toutes les Religions Sect. 26. Elias to be their Founder and that their Order shall remain to the end of the world which grand Priviledge as they say the Virgin Mary b Gonon Chron. p. 319. told one of this Fraternity the Prophet desired of our Saviour Christ at the time of his appearance to him in his c Mat. 17. 2 3. Mark 9. 2 3 4. transfiguration on the Mount But this is not all the benefit belonging to these people for they assure us that all of this Society shall stay no longer in Purgatory than the next Saturday after their death and this they publickly d Vid. P. du Moulin Defence de la foy Catholique Article 21. p. 441. printed in certain Theses at Paris 8 Octob. 1601. and mainly defended by Doctor Cayer Besides this they tell us that the Virgin Mary perswaded Fryar Francis to enter himself into this Order and then in Heaven she would give him a Crown of Flowers which she then shew'd him and that he obeying this advice because neither himself nor their Covent at Siena through poverty was able to buy him an Habit an e Gonon p. 203. Angel very freely came and gave him one And lastly that she appear'd to our Country-man Simon Stock so call'd from his f Jo. Pitseus de Scriptor Angl. p. 345. living in a hollow Stock or Trunk of an Oak General of this Order holding a Scapulare in her hands positively assuring him that all the Carmelites who dyed in that Habit should be g Gononus p. 256. saved Here might I tell how the Premonstrensian Monks so call'd from the Village Premonstré in Picardy whither their Founder Nortbert Arch-bishop of Magdeburg retired himself for Devotion affirm they received their habits h Gonon p. 159. from Heaven by the Virgin Mary And here might I shew how the Cistercian Monks so call'd from Cistertium Cisteaux in Burgondy where they began for all this affirm the Virgin Mary to be kinder to them than others by i Id. pag. 156. protecting them under her Arms and Cloak or Mantle and many such like fopperies of other Orders but this may serve for the present to give the Reader a taste of their Fooleries in the too too much magnifying of their respective Orders and Societies CHAP. II. Thinking to honour their Religion the Romanists relate 1. several ridiculous Stories to the abuse of the B. Virgin Mary 2. and childish Fopperies to the reproach of our Saviour Jesus Christ THe hardest Students have their Intervals and the greatest Scholars SECT I. Several ridiculous Stories to the abuse of the B. Virgin will now and then have a frolick or crotchet to divert their more serious thoughts Methinks it was not amiss in Mr. Geast formerly of Cambridge when under the Parliamentary persecution and their Prisoner for his Loyalty and Honesty to throw away an hour or two to finde out a Mystery in their abominable and treasonable Presbyterian-Covenant viz. that the number of the words in its six damnable Articles agrees with the number of the Beast 666. The Learned Thomas Lansius pleas'd himself in these two opposite Consult German in Prefat â—d Lectorem Verses the one exhibiting a Catalogue of good things the other of bad Lex Rex Grex Res Spes Jus Thus Sal Sol bona Lux Laus Mars Mors Sors Vis Lis Styx Nox Crus Pus mala Fex Fraus and took the pains to know how many alterations they would indure by which he found out that either of them by the transposition of words might be changed excluding bona or mala XXXIX Millions DCCCC Hundred XVI Thousand and VIII Hundred times And Bernardus Bauhusius the Poetical Jesuit of Antwerp made this Verse of our Saviour Rex Dux Sol Lex Lux Fons Spes Pax Mons Petra Christus Epigram lib. 2. pag. 39. which he saith may be converted 3628800 times And in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary he composed this Verse Tot tibi sunt dotes Virgo quot sidera Coeli which he saith may be changed a thousand twenty two ways according to the number of the Stars And Erici de Puys Puteanus bestowed a great deal of time and Paper to prove it yet as he might increase his number of the Stars so if the Verse will bear it might he the changes too if Lansius his account be true that VIII words may be varyed 40320 times Nor need any of these seem strange when we consider what variety and multitude of Languages and Words are composed of XXIV Letters Against such commendations as this of the Virgin Mary I shall say nothing leaving every man to imploy his Ingenuity upon what he pleaseth But for any to think they can or should advantage her glory by fathering a thousand lies and fopperies upon her is beyond reason
it and saith that it ought to be obeyed II. To the second he saith it is a hard Question and therefore he cannot answer it but upon further advisement he answereth as to the first III. To the third he knoweth not what to say thereunto IV. To the fourth he saith that so long as her Majesty remaineth Queen the Pope hath no authority to warrant her Subjects to take Arms against her or to disobey her but if he should depose her then he might discharge them of their Allegiance and Obedience to her Majesty V. To the fifth he saith he will not meddle with the Doctrine of Dr. Saunders and Dr. Bristow VI. To the last when this case happeneth then he saith he will answer and if he had been in Ireland when Dr. Saunders was there he would have done as a Priest should have done that is to pray that the right may have place William Filbee John Popham Da. Lewes Thomas Egerton John Hammond And because some of these Answers depend upon the writings of Bristow and Saunders we must understand that a little before this one Richard Bristow or Bristolus born in Worcester-shire and bred up a Priest in Flanders had made a little Book which he call'd his Motives which was after either by himself or others hugely enlarged In this writing he did not onely twit Queen Elizabeth for not obeying the a Motive 6. Excommunication-Bull of Pius the Fifth against her but also that b Motive 40. Subjects may sometimes be discharged from their subjection and Princes deposed and then publickly declares that the foresaid Earl of Northumberland the Nortons Plumtree and others to be c Motive 15. most glorious Martyrs of the Catholicks though they were deservedly executed as Traytors for their notorious and actual Rebellion in the North against the Queen Yet d Compend vitae Râ—c Brist § 6. Dr. Thomas Worthington of Lancashire who translated the larger Motives into Latine doth give great Commendations to Dr. Bristow for his learning and valour in thus defending the Popes Authority whereby he may justly go with those who favour the Opinion of King-deposing As for Nicholas Sanders he was born in Surrey and at Rome got his Orders and Degree of Doctor Pius the Fifth had him in great esteem knowing him to be a man of mettle and a great Zealot for the Authority of that Chair as he shews at large in his great e De visibili Monarch Ecclesiae Vid. lib. 2. cap. 4. Book dedicated to Pius the Fifth in which he is so far from acknowledging Queen Elizabeth to be a true Queen that he calls her several times by no other title than the f Id. P. 734 736 737. Pretended Queen and other times onely plain g Pag. 275 355. Calvinistical woman He saith that the Popes power reacheth to the h Pag. 430. altering of Kingdoms that the Emperour Henry the Fourth was most i Pag. 458. justly deprived of his Empire by Gregory the Seventh greatly k Pag. 730 731 732 733 734 735 c. commends those who impiously rebell'd against the Queen in the North and calls them Noble Martyrs and this he aims at again in another of his l De schismate Angl. p. 363. Tracts From this Sanders we may collect what was the judgement in this case of John Story an Oxford Doctor of Law he in Queen Maries time ruled the roast in our English Inquisition and in Queen Elizabeths Id. Pag. 736 737. Raign being accused in Parliament of a great deal of cruelty in the administration of his foresaid Office replyed like himself to this purpose That he had offended in nothing but that whilst he cut off some Branches he neglected to pull up the Root which if he had done Heresie had not got up again And this he meant of the Queen to whom he denyed himself to be a Subject looking upon the King of Spain as his Soveraign and the Queen Elizabeth by the Popes Bull of Excommunication utterly deprived of all Rule and Government upon which cause he scorned to plead for himself taking the Judges under such a Princess to have no power or judgement over him And if any doubt of the Popes Authority in deposing Kings Aelius Antonius Nebrissensis will tell them that they need not since both Civil and Canon-law doth allow it and the learned Doctors of them Per leges quoque Pontificias Civiles Johan Navar. Rex vere potuit Regno spolian ex eo quod schismaticus schismaticorum fautor atque proinde Haereticus laesaeque Majestatis reus atque eodem jure intestabilis ipse omni ejus Posteritas Gentilico Regno mulctanda quod utriusque juris Consultissimi Doctores multis argumentis rationibus exemplisque probant Ant. Nebress de bello Navar. lib. 1. c. 1. and all his Posterity may be deprived too for which he produceth the Example of John Albret King of Narvarre whom he doth not onely call Schismatick and Heretick but which is the prettiest of all a Traytor though he doth not tell us to whom But the King of Spains Historian must write any thing to vindicate his Masters Rapine And yet they 'll think it hard that the Portugals should redeem their own or that Gaspar Sala and others should vindicate the late revolt of Catalonia Antonius de Sousa de Macedo in all his writings hugely zealous for the honour of his Country Portugal is as fierce against any pretence of the Castilians as any yet when he is the most endeavouring to fasten the Crown on the head of Braganza he makes his Master so open and weak on one side that not onely that Family nay Nation may loose the sway but they may once more fall a prey to their politick Neighbour For he acknowledgeth that the Pope may m Lusitan liberata proem 2. § 2. § 25. pag. 117 118. depose his Master by the same power he hath over other Kings and that they may sometimes be thrust from their Thrones upon their evil n Id. Lib. 2. cap. 4. pag. 510 511. administration of Government And another dangerous Principle he maintains of a Kings not Ruling unless he hath been o Id. L. 2. c. 1. § 7. sworn and Crown'd And somewhat to this purpose he speaks in another place concerning the ancient way of p Proem 2. p. 116. Anoynting To these Opinions I perceive him not a little perswaded by Example and the sentiments of others Arguments of so great force to the Divine Dr. q Opus de dignitatibus lib. 1. c. 2. pag. 9. Nicolaus Rebbe and the Lawyer r De haereticus lib. 4. cap. 14. Conradus Brunus that they also upon the same account embrace this King-deposing Opinion And of the same judgement is the Learned Å¿ Hierarch Eccles lib. 5. cap. 14 15. fol. 260 266. Albertus Pighius and as for a good proof to it he several times remembers you with the action
of Pope Zachary Giulio Cerrio having been somewhat large in respect of the bulk of his Tract in examples of the Popes power in deposing Kings fairly concludes that t Hora in simili casi altri appertenenti alla Fede niuno puo dubitare che l'autorità de i sommi Pontesici non se stenda assolutamente sopra qual si voglia dignita Temporale Certio Risposta per la verita no man must doubt of the Popes absolute jurisdiction over Kings in some causes and this may be interpreted to the worst sence well enough since the whole drift of that Letter F pag. 111. is in opposition to those who deny this deposing power to be in the Pope To tell any man what Cardinal Bellarmine was would be impertinent since his name is come into a Proverb They say that many were formerly much beholden to Lyranus for his Writings Nisi Lyra lyrasset Nemo nostrum saltasset Some think Cambden as much beholden to Leland Pitseus to Bale however we know that several have walk'd in English habit for Authors which in truth have scarce been so good as Translations and so Samuel Clark the poor botching Presbyterian-story-teller is a voluminous partial Plagiary beyond all mercy one as fit to write the Church-history as Alexander Rosse to continue Sir Walter Raleigh As for Bellarmine you may look through him like a Multiplying-glass and perceive multitudes of people toyling themselves out of his Bowels to get themselves published in the world that if he had never writ the Romish Church had wanted at least an hundred Authors to augment their Catalogue and in this sort our Country-men make as bold with him as any to thrust their little English Pieces both for gain and honour amongst their party in these Nations This learned Cardinal was a true son of his Church as he shews through all his writings especially when he is concerned for her greatness and authority in one place he saith that the Pope can sometimes u Potest mutare Regna uni auferre atque alteri conferre Bellarm de Roman Pont. lib. 5. c. 6. change Kingdoms take away from one and give to another he being the judge x Ib. c. 7. to determine whether a King be fit to be deposed or no and if it be thought fit that he should be deposed then y Nec ulla eis injuria fiet si deponantur Ib. there is no wrong done to him if he be turned from his Throne And this jurisdiction he defends in another of his a Possit eos Regnis atque Imperiis exuere eaque Regna Imperia ab aliis ad alios transferre Id. De Translat Imper. Rom. lib. 1. c. 12. Books and in another b Si quidem inter omnes convenit posse Pontificem maximum Haereticos Principes jure deponere subditos eorum ab obedientia liberare Mat. Tort. Respons pag. 9. Book he declares that this Opinion is agreed upon by all and this power he affirms in another of his c Contra Barchaium cap. 27. Books Though 't is d Jac. Fuligatto vita Card. Bellarm l. 1. c. 2. said of him that he would never remember that he either ever told lye in his life or beguil'd the truth by excuse or jeasts yet I shall scarce believe that he speaks altogether truth in his thus attributing so great authority in temporal things over Monarchs to the Pope yet for all that he was the Chief Champion of that See and allow'd to its Bishops all the aforesaid power and jurisdiction yet we are assured by the Testimony of a learned Romanist e De potestate Papae cap. 13. pag. 101. cap. 40. pag. 329. Guilielmus Barclaius that Pope Sixtus the Fifth was sometimes thinking to Censure and extinguish all Bellarmines works because as he thought he allow'd him too small authority in Temporals There were two of different Orders viz. Johannes f Epitome Controvers ex Bellarm. part 2. quest 21. p. 180. Andraeas Coppenstein a Dominican and g Solida Christianor fidei demonstratio lib. 3. cap. 10. Baldwinus Junius a Franciscan who have severally Epitomiz'd this Cardinals Controversies and with him they embrace this King-deposing Maxime They were after translated into French by the appointment of Cardinal Perron Jacobus Gretserus as an industrious a Jesuite as ever Germany brought forth whose resolution zeal and speedy pen made his Books almost innumerable and as in all other things so in this of the Popes authority he endeavours to vindicate h Gretser defensio Controversiarum Card. Bellarm. Tom. 2. col 1153 1154. c. Bellarmine and seems to wonder at King i Commentar Exegit in Reg. Britan. c. 6 7. James for denying such power to be in the Pope nay when he seems to make it his business to vindicate his Society from the suspition of Rebellion and to tell to all the world what brave Subjects to temporal Kings they are and will be even then doth he ruine all their loyalty by one exception k At si Pontifex aliquem ab haeresin à regno arceat ne subditos in haeresin inducat tum libere fateor nos nostrum judicium ad Pontificis judicium aggregare satiusque reputare Defens Apol. Gal. pag. 591. But yet saith he if the Pope should deprive any King for heresie marry then I do freely confess that we shall submit our selves to the Popes judgement A very good Item for which they deserved the teeth as well as the heart of Henry the Great Another of the same Order l Juris Canon Compend § 984. Petrus Alagonia and m Juris Canon Compend lib. 5. Tit. de Haeret § 13. Johannes Honorius van Axel with the Canon-law write down the same Principles in their Compendiaries and the Carmelite Fryar Giovanni Antonio Bovio findes fault with Father Paul the Venetian famed for his learning judgement moderation and integrity that amongst the Offices belonging to the Pope he doth not set down n Doveva anco se volea numerare tutte le Opere del Carico Pastorale fac mentioner dello trasferire de gli Imperii d'Oriente in Occidente habilitare inhabilitare alli Regni instituere destituere i Re che anco questo possono fare i supremi vicarii di Christo in Terra quando cio besogni per conservatione della fede Religione Christiana l'hanno fatto quando è venuto l'occasione ha hanuto effeâ—to è stato cio riceunto appovato da tutta la Christianica Anton. Bovio Risposta alle consideratione del M. Paolo pag. 69. his translating of Empires setting up and pulling down of Kings since he hath such authority An Article that I dare say Bovio never learned from the Virgin Mary whom they brag to be the Patroness and Foundress of their Order William Allen or Allain born in Lancashire a great darling with the secular Priests for whom he was the
e Non solum ei liceat Monarchae jus nomen sibi ipsi vendicare sed etiam suae ditioni subditos ad Principatus Regna Imperia utcunque ei visum fuerit assumere assumpto vero etiam sine Causa ab iisdem Regnis deponere ea Regna ex uno ad alterum pro suae voluntatis arbitrio transferre Quod si forte in reprobum sensum traditi has i. e. the Popes Censures quoque contempserint tunc Pontifex si tamen id Ecclesiasticae tran quillitati expedire cognoscet populos absolvere poterit à juramento Obedientiae quo se Dominis illis devinxerant cum adhuc juste imperarent ei quoque licitum erit ipsos Dominos incorrigibiles Ecclesiae Rebelles Principatuum suorum jurisdictione privare eorum jura ad alios Orthodoxos Principes transferre Sixt. Senens Bibliotheca lib. 6. Annotat. 72. Sixtus Senensis a man of great Reading but in this case he thought it not amiss to fin for company with the rest of his Party now affirming that the Pope at his own pleasure without any cause can depose of Kingdoms yet a little after he is willing to have a Reason and then the deposition is lawful enough CHAP. II. That the Pope can absolve subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance and their Obedience due to their respective Princes ME thinks 't is an odd humour that the Pope should be so much on Cock-horse above all the world besides as to expect that all Emperours and Kings should swear absolute obedience to him and yet allow other earthly Monarchs to have but a conditional subjection from their Subjects And this Allegiance though never so strongly tyed up with Oaths and Duty yet must the people be perswaded that an Item from Rome can quit them from its Obligation as poor Hortensius believed himself to be King of Poland because Roguish Francion and others told him so Though we abhor the action yet we cannot chuse but smile sometimes to see how many by the knavery of some Polititians are gull'd into villany many of our wicked States-men as the Devil turns himself into an Angel of Light wrap themselves in Religon to catch those who know nothing of it but the word And though we be tyed to Allegiance with the strictest bonds of Birth and Oaths yet from these if occasion serve the Grandees of Faction will ease us either as one Nail drives out another by taking a contradictory Oath to the former or some way or other procuring or making of and to our selves an Absolution the Pope and Disciplinarian being the Chief Masters of this Faculty Our Presbyterians after they had above two years impiously rebell'd against their King and Church to make their actions more plausible to the Vulgar took that abominable Covenant against both and so declaring their disobligation to either as if a latter unlawful Oath could quit one of the former which Law Religion and Nature did bind him to And I cannot but think here of the impious Guisian league in France who having fought a great while against their King Henry the Third and declared themselves not obliged to their Allegiance to him yet as a pretty trick to fool the world they sent to Pope Sixtus the Fifth that he would declare their war Vestram Beatissime Pater opem imploramâ—s Primum ut juramento quo nos Henrico III. quondam abstrinximus soluti declaremur Deinde ut bellum quod cum publica Religionis ac libertatis oppressere necessario gerendum est justum esse decernatur De justa Hen. III. abdicatione pag. 398. to be lawful and quit them from their Obedience to their Soveraign both Knaves of a double dye first to Rebel and then to make that sin lawful And that the Pope hath this power to absolve people from their Obedience is stifly maintain'd by the Roman Champions Amongst the rest Martinus Becanus is thus perswaded and he saith That nothing Pontifex absolvat subditos à debito seu vinculo subjectâ—onis quo obligati sunt suis Regibus nam sublato hoc vinculo ex parte subditorum jam sponte cessat potestas jurisdictio Regnum in suâ—diâ—os Pontifex qui utriusque i. e. King and People praeest in rebus ad salutem peâ—tinentibus potest mandaâ—e dâ—cernere ut subditi non teneantur praestare fidem regibus quando Reges non servant ipsis fidem nihil certius apud Catholicos Mart. Becon Controvers Angl. pag. 133. 135. is more certain amongst the Roman Catholicks than that the Pope may do not onely so but command the Subjects not to obey their Prince With him agreeth another of the same Order viz. a Jesuite but more voluminous and of greater esteem and this is Franciscus Suarez telling us in one place that the a Hos à ju ramento fidelitatis solvere vel solutos declarate Fr. Suar. defens fid Cathol lib. 3. c. 23. § 21. Pope can absolve Subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance And in another place saith that to affirm the contrary is to act b Est contra Ecclesiasticum morem Conciliorumque generalium usum approbationem contra Catholicorum Doctorum consensum est etiam contra rationum Id. Lib. 6. c. 2. § 7. against the Custom of the Church the use and approbation of General Councils the consent of Catholick Doctors nay and against reason and is plainly c Propositio illa Haeretica est lib. 6. c. 5. § 1 2. Heretical And as for our English Oath of Allegiance he saith a man d Illud juramentum non ligat jurantem quia non potest juramentum esse vinculum iniquitatis quale illud esset ideo nemo potest ab illo solvi and the words before these are Nemo absolvi potest proprie qui legatus non est need never be absolved from it because 't was never binding to him e De sacrorum Immunit l. 3. Proem § 9 10. Anastasius Germonius f De Haeresi cap. 30. pag. 293 296. Antonius Sanctarellus Cardinal g Contra Barclaium cap. 27. Bellarmine h De Orig. progres S. Inquis lib. 1. Quest 1. Opin 4. § 55. 145. Ludovicus à Paramo i De potest Eccles Quest 40. Art 4. Augustinus Triumphus de Ancona k Summa V. Papa § 10. Sylvester de Priero and l Comment in Cant. Magnif lib. 3. cap. 27. dub 6. pag. 134. Rutilius Benzonius with others amongst the other Priviledges which they allow the Pope to have to straiten the Authority and Grandeur of Kings is the power to absolve their Subjects from their Oaths of Allegance and so to give them liberty either to chuse or take new Masters And m De utriusque gladli facultate Tom. 2. pag. 119. Robertus Cenalis is willing to bestow the same jurisdiction upon the See of Rome As for our Country-man n De visih Monarch l. 2. cap. 4. Nicholas Saunders
enough of this and the supposed Donation which the Venetians did once prettily confute and so shake off a close demand Laurent Banck de Tyran Pap. pag. 355. The Pope asking them by what right they appropriated to themselves all the jurisdiction and power in the Adriatick Sea since they could not shew any Writings of Priviledges granted to them for so doing To which 't is said they thus returned an Answer That they greatly wonder'd that his Holiness should expect from them to shew those priviledges which yea and the very Originals the Popes themselves had carefully kept all along in their own Archives as a sacred thing and might easily be found if he would but look upon the backside of the Deed of Constantine's Donation for there might be seen the Priviledges granted to them over that Sea written in great Letters And such another story they tell us how Pope Alexander the Sixth having ask'd the same question was thus answer'd by Girolamo Donato the Venetian Ambassador Let your Holiness shew me the Instrument of St. Peters Patrimony and you will finde on the backside of it the Grant of the Adriatick Sea to the Venetians CHAP. II. 1. When the Bishops of Rome had raised themselves up to some favour and greatness what odd striving and dealings there were to obtain that See with the manner of Elections 2. That the Temporal Power had formerly the greatest stroke in the Election of Popes and that it yet hath though by underhand-dealings 3. An Essay upon this Quere Whether for some years past there hath been according to their Decrees and Orders really any true Pope THe Bishops of Rome though formerly lived in great obscurity Sect. I. lurking privately here and there without any greatness or notice by reason of the Persecutions against Christianity Now that they had the Emperours embracers of the Gospel and favourers of the Prelacy appear'd in publick in great Splendor and Authority and presently raised themselves to such a Grandeur that they seem'd not onely to overtop their Neighbours but next the Emperour to appear in greatest glory sway and priviledge which made Praetextatus design to be Consul drolingly say to Pope Damasus Make me Bishop of Rome and I will quickly make my self Facite me Romanae Urbis Episcopum ero protinus Christianus Hieron Epist 61. a Christian And now the ambition to be great made every one aspire to this Dignity and that sometimes with so much earnestness and indirect means that Religion it self and the Bishops of that City lost much of their Reputation not onely from the Heathen but Christian too as is plain by St. Hierome and others who wrote against their faults I shall not trouble my self concerning the discention and schism about Liberius and Felix the Second onely that if Liberius was an Heretick as several accuse him then a man may well plead the other to be no Antipope if that be true which some of their own Church confess that a Pope for Heresie looseth his Dignity and Chair But to wave this a An. 367. Liberius being dead the two Factions divide again each of them striving to make a Pope of their party These who were of the Antipope Felix's side chose one Damasus b Jo. Marian de Reb. Hispan l. 4. c. 19. Villegas F. S. Decemb. 11. Am. Narcellin Hist l. 27. c. 2. Ruffin l. 11. c. 10. whether of Tarragona in Catalonia or Madred in New Castile or of Guimaranes Antre Duero y Mino in Portugal Authors agree not and those who were for Liberius chose one Vrsicinus a Roman at this Election the feud was so great betwixt both parties that in the Church of Sicininus there was slain upon the place CXXXVII persons and it was a long time after before the rage of the people could bâ— asswaged insomuch that Vivensius Governour of Rome for the Emperour not being able to appease these Tumults was forced to retire himself out of the City But at last Damasus got the upper-hand and so kept the Popedom by the assistance of the Emperour c Onuphr Annot. in Platin. vit Felicis II. Valentinian Thus was this thing managed besides voting with d Platin. vit Damas Sabellic En. 7. l. 9. Nausler Gen. 13. p. 487. Genebrard p. 576. main force and arms And those who formerly were held as Schismaticks for chusing and siding with an Antipope are now brave boys for standing and fighting lustily against those who were for the true Pope Liberius as they call him And had the Emperour approved of Vrsicinus for ought that I know he had been call'd infallible and Damasus an Antipope And that the Emperours had some authority about the Election of Popes will appear by the story of another uprore and schism Pope Zosimus being a An. 418. dead the people of Rome enter again into divisions one party chose for Bishop Eulalius in the Lateran Church and the other Boniface in another Church and thus each faction cryed up their Pope Of this Symmachus Governour of Rome giveth the Emperour notice and tells him that Eulalius had Baron anno 419. § 1 2 3 c. most reason and right of his side Honorius the Emperour acknowledgeth Eulalius as Pope as being chosen and approved of by a lawful number time and place rejects Boniface as illegitimate wanting these necessaries to an Election and bids him submit or to be expell'd the City Symmachus sends this news to Boniface but the Messenger is beat In the mean time the party of Eulalius rejoyce he acting as Pope and the City Gates being shut to exclude his Adversary the Governour being the more careful by reason of the great inconvenience and trouble the City underwent by the former Tumults and Riots at the Election of Damasus Those who sided with Boniface seeing themselves and cause quite lost if presently they procured not Remedy drew up a Petition to the Emperour complaining Eulalius not to be lawfully elected but Boniface to be truely Pope for which they desired Caesars assistance Honorius upon this orders that both the elected should appear before him where he would have the Case tryed and accordingly see the right disposed of and for more clearing of the business he appointed several Bishops to meet about it but these not agreeing concerning the Election this meeting vanish'd without any determination whereupon he resolved upon another convention In the mean time the better to keep good Order in Râ—me now full of hubbubs by reason of this division he order'd Eulalius and Boniface the two heads of these disorders to depart the City and Easter now drawing neer that the people might not be without a Bishop to celebrate at that Feast he appointed Achilleus Bishop of Spoleto one uninterest to either party to officiate as chief in Rome and him he call'd b Beatitudo tua His Holiness or Blessedness and so did he Paulinus Bshop of Nola and those of c Sanctitas vestra Africk
Pope being known 't is the custom of the King of Spain c. to send instructions to his Ambassadour or some other Confident at Rome how to carry on the Conclave that a friend of his might be chosen and also nominates five or six any of which he is willing to be Pope and at the same time sends the names of some others whom by no means he will not allow to be elected by which means Cardinal Baronius lost the Title of Holiness the Spaniard wholly excluding him for a An. 1097. This Tract is left out in some Edition of his Annals the King of Spain having made an Edict against it See D'Avily les Estats p. 235. scratching a little upon the Spanish Territories of Sicily The instructions being come the Cardinals of his Faction act accordingly And he though he deserve the Chair never so much as for Example Baronius who is thus excepted against by a King 't is an hundred to one he shall never change his red Hat for a Triple Crown 'T is true sometimes a few Cardinals in the Conclave when they see they cannot bring their own ends about exclaim pittifully against this mode of submitting their suffrages and consciences to the pleasure of this or that King and now and then Pen and Paper are imploy'd in making little Tracts of Oppositions and Justifications of such Actions but this scribling and crying out of a few Cardinals never hinders the rest from prosecuting their intended designs And thus we see that yet the Temporal Authority hath a main stroke if not all in the election of Popes And here I cannot but smile at Thomas Bozius who makes a great deal of noise and blustering in behalf of the Popes jurisdiction and De Italiae statu lib. 4. c. 3. p. 388. 390. what an horrid danger and judgement 't will be to cross the Bishops of Rome For saith he the Emperours Honorius and Valentinian the Third restrained the Popes of some Temporal Power and then the Goths Vandals and Heruli wasted Italy Again that the Emperour Justinian made a Law that the Popes should not be consecrated without first consulting the Emperour and paying a certain Id. p. 395. sum of money for it and so the Plague or Pestilence seis'd upon Italy and Totila the Goth took Rome Again long after this another Law was made that the Pope should not be consecrated but in the presence of the Emperours or their Deputies and therefore besides Pag. 403. Plagues great Earth-quakes troubled Italy and the Saracens and Huns lorded it there also And suchlike consequences as these he hath store of and all as true as the Star fell down and therefore the Astronomer shot it with his Jacobs-staff And truely the rest is much after the same fashion the sum of his whole Book being onely this Italy is more fruitful hath more and greater Cities and Towns brave Monasteries and Churches better Houses and Colledges and more knowing men and women for these last twelve hundred years than it was or had before Ergo the Pope and his Authority is the greatest happiness that can happen to Italy And is not this a notable wonder that building should increase in so many hundred years If this way of Argumentizing be authentick 't is coming time not Scripture or Antiquity that must prove any Religion the which upon this account must grow better and better and so as they say Modern Protestantism must be held a greater blessing and benefit than that which they call ancient Popery in those Nations where the reformed Religion bears the sway Sect. 3. An Essay upon this Quere Whether for some years past there hath been according to their Decrees and Orders really any true Pope HAving thus hastily discours'd something concerning the Election of Popes it will not be amiss to add these few following Observations which may add some light to the business and by a farther prosecution may be of greater consideration than at this time I shall trouble my self withal but leave it to the censure of every man In the time of Paul the Fifth who began his Popedom in 1605 there lived in Italy a great Scholar and a severe Roman Catholick who being troubled at the odd carriage of the Popes and their Election thought it convenient to have a General Council to rectifie all but knowing the Bishops of Rome to have a natural aversness from this look'd upon himself obliged as a true son of the Roman Church to endeavour as much as lay in his power the promotion of such a publick benefit to his Religion And therefore knowing the Popes against it he drew up a a Supplicatio ad Imperatorem Reges Principes super causis Generalis Concilii convocandi Petition to the Emperour and other Christian Kings to bring this noble and charitable design about And possibly fearing that if this his supplication should onely come into the hands of the Potentates of the Roman Catholick perswasion it might there be stifled by the over-perswasion of their interested Favourites and Councellors To prevent this seeing our King James of a publick spirit for the benefit of the Church he directs it onely to him that by his means his necessitating reasons might be discover'd to the Emperour and the other Christian Princes Upon this the Author a An. 1611. dyeth at Rome leaves this Petition with a dear Friend of his who delivers it to an English Gentleman then there who accordingly convey'd it to King James who presently dispers'd it all Europe over As for the Author I shall positively say nothing but that he appears one to have been very well versed in the Roman affairs the common opinion is that it was the famous Neapolitan Civilian Dr. Marta of whom we have formerly hinted and indeed his very subscribing himself to the Supplication NOVVS HOMO doth intimate that he had now in something changed his Opinion and we cannot but observe that this Supplication carryeth all along a grand respect and veneration to Temporal Authority over Rome it self in some things whereas Dr. Marta in his other Volumes is so resolute a Champion for the Popes very Temporal Prerogative that he screws up the power and jurisdiction of the Romish Bishops even to trample upon all other Potentates in this world If Marta be the man it must be the discovery of some grand iniquities that could thus alienate his affection from Pope Paul the Fifth In this his discourse is indeavoured to prove a failing in the succession of Popes raising the Foundation from the Simoniacal entrance of Sixtus the Fifth But probably one might fetch a farther rise than this even by viewing over their own schisms where sometimes we shall finde such odd chopping and changing of Popes that the wisest then living could not tell which or where was the Head of the Church and yet every party creating Cardinals and declaring himself Christ's Vicar Now this is certain since the time they have acknowledged
himself either cock-sure of Heaven or lived more idle or lazie or freer from trouble or danger if he got but a Monks Cowl on and lived hum-drumming in a Cell or Monastery made a Decree against as I may say run-away Souldiers against whom I onely concern my self in the former censure In which he Ordain'd that no Souldier unless he was dismiss'd should enter himself in a Monastery to turn Monk except he were lame or otherwise unfit for the Wars And this he sends to Pope Gregory ordering him to see it put in practice and divulged Gregory looks upon this as an unjust law even contrary to Christianity and desires the Emperour to consider how he can answer it at the day of Lib. 2. Ep. 62. Judgement yet declared that he had fulfill'd his duty by yeilding obedience to his commands and so had accordingly published the Order abroad But I warrant you Gregory the Eighth and our Modern Popes would not thus obey the Emperours and yet they will not say that this Gregory the Great an holy Saint in their Calendar in this his obedience and humility was erronious or committed a fault In the Emperours Army there was one Phocas a common Captain or Centurion but a most cruel and wicked man who upon a Mutiny in Sclavonia made himself very active so that they flew into open Rebellion and in this humour he plaid his Cards so well that he became the onely Ring-leader those that were loyal being forced to flee insomuch that they heaved him upon a Shield an old Ceremony not onely in Armies but also in France and Spain in proclaming their Kings and shouted him up for Emperour Having gone thus far in villany he proceeds and to loose no time in all haste marcheth to Constantinople and that with such a strength that the Emperour Mauritius who of late had led a very religious life having sent to all places to be pray'd for was forced to flee and so in a little Bark with his Wife and Children stole out of the City over the Chanel to Chalcedon now call'd Scutari or Calcitiu but being overtaken by Phocas his Souldiers was brought back to Constantinople where Phocas had the Emperours Children which then he had seis'd on murther'd before the Fathers face the poor Mauritius onely repeating that of the Psalmist Just art thou O Lord and righteous are thy judgements And which was more the Emperour having there one of his Sons a little Childe the kinde Nurse of it through a strange pitty love and loyalty stole it away and put her own Childe in its stead to be slain But the Emperour not to be out done in compassion unwilling to allow of such a cruel charity withstood the design and so had his own innocent Infant murdred before his face and at last was himself also slain then their heads were cut off and their bodies exposed to all manner of contumelies There were also murder'd Petrus Brother to the Emperour and many of the Loyal Nobility Theodosius eldest Son to Mauritius who had also been some years before Crown'd Augustus and co-Emperour to his Father being sent upon this Rebellion to Cosâ—hoes of Persia to desire his aid and assistance against Phocas was also overtaken and beheaded And to make the Tragedy compleat one Scholasticus an Eunuch having saved the Empress Constantina Daughter to the Emperor Tiberius thus a Father-in-law and Predecessor to Maurice and her three Daughters hid them secretly in a Church yet was not this so privily done but Phocas heard of it and sent to have them delivered Cyricius the Patriarch of Constantinople made some opposition nor would he yeild them up till Phocas had by Oath sworn to do to them no violence which for some time he kept thrusting them into a Monastery but at the years end had them all four most barbarously butcher'd Here we have Phocas one of the most absolute Villains in the world as for Mauritius a An. 602. § 23. Baronius himself cannot but give him many commendations yet he will quickly shoot his bolt to finde out the Reason of all these Judgements against him and all this because forsooth he would not comply with the liberty of the Church as they call it and was not a sure Friend to Gregory for this is that which he aims at And now let us see how Pope Gregory behaved himself towards this Villain he no sooner hears of this abominable Murther and how the Tyrant had made himself Emperour but he hath the Statues of Phocas and his Wife carryed through Rome in triumph with a great many pretty cantings and then with a great deal of state and glory placed up amongst the other Emperours Nor was this all for he writes to Phocas congratulating his good success as the Angels did the Nativity of our Saviour a Baron an â—â—3 § 3. Glory be to God in the highest who as it is written changeth the times and translateth Kingdoms For which we rejoyce that thou art come to the Empire Let the heavens rejoyce and let the earth leap for joy and of your gracious actions let all the people be exceeding glad In another b Id. § 5. Letter to the same Tyrant he rejoyceth and thanks God that he is Emperour and that Mauritius was taken away And in another to Leontia Wife to Phocas he thus begins c Ib. § 6. What tongue can declare what minde can conceive the thanks which we owe to God for your Empire And yet if we consult Historians they will assure us that this Phocas was not onely a cruel furious and bloudy fellow but also a drunkard wencher yea and an Heretick too But d Ib. § 9. Baronius and e Tom. 1. pag. 333. Coquaeus are very busie to quit him of the last fault and so make him a good Roman Catholick But be as bad as he will 't is confest that his Wife Leontia was guilty of the same vices Whereby I can scarce think of Pope Gregory's Letters but I must at the same time remember the flattering and wicked Addresses of late days made to Oliver and his Son Richard by their canting Armies and suchlike knavish Phanaticks who in the hight of their wickedness would impudently pretend the Spirit of God to be their Informer I do not here compare Pope Gregory to these Villains yet I can easily perswade my self that he had not as the Turks story of their great Prophet the Pigeon or Holy Ghost at the writing of these Letters directing him at his ear as they say sometime he had and so they always paint him The Patriarch of Constantinople having as aforesaid somewhat angred Phocas for not delivering the Empress Constantina and her Daughters to his cruelty without an oath of security and the Tyrant seeing himself thus bravely courted by the Infallible Roman condescended to the request of Pope Boniface the Third and so decreed That the Church of Rome should be the e Hic Rogante Papa Bâ—nifacic
power of nominating Bishops in his own Territories whom he left to be Consecrated by others Now on the contrary the Pope would take all power into his own hands allowing no man to be Bishop of what Country soever but whom he pleas'd by which means he would wrest all favours from the Temporal jurisdiction to himself And whereas formerly Clergy-men were commonly marryed and their b Dist 28. c. si quâ—s docuerit c. si quis discernit dist 31. c. Omâ—no confitemur c. Quoniam Romani c. Aliter se Orient Canon-law it self grants them some favour in this case Now the Pope proceeds severely against the married Clergy by Excommunication and so in a manner deprived them of their Beings which was the cause of great troubles in Germany Nor was this all but also Gregory the Seventh thrust himself up above all Dominions and Authorities in the world by the assistance of a puny Synod at Rome thus declaring his Prerogative viz. That onely the Pope of Rome can depose Bishops Baron an 1076. § 31 32 33. That his Legat must take place of all other Bishops in a Council which Legat hath power to depose other Bishops That the Pope can depose those who are absent That it is lawful for the Pope onely according to the necessity of them Time to make new Laws c. That the Pope onely may use the Imperial Ensigns That all Princes are to kiss the feet of the Pope onely That his name is onely to be recited or mentioned in Churches That he hath Authority to depose Emperours That he onely can translate Bishops That no General Synod ought to be call'd without his command That no Book is Canonical without his Authority That his sentence ought not to be revoked by any body That no man ought to be Censured for Appealing to Rome That all Causes of great Importance of what Church soever must be referred to him That the Roman Church neither ever did or can err That there is but one onely name in the World i. e. the Pope That the Pope of Rome if he be Canonically Ordain'd is undoubtedly made Holy by the merits of St. Peter And some other such-like Priviledges as these were also then concluded upon Thus by little and little did the Roman Bishops dwindle the Temporal Authority to nothing by making themselves so great and powerful Alexander the Second had null'd all Lay-Patronage by making it unlawful to receive any Benefice from a secular Authority which then they call'd Simony though gave a Coquaeus p. 513. nothing for it as b Pag. 874 875. Id. pag. 868. Genebrard saith And a little before this Leo the Ninth seemed to ease the Papal See from the Imperial jurisdiction but to no purpose that Chair falling after into the Imperial Nomination as it did also in him But Gregory the Seventh by a particular c 26. Q. 7. Quoniam Investituras Baron an 1078. § 26. Canon null'd and voided all Investitures that should be made to Bishops c. by the Emperour or the secular Prince Though we are told that his Master d S. Hen. Spelman Gloss v. Investur Gregory the Sixth mainly commended this way of nominating or designing Bishops by a Pastoral Staff and Ring by the Temporal Prince whereby the other Bishops might with more Authority and less prejudice Consecrate him and that this had also e G. Carleton's jurisdiction pag. 137 138 139 c. formerly been the practice cannot be denyed and the power of Nomination is yet used by all Christian Princes within their respective Dominions Suchlike actions as these procured some heart-burnings betwixt the Emperour and Popes which at last fell to open divisions and animosity to which the troublesome Saxons were not the least Authors who had for some time born a spite against the Emperour from whose Authority and Protection they had several thoughts and consultations of withdrawing themselves To prevent this Henry had built several strong Castles and Forts amongst them which incensed them more insomuch that they did not onely fortifie and defend themselves but sent to Rome complaints against the Emperour of Oppression and Simony which Vrspergensis saith were f Accusationes blasphemas inauditas false accusations Alexander the Second then Pope upon this took the confidence to send to Henry commanding him to appear at Rome to answer before him such complaints as were laid to his charge but the Pope g An. 1072. dying presently after this Tryal fell to the ground for a time After him was Pope Gregory the Seventh who was first call'd Hildebrand and under that name commonly met withal in History but the Germans who above all things hated him for jestsake used to call him Hellebrand i. e. a Firebrand from Hell they looking upon him to be the cause of all their misfortunes whilst some others magnifie him no less than a Saint Gregory had not been above a year Pope but he sent his Legats into Germany who though they behaved themselves stoutly to the Emperour yet could not procure the Priviledge of having a Synod held there by them the native Bishops not being willing to submit to such Masters the chief of the Opposers being Liemarus Archbishop of Breme whom they undertook to suspend and the Pope afterwards thought he had completed it and at last a An. 1075. excommunicated several Bishops who adher'd to the Emperour And not long after sent an express summons to Henry himself to appear before him at Rome and that if he were not there by such a day he should be forthwith excommunicated The strangeness and boldness of this Papal summons moved the Emperour so much that he not onely sent away the Legats with scorn but sent forth Orders to all Bishops and Abbots to meet him at Worms there to hold a Council who accordingly appear'd in a very great b Amâ—lâ—ssimo numero â—am Schafâ—ab anno 1076. number where having drawn up many Accusations and Crimes against Gregory they adjudge him not fit to be Pope declare his Election void whatever he shall do as Pope after that day to be null and of no effect and so deprive him from the Popedom And to this having subscribed they sent Rowland of Parma to declare the same at Rome In the mean time Gregory had call'd a Synod at Rome which being met Rowland appears amongst them and there boldly declares to the Popes face how the Emperour and the Bishops of Italy Germany and France in a Council had deprived the said Pope But Gregory to requite this kindness the next day excommunicates and deprives the chief of the Bishops who were at Worms and for the rest he appoints a set time for them to repent and submit to him which if they did not obey then were they also partakers of the same sauce Nor doth he forget the Emperour but very dapperly excommunicates and deprives him of his Dominions and Authority The chief part of which Deposition
also absolve by the Authority of God and Vs all you Bishops from that promise whereby you were bound contrary to the Constitution of the Church for the observation of them And then he rehearseth the said six Constitutions in controversie between the King and Him and then nameth several persons of Quality whom he did thereby Excommunicate Of these things he also giveth the Pope notice repeating in a manner the same reproaches against the King with an additional Id. § 34. commendation that he grows worse and worse whom he was also resolved to Excommunicate Upon this the English Bishops write to Thomas how they had once some hopes of a peace hearing how he gave himself to prayer fasting c. The way to recover the Id. § 43. benefits of a peaceable reconciliation hereby was conceived an hope that you might from above bring into his Majesties heart such favour that he would out of Kingly mercy relent in his wrath towards us and never recall to minde the injuries offer'd by reason of your departure Your friends and well-wishers regain'd some access unto his Majesty whilst these things were thus divulged of you insomuch as he graciously admitted all such as were suitors for restoring you into his former favour But now by the relation of some we understand which we cannot but with grief remember that you published against him a severer Commination wherein you let pass all salutation wherein you practice no Counsel or Petition for Grace wherein you neither advise nor write any thing that savoureth favourably but with all extremity do rigorously menace Interdiction or Excommunication against him Which were it as sharply executed as it is bitterly spoken we should not then hope for peace but should fear to be inflamed with an irrevocable and eternal hatred Thus whilst as it were with a drawn sword you joyn battle you have not left for your self any place for Petition Wherefore O Father we charitably advise you not to heap labours upon labours and injuries upon injuries but setting threatning aside you would rather imbrace patience and humility Commend your cause to Divine Clemencie and your self to the grace and mercy of your Soveraign and in so doing you shall heap and cast together coals of fire upon the heads of many It is better to be highly commended for voluntary poverty than to be openly taxed by all men for ingratitude for a received Benefit It is deeply rooted into the mindes of all men how gracious our Lord the King hath been unto you unto how great dignity he hath rais'd you from poor degree and received you into his favour so freely and frankly as the ample bounds of his Dominions reaching from the Northern Sea to the Pyrenean Mountains were by him so absolutely subject unto your power as through all those Principalities they were onely accounted happy who could finde but favour in your sight And that no worldly mutability might overthrow your prosperity and glory he laid your foundation most firm in the possession belonging to God And notwithstanding his Mother disswaded the Kingdom cryed out against it and the Church of God so far as she could sighed and groan'd thereat he indeavoured by all means possibly to raise you unto the dignity of your present preferment hoping he should hereafter Reign blessedly and enjoy your assistance and counsel with exceeding security If therefore where he expected security to defend him he shall finde a sword to offend What rumour will be spread of you by all men what a reward what a remembrance will this be of a requital never heard of before Forbear therefore if you please to wrong your fame forbear to injure your Renown and indeavour to overcome with humility your King and your son with charity c. And at the end tells him of his preposterous and rash Excommunication of the a â—ocelin Bishop and b John of Oxford Dean of Salisbury before the offence was examin'd A new order of Judgement and hitherto in the Laws and Canons as we hope unknown first to condemn and then to examine the offence The English Bishops write also to the Pope giving great commendations of their King and telling the Pope the occasion and story of these troubles between Henry and Thomas viz. How that the King finding sometimes the peace of his Kingdoms not a little molested with the outragious excesses of some insolent Clerks with due reverence to the Clergy referred their offences to the Bishops Judges of the Church that one sword might assist another and that the Spiritual Power might confirm and establish in the Clergy that peace which he maintain'd in the people Wherein the zeal of each party appear'd more plainly the Bishops affirming that murther or any other like crime should onely be punished in the Clergy by degradation The King on the contrary being of opinion that this punishment did not sufficiently answer the offence neither was it provision enough for maintenance of peace if a a Lector aut Acolythus Reader or sub-Deacon killing some famous man renowned for Religion or Dignity should escape free with loss onely of this Order The Clergy therefore upholding the b i. e. of holy Orders or Clergy Order established from Heaven and our Lord the King persecuting onely the offence as we hope with a just haetred and intending to plant his peace more deeply a certain holy contention arose amongst us which we trust the plain and honest intention of both parties may excuse Hereupon not with any ambition of inlarging his Dominions not with any conceit of oppressing the Churches Liberties but with a desire of setling and confirming peace it went so far that the King would produce to light the Customs of his Kingdom and Dignities anciently observed and quietly and reverently yeilded by persons Ecclesiastical to former Kings in the Kingdom of England and to the end that hereafter no longer the thred of contention might be spun he would have the same openly known Wherefore the most ancient Bishops and great Peers of the Realm being first sworn by their faith and the hope which they had in Almighty God and then making search into the state of fore-passed times the Dignities of the Crown being sought were laid open and by the testimonies of men of the greatest accompt in the Kingdom were published Loe here the cruelty of our Lord the King against the Church of God which fame hath so spread over the whole world Behold here his persecution And these are the works so divulged for wicked both here and every where And then they tell him how willing the King is to be advised by the Church that peace might be And truly Father our sollicitation had long since as we hope obtain'd the desir'd end of this wished peace had not our Father the Lord of Canterburies bitter provocations stir'd up afresh this discord now laid asleep and almost absolutely extinguished For he from whose patience we hitherto expected peace
the Austrians stir'd up either by the f Id. pag. 4â—4 439. Pope or Fredericks Enemies rise up against him whereupon he was forced to forsake his design at Milan But having quiered all in Germany he returns against the Rebels year 1237 in Italy earnestly desiring the Popes assistance against these Traytors But Gregory after a g Matt. Paris p. 444. 1238. dissembling manner made shew as if he also fear'd the Imperial Armies and so neglected his aid Frederick marcheth on beateth the Milanois conquering all the Rebels before him The Pope seeing thus all to go well on the Emperours side sends to him to spare the people and accept of a peace But these things not fadging according to the Popes humour he Leagues himself with the Venetians and Genovois against Frederick and then h 1239. Excommunicates him and absolves his Subjects from their Allegiance And this be sends all over with many aggravations against the Emperour all which Frederick undertook to i Matt. Paris p. 493 494 495 496 501 520 521. Pet. de Ven. lib. 1 Ep. 1. 50. answer At last the breach widening and who would not be angry to loose an Empire disdain turn'd their Prose into Poetry And Bzov. anno 1239. § 7 thus they Libel one another which you may take as themselves relate it with their variations And first they say the Emperour thus shews himself Roma diu titubans a Variis longis erroribus act a b Totius mundi Corruet mundi desinet esset caput Rome so long shook with divers errours shall Now cease to be head of the World and fall To which the Pope thus returns Niteris incassum navem submergere Petri Fluctuat at nunquam c Mergitur illa desinet esse Ratis In vain thou striv'st to drown St. Peters boat It ne'er shall cease to be but always float To which thus again Frederick Fata d Docent volunt stellaque e Moment docent aviumque volatus f Totius malleus unus erit Quod Fredericus ego Malleus Orbis ero The Fates the Stars and Auguries decree That I the Conquerour of the world shall be And at last Gregory gives this return g Fama resert Fata volunt Scriptura docet peccata loquuntur Quod tibi vita brevis poena perennis erit The Fates and Scripture tell your sins report Your pains shall never end though life but short h Acts Mon. Tom. 1. p. 409. John Fox affords you other Verses to this purpose Gregory having thus by his toyish Censures deprived Frederick as he thought and some Italian writers look upon him for the future as no Emperour consults for a new Election and at last pitcheth upon Robert Brother to the King of France But this by the French St. Lewis is rejected as ridiculous alledging the Matt. Paris p. 517 518. Jo. de Bussieres Tom. 2. pag. 134. Pope to have no power over the Emperour and that Frederick was a good Christian Neighbour Friend and Ruler And so this design fell to the ground The Pope being thus frustrated by so great a Monarch entred into a Treaty with Frederick but though agreement made being fickle-humoured he would i Id. pag. 541. stand to nothing to the amazement and grief of his own Legates However Gregory resolved to undo the Emperour summon'd a Council to confirm his deposition but this was hindred by Fredericks seizing of some Cardinals and Bishops going thither and the Popes year 1241 death who had given k Mutius pag. 209. Indulgences to all those who would take up the Croisaidy against the Emperour The death of Gregory ended not the troubles of Frederick for Innocent IV was as furious against him as the former though a friend to him when a Cardinal which made the Emperour upon notice of his Election knowing that Authority commonly alters the man and Popes used to be enemies to the Empire say That he had lost a good Cardinal friend but got a mortal enemy being Pope And this proved true Yet the Emperour being stronger in Italy Innocent fled into France where he excommunicates Frederick of which Mat. Paris tells us this following story A certain Curate of Paris having received the Order to excommunicate year 1245 him and not liking such dealings against the Emperour yet willing in some way to satisfie the command thus bespake his Parishioners Give ear all good people I have received order Mat Paris an 1245. p. 654. to pronounce the solemn sentence of Excommunication against the Emperour Frederick the Candles put out and Bells ringing But not knowing the reason though I am not ignorant of the great quarrel and inexorable hatred between them and I know also that one of them doth injure the other but which is the offender I know not Therefore so far forth as my power doth extend I excommunicate and pronounce excommunicated one of the two namely he that doth injury to the other and I doe absolve him that doth suffer the injury which is so hurtful to all Christendome At which honest meaning humour the Emperour was very well pleased whilst the Pope on the other hand was as much offended Who to make his cause more plausible gets a Council call'd at Lyons where the Emperour is again excommunicated though the Pope would not permit him to come there in person to answer for himself nor remit any of his fury towards him though the Kings of France and England would ingage for his good behaviour and due obedience Frederick being informed how the Pope and Council had declared him deposed plucks up his spirits plays the man despiseth their trifling authority over him affirms himself no subject to their Mat. Paris p. 679. deposition calls for his Crown puts it on his head and bravely and wisely resolves to keep it there On the other side those on the Popes faction looking upon 1245. 1246. Frederick as deposed consult another election and at the Popes Instigation chose Henry Lantsgrave of Turinge of whom or some other they had a Mat. Paris p. 608. formerly the same thoughts and Crown him at Aken Though St Lewes King of France upon many reasons would gladly have b Id. p. 697. perswaded the Pope to a reconciliation with the Emperour Frederick but Innocent would not Henry the Lantsgrave enjoyed not his Title long being wounded year 1247 to death as some say as he was besieging Vlme after whom and a design upon some c Mat. Paris p. 808. others by the same means was elected William Earle of Holland who d Notae in Hadr. Barland Hist com Holland p. 67. 1250. some say was afterwards Crown'd by Pope Innocent at Genoa whom we shall leave rejoycing at the departure of Frederick who dyed in Italy some say poysoned others think stifled However it be he was an excellent Scholar and Linguist speaking French Italian German Latin Greek and Arabick and
Spain and this Antonio But Philip having the longest Sword under the conduct of Alva wan the Kingdom so that Antonio was forced to flee for refuge to our Queen Elizabeth who afforded him some assistance and favour by which means and protection many Portugaise shipt themselves for England where they were received as friends with all respect and honour Amongst the rest was Roderigo Lopez a Jewish Physitian whom the Queen entertain'd in her own Service making him Physitian to her Houshold and Stephano Ferreira de Gama with Emanuel Loisie These three were inticed by the Spaniard to undertake the murther of the Queen for which they were promis'd great rewards but Lopez was to be the main instrument 1. Lopez confess'd that of late years he had been allured to do service secretly to the King of Spain which he did by the means of one Manuel Andrada a Portugal an Agitator under Don Bernardino Mendoza the Spanish Ambassador in France 2. That the said Andrada brought him from Christofero de Mora a Portugaise but a great favourite of King Philips and an especial Instrument for reducing Portugal under the Spanish Crown a rich Jewel and an encouragement from Philip himself 3. That he was informed of the King of Spains hopes of him not onely by Andrada but by Roderique Marques a Portugais also but imployed by the Spaniard on such wicked designes 4. That he the said Lopez did assent to these wicked Counsels 5. That he did secretly advertise the Spaniard divers times of such affairs of the Queens as he could learn 6. That he did also assent to take away the Queens life by poyson upon a reward promised him of fifty thousand Crowns 7. That he sent Andrada to confer with Count Fuentes about it 8. That he directed Stephano Ferreira de Gama to write Letters to Stephano Ibarra the Kings Secretary at Bruxels to assure the said Earl Fuentes and Ibarra that he would undertake as he had promised to destroy the Queen by poyson provided that he might have the said 50000 Crowns 9. That he sent these Letters by one Gomez Davila a Portugal That the reason why the murther was not executed according to promise was because he perceived the delivery of the 50000 Crowns defer'd though promis'd him from day to day 10. That to take away this delay of the Execution Count Fuentez by the King of Spains order did signe and deliver Bills of exchange for the said Money This money or part of it for security to Lopez was delivered Tho. Robinson's Anatomy of the Nunnery of Lisbone p. 9. to the custody of the English Nuns then at Rhoan in France which monies the Plot failing and Lopez executed was given to the said Nuns who carryed it with them to Lisbone in Portugal where they setled themselves in a Nunnery as appears by their Register-book And at the same time by one of the Lords of the Privy-Council through the interception of Letters this designe was discover'd and Lopez seiz'd on he was forward also to a Jo. Speed's Hist in Queen Eliz. § 117. purge old Lord Burghley out of this world All this was also confess'd by Stephano Ferrera and Emanuel Loisie and that Dr. Lopez his Children were to be advanced by the Kiâ—g of Spain and several other circumstances And that the Count de Fuentez and Ibara were privy to all these actions take this following Confession to assure it The Confession of a Manuel Loisie Tinoco by his own b One of great credit with the Spanish Councellors at Bruxels hand-writing the 22 of Febr. 1593 4. I Manuel Loisie Tinoco Gentleman of Portugal confess that the Count de Fuentez and the Secretary Ibarra call'd me into the Cabinet of the Count and both of them together either of them for his own part took my hands putting them within their own and told me that before they would declare unto me a certain business of great Importance Thou must give unto us thy faith and homage to keep it so secret that although thou happen to be taken there of the English thou shalt not discover this secret because it importeth the Quietness of all Christendom And after I had given them my word and faith with all fidelity and service in such an affair they told me Stephen Ferrera de Gama hath written to us how D. Lopez hath offer'd and bound himself to kill the Queen of England with poyson with condition the King of Spain should recompence his services according to the quality of them All which passed in the City of Bruxels in the house of the Count de Fuentez and as far as I can remember it was the 9 day of December past All this I certifie to have passed in great truth and certainty and do affirm it under mine Oath Again I Manuel Loisie Tinoco a Portugal Gentleman do confess that it is true that being in Bruxels in the house of the Count Fuentes he caused me to be call'd for and demanded of me of what Quality and Country Andrada was And after that I had told him all that I knew of him he commanded his Secretary to shew me all the Letters that Andrada had written to him from Calice He shewed me three Letters in the first he signified that he was come from England where he had been prisoner a long time and that he was sent by order of Dr. Lopez who as a man very zealous and friendly to the service of the King of Castile was determined to do the King such a piece of Service as thereby he might with great safety satisfie himself on the English Nation But so as the King should recompence his said services with honours and favours according to the quality thereof For he was old and many ways indebted and would now finde rect for his old age And declaring the quality of the service he told him that Dr. Lopez bound himself to dispatch the Queen with poyson Wherefore it behooved him to advertise the King of Spain thereof with all speed and he would attend at Calice until the answer came from Madril The same designe was also carryed on to murther Don Antonio who then call'd himself King of Portugal Concerning which take part of Stephano Ferrera de Gama's Confession taken the 18 of Febr. 1593 4. He saith that Manuel D' Andrada about a month before he went out of England did declare to him that if the King of Spain would that D. Lopez would poyson the Queen of England and the King Don Antonio also Which speech being afterwards utter'd to D. Lopez by Ferrera the Doctor answer'd As for the King he shall dye with the first sickness that shall happeâ— to him But for the Queen we have no a Meaning that the business was not as then fully concluded on the Doctor being not fully assured of his money without which he declared he would not poyson her answer as yet from the other side In short Lopez Ferrera and Loisie were condemn'd and
death Moreover most holy Father they sow and cast out every where these spiteful and disdainful scoffs that at Rome are oftentimes rehearsed and remembered the singular and great benefits of this Realm unto the See Apostolick but now the same Kingdom being grievously distressed is not once requited with like no not with necessary thanks and reward That this Realm is honoured with the Title of The First begotten of the Church but that it is altogether handled as a Bastard and abandon'd as an untimely Fruit. That the Bishop of Rome challengeth unto him the name of a Father and succoureth not his most obedient and dutiful Children enduring now extremity and stretching forth their humble intreating hands but rather provoketh them to anger Finally that all these lingerings are of small effect and these excuses not worthy to be written in water It is also very grievous to hear and is now upon every mans tongue that it cannot be done without our great shame that all the Treasure of England Germany and other Heretical Nations is spent wasted and consumed in an ill and an ungodly Cause and that from every place power is sent and cometh in savour and aid of the Hereticks But that the Catholick Princes * one onely excepted of whom France receiveth Philip King of Spain a great and continual succour in such important Affairs but notwithstanding insufficient look one upon another careless being in a most just and weighty Cause altogether faint cold and unwilling Which as it is in great grief to be lamented in other yet especially in him unto whom it belongeth to surmount them all in this kind of duty for to encourage them with word and deed to defend the Cause of that particular member of the Church whereof he is set and appointed by God a Governour and a general President and always armed with present money wherewith to defend her And rather should by Letters and Messengers pawn and engage his Credit for to encourage the hearts of the Catholicks then to abate and dismay their hope in fearing in vain to look for that whereunto reason and equity doth persuade and bind him chiefly by that the Bishop by whom Navarre himself and other attending unto Divellish Doctrines and other walking after the design of the flesh in impiety scoffing the name of Catholicks the wisest and most learned men have always judged were excommunicated and cursed For what is he most Holy Father that with one eye cannot see that they onely gape after the Goods and Possessions of the Catholicks by all means seek to entrap their lives greedily thirst after their bloud and onely wish the destruction of Christian souls and utter decay of true Religion This the conquer'd Cities do witness this the sacked and spoiled Goods of honest and godly men this the rewards granted or at least promised unto the Hereticks this the Consecrated Reliques nay rather the most sacred body of Jesus Christ cast before Dogs this the hard and impenitent hearts of the corrupted Nobility this the Souldiers ready to the spoil and overthrow of Churches this the new established Synagogue of the Ministers of Sathan corrupting and falsifying the pure Word of God this the manifold Gibbets of Preachers this the bodies of sundry Captains and Souldiers beheaded this in great heaps the murthered Catholicks this the members of the Franciscans and Dominicans quickly torn in pieces with wild horses this finally the cruel slaughters of Christians and chiefly of Ecclesiastical persons manifestly declare and confirm Amongst whom the bright and thining Lights and worthy to be belov'd and desired and the stays and pillars of their Orders * * It may be his name was Robert Chessaâ—â—â—s Davila pag. 861. he had publickly commended the Murther â—â— Henry III. Chessaeus President in his Country and one of S. Francis Family drawn by violence from Gods service and committed unto the Hangman being at Vendosme not without great grief of all good Christians in the spring and prime of his age hang'd and depriv'd of his life The Director and worthy Regâ—nt of the Dominicans at Paris N. Demonte threescore and ten years of age first in infinite places stabb'd and not far from the City almost torn in pieces And of the same calling before a most worthy and valiant maintainer and defender of the truth * * He advised Clâ—ment to muâ—der Hen. III. Burgonius after divers torments with horses at Tours being dismembered have all now laureated and crown'd with their innocent bloud yielded up their Ghosts in t the hands of the Almighty Whereupon when we think we have thought good diligently to do two things by the liberty which Christ freely hath bestowed upon us The first is which although others can do it better yet after our small and slender skill to declare unto your Holiness the whole state of France whose earnest zeal and desire to aid us we doubt not shall be driven in the rest as the Letters of your most Renowned * * Card. Montalto Nephew written unto the whole body of the Holy League most plainly witness The other that we by all means will seek to comfort and strengthen the careful minds of the people partly heavy and wavering by the subtilty of the Politicians and partly by their own natural weakness and move and stir them up with all diligence and earnestness to expell and drive out Navarre and refuse and deny him boldly even in the middest of Sword Flame and Fire all service and obedience and exhort them to prefer rather what misery soever before an ungodly and wicked peace although he should seem to have forsaken and forsworn his Heresie and for it should have obtain'd a Pardon whereunto yet notwithstanding his is nothing near and should profess himself a Catholick again submitting himself under the Holy See for the manifest danger which might ensue and befall unto the true Religion by this deceitful Conversion and feigned repentance and he that shall favour him counselling any to agreement or else consenting and according thereunto when by any means shall be able to stay and hinder it to be esteemed dangerous and suspected of Heresie and altogether unworthy of mens company Whereupon our minds and heads are altogether so occupied that we are fully determined ere long to put in print to the view of the world certain Articles concerning these points and send them first unto your Holiness and afterwards disperse them in all places of the world partly to a perpetual reproach and upbraiding of the Inhabitants of this Realm if so often times admonished with baseness and cowardliness of heart they should consent to submit themselves under the yoke and bondage of an Heretick partly to stir and raise up every mans affection to send with all expedition aid and relief unto our distressed Affairs And lastly to leave behind us for our Successours sure witnesses and tokens of our care and loyalty to our Country and so to disburthen our Consciences and
of the Bishops Court of Chancery at the request of the Chancellor the See being vacant And farther had earnestly endeavoured to seduce a young Gentlewoman his Cozin using many solicitations to her both in publick and in the Church but not gaining his desires according to a common kind of Revenge and Affront in Italy he filthily bewray'd her door portal and the ring thereof and did her some other wrongs The young Gentlewoman upon advice puts in her Complaint to the Senate at Venice whereupon the Canon is Cited and Imprisoned Of this the Pope is informed who cryeth out that the Liberties of the Church are violated that he will not permit Ecclesiasticks in any Case to be judged by Lay-men that Satisfaction is to be given and the Canon releas'd The Venetians return That their Republick is free that they have the same autority with other Princes so can take cognisance of the Crimes of their own Subjects within their own Dominions and punish them according to the falt Whilst this is convasing happens another accident The Count Brandelino Valdemarino Abbot of Nervese being guilty of many Exorbitant Crimes as Cruel Tyranny over his Neighbours by taking up their goods at what small price he pleas'd Committing many Rapes and Impurities upon all sorts of Women Accused of Sorcery and dealing in Magick Practising many abominable murthers by poyson whereby he destroy'd his Brother and his Servant and indanger'd his own Father That he had for a long time lain with his Sister and poysoned her Maid lest she should discover it That he had caus'd his Enemy to be kil'd and then poyson'd the murtherer lest he might accuse him and other such like Villanies For these and such other crimes the Abbot is by Order of the Senate Imprison'd At this the Pope also takes offence denying the Temporal Authority over Priests that the Church can only take cognisance of them be their falts never so great or notorious And in this humour layeth a Quarrel against the Venetians unless they will satisfie him in these three things I. That they null the Decree concerning the building of any more Churches II. That they also null and void the other Decree touching the giving of lands to Ecclesiasticks III. That the Abbot and the Canon be releas'd and delivered up to his Nuntio A great deal of do there was on both sides but the Pope peremptorily informed the Senate that at first he would send an Exhortory Breve to them and if he were not obey'd by such a time he would proceed farther having power over all could deprive Kings and to this end had Legions of Angels for his aid and assistance And accordingly he sent two Breves The Nuntio delivers them to the Senate but they were not open'd because Marini Grimani the Duke was then on his Death-bed and dyed the next morning The Pope upon notice of this orders his Nuntio to protest unto the State against any new Election as in it self to be void by being made by men excommunicated Thinking by this Trick to bring a Confusion amongst them The Nuntio to execute this Command with great importunity desired Audience of the State but it was not granted him it being not their Custom to admit any during the Vacancy unless their business be only of Condoling Duke Grimani being buryed for till the former Duke be under year 1606 ground they cannot go to the choice of another they fell to their Ballotation or Lots and the Election fell upon Leonardo Donato Having thus got another Doge or Duke they open the Breves which they found to be one and the same in Tenor which the Pope said was through the Nuncio's mistake in delivering two of the same instead of two different ones The Pope ranted fairly against their Decrees about Churches and Ecclesiasticks affirming that These Ordinances tended to the Damnation of Souls to publick scandal were of themselves void and of no value and no man obliged to observe them That they who had made these Statutes or any like or who did further them had incur'd Ecclesiastical Censures had deprived themselves of such lands as they held of the Church and their Estates and demains were subject to other penalties that they could not be absolved unless they revoked the Decrees So he admonish'd the Republick to consider the Danger whereinto they had cast their souls to seek a Remedy and commanded them under pain of Excommunication to null the said Orders That otherwise he would proceed farther considering the account he was to give to God at the Day of judgment and that he could not dissemble when he saw the Ecclesiastical Authority so abused The Venetians answer'd all warily and wisely but yeilded not a jot of their Authority At which the Pope was incensed saying they were Tyrants and different from their Ancestors being resolved though he should lose his skin yet he would maintain the cause of God of his own Reputation And so orders his Nuntio to give the other Breve which through mistake as he said he had not formerly presented The Nuntio obeys and the Senate opening it found it to concern the Imprisonment of the Abbot and Canon which the Breve said was Contrary to the Holy Canons and to Ecclesiastical Liberty which were grounded on divine Ordinance so commanded under pain of Excommunication that the Canon and Abbot should speedily be delivered to his Nuntio and that if in the mean time the secular power had proceeded to any acts or sentence of Condemnation or Execution he did null them and declare them void Threatning if he were not speedily obey'd he would proceed farther The Senate vindicated themselves by an Answer but nothing satisfactory to the Pope who told their Ambassador that the Exemption of Ecclesiasticks was de jure divino and that his cause was the cause of God that he would not depart any thing from his Resolution and he would be obeyed And thus resolved calls a Consistory where were present XLI Cardinals who agree with the Pope so a Breve of Excommunication or Interdict is drawn up printed and publish'd against the Duke Senate and the Republick It contain'd That the Venetians had lately made some Decrees contrary to the Authority of the Apostolical See the Ecclesiastical Liberty General Councels Sacred Canons and the Constitutions of the Pope For proof of which he instanced their Decrees concerning Churches and the Clergy with the Imprisonment of the Abbot and Canon That these Actions tended to the danger of the Souls both of Duke and Senate and the scandal of others That the Law-makers incurr'd the Censures of the Church the forfeiture of what they had could not be absolved but by the Pope and the nulling of the Decrees That though the Decrees were void of themselves yet the Pope did hereby null them according to the Example of his Predecessors That he doth hereby Excommunicate the Duke Senate and their Partakers if within XXIV days they do not null the Decrees rase them
As for the Jesuits the Senate demanding their Answer they return'd that they might continue the Divine Offices their Sermons and Confessions according to their Custom For upon notice of the Interdict they had sent Achilles Gaillardi a Paduan noted Jesuit the Author of some meditations to represent unto the Pope what good Services they might do his cause if he would permit them to stay in the Venetian Dominions For the Nuncio before his departure from Venice had been very busie with the Jesuits the chief of whom then in the City being Possevino and Bernardin Castorio noted Authors But the Pope understanding the badness of Example if such a famous Order submitted not to his Breve sent them an Express to depart Now the Term of the XXIV days appointed in the Monitorie approaching the Jesuits were required to give their final Resolution who return'd an Express refusal to say Masse which being retorted upon them as a base Equivocation they replyed it was not contrary to their former promise because the Masse for the Excellency of it is not comprehended under the words of Divine Offices The Senate seeing themselves thus abused by these people commanded the Jesuits speedily to depart their Dominions Upon this the Jesuits suddenly collected a great summ of money from their Devoted ones so packing up as fast as they could in the Evening they departed the City each one carrying the Host at his neck intimating that Jesus Christ departed with them as they took Bark the people cryed out against them Go with a vengeance and come no more hither Before their departure they had hid their richest Ornaments burn'd great quantity of writings and there was found in their Colledges a good number of Cruses to melt metals which left some blot upon them though Possevino indeavour'd to vindicate them from any design of gold or silver At their Colledg in Padua were found many Copies of a writing containing XVIII Rules under this Title being drawn up and commanded to be believed by their Founder * vid. Exerâ—icitia Spirituália Ignatius Loyola Regulae aliquot servandae ut cum Orthodoxa Ecclesia vere sentiamus In the Seventh whereof there is a Prescription to take heed how men press or inculcate too much the Grace of God And in the Third it is ordain'd That men must beleeve the Hierarchical Church although it tell us that that is black which our eye judgeth to be white The Senate having thus wisely given an hint of their Resolutions by their dealing with the Jesuits Put forth an Order that all Ecclesiasticks who would not continue Divine Services should retire out of their Dominions Upon this the Capuchins with whom the Nuncio and Jesuits had tamper'd very much resolved also to depart and intended to go according to the Jesuits Instructions to them out in Procession with the Sacrament thereby to stir up the people to Sedition who have most affection to this Order pretending to great poverty Innocency But this solemnity was hindred by Authority So in the morning celebrating one Masie eating up all the Eucharist they concluded the Office without giving Benediction to the people and then departed and so did the Theatins and the reformed Franciscans But it was observed that the Capuchins in the Territories of Brescia and Bergamo where were no Jesuits to seduce them did not depart but remain'd Obedient to their Governours celebrating Divine Service for which honesty and loyalty they were bitterly persecuted by their superiors at Rome with Excommunications and other Censures Now began a fierce dispute amongst them Whether all the Sacraments administred by the Priests that staid contrary to the Interdict were nullities or no Whether it was lawful to adore the Eucharist shewn by such Priests And Whether it was a Mortal or Venial Sin to hear Masse celebrated by such Priests Of these every one judged according to his Interest as is usual in such cases In the mean time the Jesuits by their Instruments did what they could to stir up Sedition in the State and so did other Ecclesiasticks ingaged on the Papal faction but the Senate by their prudence prevented all and being perfectly united amongst themselves kept the people in a true Obedience to them The Quarrel growing dayly greater and greater each party addressed themselves to the respective Princes in Christendom to render their cause chear and legal the Princes desiring and perswading a Reconciliation every one of the Romanists offering to be Mediators The Pope troubled that the Venetians would not stoop to his humour invented another Plot whereby he thought to make some Divisions amongst them And this it was He publish'd a Jubilee whither he invited all Christians granting Indulgences Absolutions and Pardons to all but those of Interdicted places By this Strategem he fancyed that the Venetian people seeing themselves thus deprived of such blessing and graces would disobey the Senate and run into Sedition And the better to carry this on the Jesuits gave notice that though the people were excluded in the general yet they had power from his Holiness to grant it to such of them as would observe the Conditions by them propounded amongst which were these Not to go to Masse Nor to approve the reasons and actions of the Senate But all these plots did the Pope little good Nor did their orher lyes against the Republick as if it had renounced the Roman Religion and become Lutherans or Protestants avail them any thing The Pope seeing the bad event of all these designs sends to Philip III. King of Spain to desire his Assistance The King returns an Answer that he had desired an Accommodation but seeing the Honour of his Holiness concerned he would assist him with his forces which he had also signifyed to his Ministers in Italy This Letter was received at Rome with the greatest joy and Triumph Imaginable the Spaniards vapouring of their meritorious actions to the Pope But others gave different Censures of the Letter some thinking it procured by the Authority of the Duke of Lerma the then great Favourite of Spain who ruled King and all things else But others believed that the design of it was not as it appear'd really for war but thereby to render the Venetians more submiss and tractable for a peace However the Count de Fuentes the Catholick Kings Governour at Milan seemâ—d very forward in Preparations upon which the Venetians thought it not sâ—tting to be behind so that now both parties seem'd running into a War both Pope and Duke drumming up men and making all things ready for Offence and Defence Whilst these preparations went on the better to disorder and weaken the Venetians the Marquis de Santa Croce having received the Papal Benediction by his Nuncio departed from Naples with XXVI Spanish Gallies and at Messina received the addition of XIV more thence secretly sailing along entred the Golf of Venice fell upon Durazzo a City in Albania belonging to the Turks which he sack'd and returned
Venetians smiling to see on what little things some fond people would build a Submission or Conquest And it may be upon this Rumour or some such idle Report some Historians do say that they did receive Absolution But in this History I find most reason to rely upon the Credit of Father Paul One of the most famous Pen-Champions that the Venetians imploy'd in this Quarrel was the said learned and judicious Fryer of the Order of the Servi commonly known by the name of Father Paul of whom a word or two by the by He was born at Venice M. D. LII He naturally addicted himself to his book whereby when young he gain'd great Reputation so that William the famous Duke of Mantoua intertain'd him as his Chaplain in the year M. D. LXXIX he was created Provincial of his Order which he executed without partiality he went and lived some time at Rome where he got acquainted with the best his parts making him known to Pope and Cardinals as well as others Being return'd to Venice he followed his studies close and in all manner of learning was so excellent that all Strangers that went â—o Venice desired his acquaintance upon which he was foolishly accused by the Court of Rome as a Company-keeper with Hereticks At this time the Order of the Servi was in some trouble by reason of their Protector Cardinal Santa Severina who against all right or reason was resolved to make one Gabriel Collison General of the Order being thereto perswaded by his Briberies the whole Order opposed this and herein Father Paul was a little ingaged but carried himself with great discretion and moderation But at last Gabriel was made General and a seeming peace was made When the late Quarrel began between the Pope and the Venetians they chose Father Paul to be one of their chief Assistants who by his solid reasons staggerd the Papal Pretensions which so concern'd the Pope that he would have had the Father brib'd from his Duty to the Commonwealth but this failing other designs were set on foot Gaspar Schoppius a man well known for his railing and pernicious principles of Government freely told Father Paul that the Pope had long Hands and might reach him but wisht rather to have him alive at Rome and the Father was by several great Personages informed that Plots were laid against his Life but he trusting to his Innocency neglected his Security But this confidence might have cost him his Life for one Evening in the Street at Venice he was assaulted received two wounds in his Neck and one in his Face entring at his right ear and passing through the Jaw bone and out again betwixt his Nose and his Cheek and the Stelletto was left sticking in the Villain not having strength enough to pull it out The number of these Assassins were five who having a Gondola ready got presently to the House of the Pope's Nuncio then resident in Venice thence in a flat Boat with Ten Oars and well armed prepared for the purpose they departed that night towards Ravenna Being now in the Papal Territories they were secure and vapour'd of the Fact and were nobly received at every place at last they got to Rome where they were well also entertain'd with assignation of Entertainment And here they staid some time till the world cryed shame that such abominable Villains should be sheltred and entertain'd from Justice by his Holiness upon which the Pope was forced for Honour sake to order their departure out of the City yet had they some Allowance granted them but so small in respect of those Glories they expected that they became mal-content so that at last every one of them came to an evil end But to return to Father Paul he was had home to his Monastery the most famous Physicians and Chyrurgions in those parts imploy'd about him so that after some time he perfectly recovered to the joy of the whole Senat who by publick Proclamations took order for his future Security assigning him a Guard increase of Stipend with a House at St. Mark 's at the publick Charge But the Father desired to be excused from all such state cost and trouble resolved to continue in his Monastery amongst his Brethren of the Order The Senate perceiving this to be his earnest desire gratified him but caused some building to be added to his Chamber from whence by a little Gallery he might have the Commodity to take Boat the better to avoid Treachery in his returns sometimes by night from the publick Service Seeing the Senat had thus carefully provided for his security so that there was danger to use any more force some other designs were set on foot 1609. Fra. Antonio da viterbo who served as an Amanuensis to the Father was solicited to make him away with a Razor which he might conveniently do considering his intimacy and the great trust the Father put in him or if not this to poyson him Antonio refused to act this wickedness himself especially to such a good Friend and Patron but would afford his Assistance if others would be the Actors So at last it was concluded that he should take the Print in Wax of his Keys which he should deliver to another Fryar Giovar Francisco whom Fryar Bernardo the Favourite of Cardinal Borghese Nephew to the Pope had imploy'd about this thing by which means having Counterfeit Keys they might send in some Ruffians or Bravo's to murther the Father But some Letters of this Plot by chance being taken there was enough discovered to have Francisco and Antonio seised on Francisco was condemn'd to be hang'd but had his pardon by a full discovery of the whole design and delivering unto them all the Letters concerning this black Plot what great Personages were in this action is not known the Councel of Venice thinking it best to conceal them for the Honour of Religion To tell all the Attempts against him would be tedious these are enough and against him it was that the Court of Rome bent all their spight he being an Enemy to the prop of all their Greatness viz. their Usurpations and Authority over Temporal Princes and his Reasons obtain'd him the greater ill-will from that Bishop because they seem'd to be favour'd by other Potentates The Pope fearing that in time other Territories might follow the Example of the Venetians And when his Coercive Authority is once despised he will remain but a weak Governor within the narrow Limits of his Churches Patrimony which may render him incapable of preferring his Favourites abroad and the Interest thus gone the Splendor of his Seat will fail and the Glory of his idle and wasting Courtiers will be eaten up by the more thrifty Citizens Thus their Charity to themselves made them the more violent against the Fryar Paul though he acted nothing but what became the duty of a good Subject to his Prince and Country The Father hoped that the malice of his Enemies would vanish by degrees and
I know Loyalty which thus occasion'd his misfortune and death to the shame of his Persecutors But that Book which then made the greatest noise was call'd Anti-Coton which was smart and in the main spoke to the purpose though some mistakes might happen in it through too much haste however it put the whole Order of Jesuits into a flame and hurry every one endeavouring to quell this unknown enemy But certain it is it had been better for their Reputation if Father Cotton had not given occasion to such a Reply by his Letter which did them more hurt than good For those Romanists who vapour with the Council of Constance and brag that they maintain nothing contrary to it may like the shearing of hogs make a great noise but get little Wool or Reputation for as on one hand they may declare a Council to be above a Pope for which his Holiness will give them little thanks so on the other they cannot expect any Credit or Approbation from Temporal Princes seeing one may be as great a Traytor as Clement or Chastel and yet not contradict the cry'd up Canon of this Council The sum of all this goodly Rule being only thus much No Tyrant that is a * Greg. de Valiant Tom. 3. disp 5. 9. 8. p. 3. lawful King ruling Tyrannically ought legally to be slain by any one of his Subjects or Vassals by any clancular means being sworn to him * Non expectata sententia vel mandato judicis cujuscunque without sentence or Command of some some judg or his Superiors And this is all the great business that so many of them have pleaded their Loyalty with The main of all being that they stick close to the Council of Constance and with it will declare That it is lawful for a private man to kill a wicked King without command from his betters which hath so little Pith or Sence as to the main business True Allegiance that possibly most King-judgers or killers might think they never broke such a Canon and so not condemned by such a Council As for Father Cotton a French man he was of a subtil Head-piece cryed up by his Order both for his Sanctity and Learning but the command of his Tongue Courtship and Carriage were his best Friends by which he got to be the Kings Confessor and thus setled in his Favour he knew well enough how to keep himself there yet others think his writings more to consist of words than matter and that his real Sanctity though some will appropriate as it were Miracles to him was no better than his Neighbours Anti-Coton accuseth him of betraying the Kings secrets and the Duke of * Memoires Tom. 3. ch 29 pag. 290 c. Sully proved to the King that in that he was guilty Pope * Sâ—nnâ—rt l. 6. part 9. c. 8. Nicolas V. gave leave to a Friend of his so far to consult the Devil that one witch might kill another that thereby his acquaintance might obtain his former health and it may be upon this Example Cotton made use of the Devil or Demoniack to enquire concerning the life of the King and several other affairs which may be seen at large in * lib. 132. Thuanus and * Tom. 3. p. 56 57. Sulley And it was a close and biting Anagram which was made upon this Father and it may be reflecting upon the Order PIERRE COTON Anagr. PERCE TON ROI * i. e. Stab your King In short none was more intimate with the King than he none had more power over him than he none could make him do or undo sooner than he whether through real love or policy I know not insomuch that some Deputies of Rochel once presenting a Petition to the King his Majesty was pleas'd to return them this Answer That he could not hear them then for his ears were stopt with Cotton Hence it grew into a Common jest in France upon any repulse from the King or denial of access * les Oreilles du Roy sont bousches de Cotton The Kings ears are stopt with Cotton Upon which and the Kings familiarity with him using much his Company and to take him into his Coach as also alluding to the suspition of some that this Father kept Correspondency with Spain revealing thither the Kings Secrets this following Pasquin flew about Paris Le Roy ne scauroit faire un pas Que Le Pere Cotton l'accompagne Mais le bon Prince ne scait pas Que le * signifieth cunning crafty as well as fine fin Cotton vient d'Espagne The King cannot go any where But Father Cotton sticks to his ear Yet the good King doth not attain That the pure Cotton comes from Spain As concerning the Kings murther some of the Leaguers or his Enemies thus long before it hapned wish'd or foretold it Dum sequeris solium Regis fraudesque Navarre Tesequitur Regis sors violenta tui Since thou wilt grasp Valois his Crimes and Lands Thou shalt be slain like him by bloody Hands The Jesuits as formerly hinited upon the attempt of Chastel had been banished the Kingdom of France nor might they probably have any real hopes of a Return seeing the Lawyers the Universities especially the Sorbonne the Common-people most of the Nobility the Religious of other Orders and their Parliament had declared positively against them Nor will some think that the King himself had really any good will or affection for them though he was willing of a Reconciliation with them the better to secure himself as was supposed from his Answer to his great Favorite de Sully who perswading him from their re-admission being as a foresaid banish'd was thus answered by the King Give me then security for my life In short be the reason what it will the King would by his power maugre all Opposition have them restored and had and not only made the Arrest or Decree of Parliament against them be recall'd but to ingratiate himself the more had the Marble Pillar or Pyramide formerly mentioned upon his wound by Chastel pull'd down permitted them to the regret of the University of Paris to teach again gave them places of honour about him and that nothing might be wanting on his part to oblige them he built them a stately Colledg at la Flesche in Anjou in which Town some supposed he was first conceived and lastly to the said Colledg he bequeath'd his heart which upon his Murther the Jesuits receive and carryed in great Pomp and State to the said Colledg his body was buryed at St. Denys At the carrying away of his Heart 't is said that one some think the chief President de Harlay cunningly ask'd some of the Fathers Whether the Kings Tooth which Chastel struck out were not likewise inclos'd in the Box with the Heart and carryed too However upon the Jesuits having the Kings Heart this following biting Pasquin was made and with others flew about the world En fin
themselves about this Succession And seeing Experience had told them That their Clergy had a great awe and authority over the Laity so it was best then to have all their Clergy to be of the same mind and to prosecute the same Ends and they hoped that their Laity would not then be divided To which purpose they conclude of an Arch-Priest who should have a Jurisdiction over the rest who were to act according to his Rules and Instructions And in these Designs Father Parsons was a main Stickler and Contriver the Pope also had drawn up some Bulls and sent to his Nuncio in the Netherlands to divulge and spread them abroad at convenient time wherein he declared That not any though never so near in * Quantum cunque propinquitate sanguinis niterentur nisi ejusmodi essent qui fidem Catholicam non modo tolerarent sed omni ope ac studio promoverent more Majorum jurejurando se id praestituros susciperent c. Bull. Clement VIII blood should after Q. Elizabeths death be admitted to the Crown but such an one as would not only tolerate the Roman Religion but would swear to promote and resettle it and that in the mean time Cardinal Farnese might in this Island have the greater Vogue the Pope made him Protector of England as he was of other Countreys Nay rather than fail the same Pope had * 1597. D'Ossat Let. 87. formerly exhorted the French and Spaniard to unite invade England and divide it between them Nor did they neglect to instigate the Family of the Pools to have a right Yet for all these Attempts and other Endeavours of the Jesuits Winter Desmond and such like who plotted His Exclusion upon the death of the Virgin Queen Elizabeth he was proclaimed and received as the undoubted King James I. of England but of Scotland VI. However no sooner is he set in the Throne but an odd medley-Plot is agitated against him composed of such variety of Religions and Interests that it seemed to puzzel the World that such a wise man as Raleigh should be in it but that they knew Discontent would thrust a daring Spirit upon any thing to satisfie it self The main Ingredients of this Conspiracy were Henry Brook Lord Cobham seem'd to be Protestants George Brook his Brother Thomas Lord Gray of Wilton a Rank Puritan William Watson the Author of the Quodlibets where he rants dapperly against the Jesuits for their Treasons and Plots Romish Priests William Clark who had writ against Father Parsons for the same Crimes Sir Griffin Markham a Zealous Romanist Sir Walter Raleigh a States-man and Soldier and troubled with no more Religion than would serve his Interest and turn Count Arembergh Ambassador from the Arch-Duke of Austria Zealous Romanists Matthew de Lawrencie a Merchant but an Instrument employed by Arembergh And some other such like Their Designs were To set the Crown on the Lady Arabella or to seize on the King and make him grant their desires and a Pardon To have a Toleration of Religion To procure Aid and Assistance from Forreign Princes To turn out of the Court such as they disliked and place themselves in Offices Watson to be Lord Chancellor George Brook Lord Treasurer Sir Griffin Markham Secretary of State Lord Gray Master of the Horse and Earl-Marshal of England For more security Watson draweth up an Oath of Secrecy But all is discovered they are seiz'd on examined and tryed The two Priests plead James is not King because not then Crown'd But that excuse is declared idle most of them are found guilty and condemned Watson Clark and George Brook were executed the rest reprieved Gray dyed in the Tower the last of his Line Raleigh was beheaded 1618. the rest discharged of Imprisonment but dyed miserably poor Markham and some others abroad but Cobham as we are * Oshorn's Traditional Memoires of K. James p. 12 told in a Room ascended by a Ladder at a poor Womans House in the Minories formerly his Landress dyed rather of Hunger than a natural Disease I need not here speak how their * Respons ad Edictum Reg. § â—6 Card. Allen's Answer to the Execut. of Justice p. 185. Priests endeavoured to amuse the people with what Troubles there would be at the death of Elizabeth nor how to alienate the Crown they published to stir up many Titles and Pretenders divers Pamphlets as Lesley Heghington Creswell Crag a Scotch Jesuit but his Book was burnt and never printed And we are told That the Jesuits were entreated to * Is Casaubon Epist ad Front Ducaum assist in this Plot but they desired to be excused as having another Design in their thoughts which some think was meant of the Gun-powder-Treason And to all these Contrivances Father Parsons was no bad wisher OF this Parsons seeing he then made such a noise in the world and § 11. § is by those of his Order commended as one of the most holy men of his time whilst others though Romanists will look upon him no otherwise than the greatest Villain then living in the world I shall say something here the better to inform Posterity 'T is true the Industrious Dr. Thomas James almost LX. years ago undertook to write his Life and therein to set down nothing but what the Priests and Romanists themselves writ of him which accordingly he did but it containing more of Satyre than History I shall make little or no use of that Collection now so rarely to be met with for they were all bought up by the Jesuits themselves it is call'd THE JESVITS DOWNF ALL. Some Romanists have boldly asserted Parsons to have been a Bastard begotten by the Parson of the Town Stockgursee in Somersetshire and therefore call'd Parsons though they say his right name was * Or Cubhuck A. P. A Reply to a Libel call'd A brief Apol. p. 324. Cowback and this hath been in a manner generally believed But to do him what right I can I shall not be unwilling to allow here some mistakes as to the place and though upon enquiry I am informed that those Parish-Records are now lost whereby I cannot satisfie my self as well as Manifestation of folly f. 89 I would yet I shall in part be guided herein by himself and other Enquiries He was born at Nether-Stowey in Somersetshire a Vicarage in the year 1546. His Father a Blacksmith was once an Enemy to Rome but was as they say reconciled to that Church by Alexander Briant who was executed and his Mother dyed at London in the same perswasion They had XI Children this Father Parsons being the middlemost He was Dr. Sutclyf's Blessing on Mount Gerizzin p. 220 288. instructed in the Latin Tongue by John Hayward or Haywood once a Monk or Canon-Regular of the Abbey of Torr who came out of Devonshire to be Vicar of Stowey he was held a notable Twinger and suspected as kind enough with Parsons Mother lying at her House Thus fitted
the Dominican discovered whereby the Fellow was taken and executed A Gentleman of Normandy in * Jean Bodin de la Republique l. 2. c. 5. p. 387. Confession told a Franciscan That he formerly had a design to kill Francois I. of France for which he was now sorry yet did the Confessor divulge this and the Norman was executed And one Radulphus having designed to murther Pope Innocent IV. he in * Mat. Paris An. 1247. p. 724. Confession told it to a Priest who informed the Pope of it and we need not doubt but that the Pope liked it well enough Nor do we hear that any of these Priests were punish'd or check'd for their Revealings and * Papae fiducialiter intimavit Matthew Paris doth rather commend the latter intimating as if he were bound to do it or did the part of an honest man in discovering it But we need trouble our selves no more about this matter seeing 't is impossible that all the cunning or wit of the whole Order of the Jesuits can quit Father Garnet from having been a Traytor against his Soveraign or Countrey Having of old been a great stickler to procure Troubles in this Kingdom Having been very active in the Invasion of Eighty-Eight Receiving Bulls from Rome to dispose of the Crown against the Laws of the Land Very earnest to hinder King James right Heir to the Crown to obtain it One of the Grand Agitators in this Powder-Treason to destroy the King and Kingdom he himself at last confessing it That Catesby had told him of the Plot not by way of Confession That Greenwell had told him of this not as a Fault for how could they do so that approved of it as Meritorious but as a thing which he had Intelligence of and told it him by way of Consultation That Catesby and Greenwell came together to him to be resolved That Tesmond and he had Conference of the particulars of the Powder-Treason in Essex That Greenwell asked him Who should be Protector Garnet said That was to be referred till the Blow was past That he confest That he ought to have revealed it to the King That nothing deterred him from the discovery so much as his unwillingness to betray Catesby That he had greatly sinn'd against God the King and the Kingdom in not revealing it of whom he heartily begg'd pardon and forgiveness And that the Sentence of Judgment and Death was justly past on him Yet will they tell great things of his Holiness and Saintship which may sufficiently be confuted without any great trouble if we do but consider the Bloodiness and Sodomy of his youth the Seditions and Treasons of his after-years with his proneness to Perjury and Lying all which are no signs of Holiness To which might be added his noted familiarity even in his later days with Mrs. Ann Vaux who seldom Vid Bishop Abbot's Antilog cap. 9. fol. 135. parted from his side which occasioned some who knew not that he was in Orders to think that he was married to her Certain it is that sometimes she went under the Name of Anne Garnet and in her Letters writ to him even when in Prison for this last Treason she still subscribed her self Yours and not mine own A. G. And we have it from good Authority that Robert Winter of Hoodington in Warwickshire one of the Traytors did freely and openly testifie That the said Garnet did lye with her in Mr. Abington's House at Henlip in Worcester-shire And yet rather than fail in his Sanctity they can invent a pretty Miracle to witness it As how one John Wilkinson earnestly desiring to be a Spectator of Garnet's Martyrdom not doubting but that God would shew some Miracle or other to demonstrate he Father's Innocency Accordingly he went to the place of Execution Saint Paul's Church-yard setled himself as conveniently as he could staid till all was done got nothing but an ear of Corn tainted with a little of Garnet's blood belonging to the Straw of the Hurdle or Scaffold This he carrieth with him as an holy Relique and after some time Garnet's Face miraculously appeareth as painted on it a Crown on his Head and a Starr and a Cross on the Forehead with a Cherubim hanging over his Chin and Beams about all In short the truth of the story was thus Wilkinson a zealous Romanist and affected to the Jesuits might get a piece of a Straw tainted with Garnet's Blood a Straw or Ear of Corn with some Blood on it he carrieth to the Wife of Hugh Griffith a Traytor and Romanist by Profession This she puts into a Crystal Case and we need not doubt but that it was look'd upon with a great deal of Devotion but as yet nothing of a Face could be seen by any eye At last about the Eighteenth day of September 1606 viz. above six Months after Garnet was executed some of the zealous Romanists looking upon it saw that which they call'd the Face of a man Thus is a Miracle found out and Wilkinson hastes beyond Seas to the Jesuits at St. Omers telling them what a pretty wonder he had discovered for the honour of their Society into which he was presently enter'd But here we may observe that they confess that Wilkinson came from the said St. Omers into England a little before Garnet's Execution and it may be sent upon the cheat Again how cometh the Wonder to be above Four Months or about Nineteen Weeks in doing Or Might it not be done by Art since Francis Bowen to whom it was shewn by Garnet's Friend Mrs. Ann Vaux who had some skill in Painting confest an Artist might make one neater and presently upon the place for a trial one of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury's Gentlemen whose Profession was not Painting drew one which Bowen confest was like that of the Straw but a little better proportion'd and Practise daily teacheth us that Faces may be done in a less Compass As for the thing it self 't was only a few Lines drawn like a Face upon the outward Husk of a Grain of Wheat but without any such Beams or Glories about it as the Jesuits would make simple people believe nor any more like Garnet as Hugh Griffith the Taylor himself confest than any other man that had a Beard They tell us that St. Luke was an excellent Painter and drew * Pet. de Natalibus l. 9. c. 79 several Pictures of the B. Virgin Mary one of which 't is said Pope Gregory the Great * Nonius c. 61 Jo. Eus Nieremb de Mirac l. 1. c. 39. carried in his hand in the Procession he made about Rome to stop the Plague then raging there which very Picture he sent to St. Leander Bishop of Sevil in Spain which is yet kept to work wonders in the Monastery of Santa Mariae or Nuestra Sennora at Guadalupa in Estremadura Yet every Boy at Rome will tell us that this Picture is in a little Chappel built on purpose for it on late
Queen Elizabeth 454 455 456 Francis Duke of Anjou his death 502 Suspected by poyson Ibid. Causes the Guisard to rejoyce Ibid. Don Juan d'Aquila lands in Ireland with Spanish forces 658 c. L'Auspespine the French Ambassador in England plots the murder of Queen Elizabeth 450 B BAbington's treasons against Queen Elizabeth 445 446 Baldwin II Emperour of Constantinople deposed 279 Fran. Baroncello his pranks at Rome 306 Cardinal Baronius bad Principles 78 The Barricadoes 523 Pierre Barriere his plots against the King 589 Becket vid. Thomas Cardinal Bellarmines bad Principles 68 69 Berengarius murther'd 192 John of Bilboa his imposture 360 361 Birket constituted Archpriest of England 720 Blois the Assembly of the States-General meet there 527 The D. of Guise rules all there ibid. Boniface VIII Pope his life and actions 282 c. Cardinal Bourbon declar'd King 562 Bow at the name of the Pope and Virgin Mary 40 Richard Bristow's bad Principles 62 66 C CAelestine V Pope 282 283 Alphonso Carillo Archbishop of Toledo chief of the Rebels against Henry IV King of Castile and Leon 337 338 c. Catherine Queen of Navar deprived 343 344 Robert Cecil threatned in a Letter from the Romanists 707 708 Charles III le Gross Emperour depos'd 185 First dated his Letters from the year of Christ 186 Charles III le simple King of France deposed 203 204 Carlos I King of Spain chose Emperor called Charles V 353 His going from Spain into Germany opposed by the Spaniards 353 354 Chastel stabs the King 596 Childerick II King of France and his Queen murdred 160 Childerick III King of France deposed 165 166 His Subjects absolv'd from their Oaths of Allegiance by Pope Zachary Ibid. Clement VIII thanks the Irish for their Rebellion 651 Sends a Letter to Tyrone the Rebel 655 Fryar Clement kills Henry III of France 547 The Prince of Conde poysoned 521 Conradino King of Naples beheaded 281 Constantines Donation a meer cheat 117 118 c. Constantine V Emperour of Constantinople murdred 169 170 The Covenant vid. League Council of Sixteen vid. Paris Culene King of Scotland murther'd 211 D DAndalo in a Chain under the Popes Table 307 Deodato Duke of Venice his eyes put out 183 Desmond ' s Plots against Ireland and Articles with Francis I. King of France 385 386 Proclaim'd Traitour 390 His death 392 Devils abused 27 28 The Devil confess'd his sins and loved the Mass 28 Pray'd for that his sins might be forgiven 136 S. Dominick his lying stories 5 Donald V King of Scotland imprison'd 183 Duffe King of Scotland murder'd 208 209 210 Duncan King of Scotland murder'd 215 E EDict vid. Vnion Edmund King of England murther'd 205 Edmund Ironside King of England murder'd 214 Edward King of England sirnamed the Martyr 206 207 Edward II King of England his deposing and murther 309 310 Edward VI insurrections in the North and West against him 408 409 Queen Elizabeth leaves out the word HEAD and is stiled onely Supreme Governour 400 Her Vindication 410 411 c. to 423 Her commendations by Forraigners 411 Defended from cruelty in putting some Romish Priests to death 413 414 416 Declared in a Bull of Pope Pius V Excommunicated Deprived and Deposed 419 Her mildeness and mercy towards Romish Priests 419 420 421 422 423 Who were put to death for Treasons not for Religion Ibid. Deposed by Pope Paul IV Her murder designed by Pius V 426 Her Subjects absolv'd from their Oath of Allegiance by his Bull 427 to 431 Insurrections in the North against her Government 432 Attempts to kill her 445 446 Several plots against her 675 676 c. Empire its troubles by the Papal arrogancie 303 England not subject to the Papal Power 233 234 Equivocation 190 Exorcisms used by the Romanists to inveigle the ignorant people 446 447 448 449 St. Ericus IX King of Swedland kill'd 252 Erick VI King of Denmark beheaded 279 Erick VII murdred ibid. Ethus King of Scotland imprison'd 183 Exorcisms cheating 27 F FAbritio Duke of Venice his eyes put out 183 Felton condemned for Treason not for Religion 419 Esteemed as a Martyr by the Romanists 433 Florence wicked designs against it by the Pope 331 332 c. Folly of Heathens 1 2 Formosus Pope his troubles 196 197 His body drag'd out of the grave and his fingers cut off 197 198 France the holy League and Covenant there 483 More stirs there upon the deaths of the Guises 529 The people's Declaration 530 S. Francis his childish stories 2 3 4 Frederick I Barbarossa his troubles 254 c. Frederick II Emperour troubled and depos'd 266 G GAlla Duke of Venice his eyes put out 183 Father Garnet his life 696 to 707 The story of his straw 704 705 Gerberg a Nun drown'd in a Wine-vessel 178 Gibbelines their Story 270 Giovanni Duke of Venice banish'd 183 Men held for Gods 1 2 God abused and blasphemed 29 30 Gradenico Duke of Venice murder'd 183 Gregory I against a Vniversal Bishop 154 Commendeth the murther of Mauricius 155 156 Calls himself servant of servants 156 Delivers Trajans soul out of Hell 157 Gregory VII his power 218 219 c. Deposed by a Synod at Worms 220 By another at Brixen 226 Dyeth and is Sainted 227 Gregory XIII his explication of Pius V his Bull against Queen Elizabeth 435 436 Jac. Gretser his bad Principles 69 Guelfs their story 270 Guisards several designes against the House of Navar as the chief of that of Bourbon 488 489 490 Their under-plottings against Henry III of France 494 495 496 to 502 Their designes against the House of Bourbon 502 And to make themselves next Heirs of the Kingdom 502 503 c. Look upon Cardinal Bourbon as first Prince of the Bloud rather then the King of Navar 507 Duke of Guise holds a Treaty or Conventicle with some Spanish Commissioners and others and the agreement at that Cabal 505 Has a meeting of the Chieftains of the House of Lorrain at Nancy 520 Presents several propositions to the King ibid. Comes to Paris has the acclamations of the people 522 The Queen-Mother sent to treat with him 524 His insolent demands 524 Refuses to swear Allegiance to the King and plots to take away his life 528 Is kill'd at Blois ibid. Cardinal of Guise kill'd by the Kings order ibid. Gunpowder-Treason vid. Treason H LOng Hair of great value 167 Hare occasion'd the taking of Rome 187 Harenscaran punishment what 256 257 Heaven abused with lyes 29 30 Henry II King of England his troubles by Thomas a Becket 235 236 c. His grief and penance for Beckets murther 247 248 Henry IV King of Castile and Leon his miseries by his proud rebellious Nobility 337 c. They make a League against him ibid. Designe to kill him 340 Henry IV Emperour his troubles and deposition 218 219 c. Deprived 220 224 225 His strange Humility and Submission 222 Crown'd at Rome 226 Depos'd by his son 228 229 His poverty and death