editions of the Septuaginta reading otherwise then these Popes do must be corrupt all the ancient Fathers Greeke and Latine two or three only excepted misexpound and misinterpret rather then e Sixtus and ClemeÌ„t in their editions Sixtus and Clement who haue some 1000. of other irreconciliable â—arres although they agree in this must be thought to haue done amisse And I demaund of the Romanists * Genes 3. why might not the Manuscribers in some of the copies change e into a and thereby make shee of hee as well as some late Romanists either wilfully or through the fault of Manuscribers haue changed in f Li. 4. Epist 38. S. Gregorie exercitus Sacerdotum an armie of Priests into exitus Sacerdotum the destructions or ends of Priests a manifest corruption it is and I hope Saint Boromeus would not with his coadiutours wilfully doe it because it most clearly sheweth that an armie of Priests was to serue and set vp the King of Pride some Bishop a great step indeede to shew that Bishop who now is serued with the whole armie of all the Priests of the Romane Church and who calleth himselfe the only vniuersall Bishop which is the ambitious and Antichristian title of the King of Pride against whom that Father inueigheth to be the very King of Pride prophetically delineated by that ancient Father and Pope Reade the Epistle courteous reader and passe thy iudgement as thou shalt see cause The second place of their corruption is in the g 2. Mach. 12. Machabees where to establish the Chymera of their Purgatorie fire both in their h Biblia Missalia edita Iussa Clement 8. Bibles and Missals they reade pro peccatis mortuorum for sinnes of the dead whereas they should reade thus only pro peccato for sinne and yet this in their owne knowledge is against i Edition Grec Venet. German Complut all the Editions in the Greeke yea and against an ancient Latin Vatican edition set out by Sixtus and also against some other ancient Latine Manuscripts and yet forsooth for Purgatory sake al those readings must be corrupt and Iudas Machabeus with the whole true Church of God with him be made so ignorant and superstitious as to make sinne-offerings for the dead whereas they full well knew that there was no such sacrifice appointed by God neither in the law of Nature nor in the law of Moses not no ceremonies nor rites ordained for the same neither doe the Iewes at this day practise or beleeue any such sinne sacrifice for the dead This their corruption in the wordes of sacred Scripture is by addition but by the patience of the courteous reader I will in this place somewhat fit for the purpose mention one of their corruptions by the figure of Subtraction In their k Breuiar edit Iussu Clement 8. last Editions of their Breuiâ—ries they haue pared out of the Praier of the Feast of St. Peters chaire at Antioch at Antioch I say for the feast of Peters chaire at Rome is a deuise of later Popes deuised by Paul the 4. as l Angelus Rocca Schol. in SacrameÌ„t Greg. prim Rocca affirmeth the word animas Soules least the same word should according to the faith of the ancient Church restraine the Popes omnipotency so called in late Neapolitane Theses to the spirituall bands and chaines of the soule only but that word and doctrine cannot agree with the Spirits of those men who challenge power to command and dispose of Kings and Kingdomes m Bellarm. against a certaine Venet. Doct. Bellarmine busily endeuoureth to defend this change the worke of his owne fingers But n Rocca annot in Sacrament Greg. 1. Rocca will tell him that the most principall and ancientest Manuscript in the Vatican had the word animas Soules and I must tell him that all the best readings haue it so and with iust cause I aske him why they haue not rather substracted the fabulous tale of Siluester consecrating Altar stones and the fabulous Legende of S. Catherine the Martyrs dispuâ—ing with 50. Philosophers and conuerting of the Empresse His brother o Baron in annot in Martyr Baronius turnes and windes himselfe not knowing how to defend the Historie p Brouiar reformata edita Iussu Pij Quint. some of their Breuiaries haue this Title ouer the Legend of Catherine Ex historia Ecclesiastica out of the Ecclesiasticall historie others haue Ex Eusebio lib. 7. cap. 26. out of Eusebius the 7. Booke and 26. Chapter and yet I suppose hee that shall finde this fable in any authenticall historie or in Eusebius himselfe shall bee a greater Historian then Baronius himselfe Fourthly against the infallibility of this their rule thus I argue That which maketh the Pope and all his followers therein heretikes cannot be the rule of Christian faith But the Popes proper and peculiar iudgement doth this Therefore The first Proposition I suppose the second or the assumption thus I proue Proper and peculiar choise and election to define in matter of faith in whomsoeuer it be is forbidden and q Ad Titum 3. 2. Pet. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haeresis heresie and apparent it is that choise and election to define and beleeue is alwaies taken for heresie when it is singular and alone in any one person vnlesse it be grounded vpon some speciall and immediate reuelation now that it is single Obis vera niex nostro arbitrio licet inducere sed nec eligere quod aliquis de arbitrio suo induxerit It is not lawfull for vs in matter of faith to bring in any thing out of our own choise neither to choose any thing which another by his choise shall bring in Tertul. lib. de Praeser and alone in the Pope I suppose it as the very proper and speciall position of the Aduersarie maintained by all Pontificians but impugned by all true Catholikes That the Pope ordinarily hath no new immediate reuelations from God I suppose as truth till any one shall be so impudent as to affirme the contrary The Pope then being an heretike because the rule of his faith to wit priuate choise and election in matters of faith is heresie r Ad Tit. 3. 2. Pet. 2. Heresies are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 electiones choises which taketh place in Popes also What meruaile if the Ignatians giue infallibility of not erring in faith to the Pope when they chalâ—enge the same to euery one of their owne Order as learned Caussabon proueth in his booke to Frontoduc pag 52. citing out of the Apologist for the Ignatians these wordes It night and day may be ioyned together in one and darknesse with light heat with cold health with sicknesse life with death then there may be some hope that heresie can fall into the head of a Iesuit thus he According to this if Clement with the two or three hundred Ignatians assembled in Rome had ioyned in Councell there
affirmed not that the * See Austen epist 112. epist 1. 9. de Vnit. Eccles ca. 16. clarissime sacred word of God contained in the old and new Testament was an infallible and fundamentall rule of faith but concerning this rule of faith two of the Romane rules of faith to wit Sixtus the fifth and Clement the eight haue beene egregiously ouerruled with the spirit of error and heresie for they haue by their n Epist decret Sixti 5. Clement 8 ante editiones suas two decretall and definitiue Epistles defined two opposite contrary and contradictorious editions by themselues and their deputies being discussed and rediscussed to be the very sayings letter and sentences of the holy Ghost charging and decreeing the same to all Christians vnder the curse of separation from the Church and Gods beauiest displeasure So that Sixtus hath accursed Clement and all approuers of his Bible Clement Sixtus and all the followers and defenders of his edition and although it hath pleased the Authors of the o Praefatio in Biblia Clementis 8. ibidem Preface to Clements edition to auouch in a few lines many thousands of vntruthes and that against their owne knowledge and consciences to wit that Clement did onely amend certaine scapes of the print in Sixtus his edition the which Sixtus himselfe intended to haue corrected as there most lyingly they affirme when as it is as cleare as the Sunne that their two editions haue in them innumerable substantiall differences of whole lines and sentences The which being so can any man but of ordinary iudgement beleeue in good earnest that Romane Bishops with their Cardinals defining ex Cathedra cannot erre For what can be an errour or heresie ex Cathedra if to define hereticall editions of the Bible commaunding the whole Church vnder paine of greatest curse to receiue them be not errour and heresie ex Cathedra This matter tormenteth the aduersarie greatly and by diuers it is diuersly repulsed Some there were in Clements time who excused Clement with the Romane Church which hath receiued his edition but condemned Sixtus The dead indeed bite not and it most concerned the liuing Romanes that their liuing rule erred not This opinion was most strong in Clement his time when I was in Rome and it was greatly fauoured by the Ignatians Others forsooth consider how wilfully they are wedded to the Popes infallibilitie eyther impudently or most ignorantly denie that Sixtus euer made any such decretall Epistle A manifest vntruth to be confuted by a world of witnesses Others grant the Epistle but say it was neuer published This is so manifolde an vntruth as there were editions of Sixtus Quintus Bible before Clements edition all which had his decretal Epistle before them I my selfe haue seene and read of them in Rome but leauing those who make p Isai 28. spem suam mendacium a lie their hope others as Doctor B. and P. W. c. doe affirme that Sixtus indeede did write and publish such an Epistle but he did it as a priuate q This is their câ—mon refuge that wheÌ„ Popes in their decre tall Epistles or their prouinciall Synodes as Celestine Stephen the sixth Honorius Greg. the second decreâ— any hereticall doctrins they doe it all as priuate persons not as Popes althogh it be most euident that they intend to command all and to teach all to doe according to their decrees which by them are concluded in their Synodes person not as Pope and so he might erre O immortall God haue these men eyes and yet see not or will not see are not Sixtus his wordes most expresse that he defineth he decreeth and that out of the fulnesse of his Apostolicall power and doth he not annexe the sentences of excommunication and Gods heauiest displeasure against all such as should refuse or reiect his edition Iesus Christ vouchsafe to open the eies of the misled that they may see the ambitious and erroneous proceedings of those Bishops and renounce their communion and returne to the rocke of thy sacred word which is so by them in part neglected or rather wholly abandoned But I may not thus leaue Clement and Sixtus for I must needs tell their followers that against their owne knowledge and therefore more inexcusably they haue decreed that to be the very sentence of the holy Ghost which without al doubt they could not but more then probably wittingly thinke to be otherwise I will at this present to discouer the ignominie of their fallible Spirits insist only vpon two or three examples and dare herein challenge as in many like all the Pontificians sworne to the Popes infallibilitie to cleare the heads of their Church from most manifest and wilfull errour herein Their first corruption is in Genesis where r In vulgat editio lussu Clem. 8. Genes 3. they reade ipsa conteret caput tuum she shall bruise thy head putting the feminine article for the masculine appropriating that to the Virgin Mary who most worthily is Å¿ Luc. 1. blessed and to bee blessed amongst all women which the holy Ghost prophetically intended precisely of him who was to cast Satan t Ioh. 12. out of his Kingdome and by whose only name and power both his Mother and we doe daily u Rom. 16. treade Satan vnder our feete They publish St. Hieromes either whole or amended translation for they agree not yet whether but the Vulgar x Rhemist Pref. vpon the Testament they confidently call it and because some few manuscripts and readings had the feminine ipsa shee although some of them had otherwise as the y Theolog. Louani in notat Fransc luc Louanists confesse and a Hieron tradit Hebrai in Genes cap. 3. St Hierome also accounteth the other the better reading and doth also so expound it and diuers also of their owne learned b Canus de locis lib. 2. alij Authours suspect that the letter a which maketh of the masculine a feminine crept in by the negligence of the manuscribers yet these Papall correctors contrary to all the Hebrew originals and Chaldaick Paraphrases contrary to all translations of the Septuaginta contrary to the best learned of the Roman Church will needs reade c Genes 3. ipsa shee for the Virgin not ipse he for Christ thereby giuing vs to thinke that they had rather vnderstand this prophecie that the Virgin Mary rather then Christ should bruise the Serpents head out of which doctrine goodly inferences may bee inferred against them I doe in good earnest aske of these Interpreters wherein Satans power ouer mankinde did consist if they answere in sinne as they needes must then according to their owne reading not a hee but a shee bruised the Serpents head and deliuered mankinde from the guilt of sinne Alas into what errours would these ouer-ruling Popes leade vs All the faith of the ancient Churches in the Hebrew Originals Chaldaick Paraphrases and Greeke
her selfe would accept of if shee were conuersant amongst vs vpon earth doubtlesse for no other respect did they call that image nostre Dame Our Lady but because therein God is most prophanely dispoiled of a great part of his honour which is giuen to the Image and taken from God I should be blasphemous to call any image which may represent that immaculate Virgin and sacred Mother of my Sauiour Iesus in that respect only that it doth represent her or put vs in minde of the great y Luke 1. things which God hath done vnto her and for which she shall be called blessed for al generations I repeat and say againe blessed for all Generations But I dare pronounce with the Fathers of the Councel of Francford and Constantinople and withall the Ancient Church that not onely any of that blessed Virgins pictures but euen the Pictures of God himselfe are to bee accounted as very Idols if they bee adored and worshipped with religious worship such as is due to the persons whome they represent and that indeed such Images beeing so adored and worshipped with religious worship such as is due to the persons may bee deseruingly so called by Belzebub and all his crue our Lords our Ladies O immortall God what meruaile that they thus superstitiously abuse and adore thy images when they giue such religious worship to their holy water to their Agnus Deis beeing small peeces of waxe with a little Balsamum and Oyle mingled together What iniury do they to thy pretious bloud Missalia in forma benedict aquae when safety both of body and soule is both prayed for and hoped for by sprinkling of a little holy water salui facti sunt omnes ad quos peruenit aquaista they are all saued say they to whom this water commeth or vpon whom this water commeth saith their Priest sprinkling holy water What blasphemy against the Merits of your sacred passion that they should a Laber ceremonial cap. de consecra Agnus dei Their late S. Boromey did in his Councel at Millaine prouide diuers superstitious ordets for the worshipping of these Vanities teach thus of their Agnus Deis little peeces of waxe with the forme of a lambe vpon them omne malignum frangit ficut Christi sanguis et angit they driue away all that is malignant and breake sinne as the blood of Christ O intollerable blasphemy no meruaile that our Pontificians will keepe them with the hazard of a premunire if they bee of like force with the bloud of the lambe that they think no plague no pestilence no * A prodigious huffing out of a Candle by an Agnus Dei is reported by a certain IgnatiaÌ„ doctor Nor. my old school-fellow It is thus two or 3. Gallants put to a burning candle an Agnus Dei to make triall whether as it is reported it had force against fire or not Heare the miracle the candle was twice huffed out the beholders left in darknesse and at sight of the prodigy 2. or 3. of the beholders were conuerted to the Popish Church as the said D. glorieth fire no Diuell can annoy them if they haue one of these Iewels But I protest heere before the heauens that I haue known diuers much addicted to them and to the wearing of them and yet inconsolably tempted and afflicted yea and it is most assured the Diuell hath not so much power ouer any as ouer such that leaue to put their whole asfiance in the inuincible name and power of Iesus and do flee to such base elements and contemptible Creatures deuised by their Popes rather for wares of Marchandize to their Courtiers then otherwise But as pretious Iewels as they are you shall scarce know any Priests to vse them I haue interpreted the neglect of them in Priests to their knowledge of the weakenesse of them and the veneration of them in the laity to meere ignorance as likewise of their grains which are so eagerly sought for by the most ignorant but little regarded by the iudicious and intelligent yet the Marchandise of graynes is so profitable that many of their Priests inculcate and commende the vse of them to their Families amongst whom you shall find some few of that superstitious Noble Iaponians disposition and iudgement who being newly conuerted to the Popes Faith and baptized by one of the Ignatians presently b Literae Iaponicae in which I haue read this often was enterteined with the losse of al that euer he had by fire but he found forsooth a ful recompense and happy exchange for one of the Ignatians bestowed a blessed graine vpon him by which hee should assuredly get a plenary indulgence and escape the fire of purgatory Although he had here lost all his worldly substance by fire and he was so glad of â—hat graine that if it please you to beleeue the Ignatian relater hee esteemed the losse of all his wealth as nothing hauing gotten such a * An Agnus dei after losse by fire would haue come too late therfore a grayne against purgatory fire Iewell O vanity of vanities how forcibly doth the spirit of errour worke with such who haue not receiued the Charity of truth but if the graine of the Iaponian stood him in no more steed for a plenary then the plenary absolution which a certaine Pope appointed his Ghostly Father to giue himselfe at his death he might perhaps escape purgatory fire and light vpon a worse fire notwithstanding his graine The History of that Pope is thus written by one Iaco. de parad Carthusi in speculo magno Exempl verbo indulgentia p. 424. Iacobus a Pontifician The Pope beeing neer his end called a Priest and gaue him authority to giue to himselfe a plenary pardon the which hee deuoutly receiuing so dyed with his plenary not long after he appeared to the Priest like a man damned to whom saith the Priest what are you damned why did not you receiue a plenary indulgence I did so saith the Pope but the Supreme Iudge did not approue that absolution doubtlesse the supreme Iudge approueth none of their vain indulgences by grains by which they draw Christians from their onely affiance in the blood of his sonne in whose name d Acts 4. only is saluation and to put hope of Sanctification and saluation where none is nor can be Dreadfull are their abuses in many of their confecrations how horrible that * For mae Orationum ad benedicendum in manual secundum vsum sarum in vsu apud nostros Anglor when they require beseech the diuine grace should come downe into their Patents the holy Ghost should come downe into such bookes as they blesse the holy Ghost should come downe into their belles which they most superstitiously and vainely blesse and consecrate with an apish kind of Baptisme Yea they annoint the bels with their most sacred oyles into which oyles the very Holy Ghost by meanes of their inuocations e Pontificall in forma conserat
he not the tongue which the seruice is sung in Now the Vicar of Saint Fooles should be his ghostly Father were he liuing How is this Rabby taken in his folly these words are to be vnderstood that the People must haue vnderstanding of the sense of the words but not vnderstand the words Helpe out your Doctor you of Doway for doubtlesse he is grauelled what would heere become of him if more of the sentences of the ancient Fathers which comment vpon the 14. Corinthians first Epistle had beene by himselfe produced and other out of Saint Austen vpon Genesis ad literam he would doubtlesse haue runne out of the field or else haue beene stroken downe to the ground especially if he had heard that miraculous voice from heauen which Pius the second Pope writeth of The Doctour was much delighted with visions in his life time and therefore I will now for his sake set one downe for the Dowists to demurre vpon it There was a great controuersie betwixt the Pope and his Cardinals as a f Pius 2. hist Bohem. cap. 13. Pope relateth whether the Morauians and the Russians conuerted to the Christian faith by Ciril should be permitted to haue the publike Lyturgie and seruice in their knowne tongue or not Their Apostle Ciril was earnest for it with some of the Cardinals others contradicted it which contradiction miraculously was checked with a voice heard from heauen speaking thus to them Let euerie spirit praise the Lord and euerie tongue confesse him and so the Pope with his Cardinals were by the Angelicall vision instructed how to vnderstand those Scriptures by the Angell cited and therupon gaue way to Cirils request that the Morauians Russians should haue their publike seruice in their own tongue which they haue to this day wherein they doubtlesse find such a comfort that by no meanes they will relinquish that holy vse though some haue often attempted against it I haue obserued how since the English Pontificians haue had their Primers set forth both in English and Latine together that they do farre more willingly and more deuoutly read their prayers in the English tongue thē in the Latin protesting that they receiue far greater comfort thereby wishing also that the publike Church-seruice might to their like comfort be proposed in that tongue which they vnderstood Before God of his mercy first touched my hart to listē vnto his gospel I would sometimes out of a contemptuous kind of curiositie where I was not knowne heare a peece of a Sermon in some of the English Churches heere in London but by no means wold I stay or listen to the hearing of the singing of their Psalms for I did both loath and detest them but when God vouchsafed to touch my heart first with consideration of the Romane abuses both for doctrine and discipline I began sometimes to commune with my selfe whether perhaps the English Church Lyturgie were not calumniated Whereupon I would sometimes more considerately and where I was not to be knowne begin to giue more carefull listening vnto the English Preachers and also most curiously obserue the manner of the singing in the Churches both which at very first me thought were performed with that simplicitie integritie and grauitie that I began to thinke thus perhaps God is amongst them but when vpon often and further more curious obseruations I found that all their seruice except some few prayers and those verie holy also was composed out of the infallible word of God his holy Scriptures I resolued that the same must needs be good if no essential part of seruice were otherwise wanting And when I found also that the Preachers continually did inculcate to their Auditors integritie of conscience and holinesse of conuersation with necessitie of good works and of that faith which g Ad Galat. 5. worketh by charitie to saluation I well and clearely perceiued how the Church of England was most egregiously calumniated by the Romane Doctors And when I found also the ministration of the two principallest and singularly so termed Sacraments to wit Baptisme and the holy Eucharist so sincerely and Euangelically and so voide of all superstition ministred in their Churches and withall found that Confirmation Penance Marriage Orders Visitation of the sicke were for the substances thereof religiously vsed in their Churches I was not a little edified But that which most edified me was to obserue how in their publike Lyturgies their minds seemed to me or at lest that they might to concurre ioyntly with their tongues and with their religious and pious sounds to beate the gates of heauen and begge mercie at his handes onely whom with the most blessed Father and the holy Ghost I saw onely worshipped with diuine worship in their Churches And although I wanted in some sewer that lowly humble and religious carriage which the place the manner of prayers and assembly required especially in some of the young sort yet in the ministers themselues and the matrones with many aged men and others of riper yeares I saw them often kneeling with great deuotion and attention to my great edification There I obserued not that drowsie oscitancie leaning and yawning which is so frequent in the papisticall Churches yea euen amongst the h Bern. in coena Domini cap. 3. religious Monkes There I obserued not the impudent and shamelesse attendings courtings and obseruings of fine dames within their Churches the which how intolerable it is in the papisticall Churches especially in Italy and at Rome it selfe I referre to the iudgement of all indifferent trauailers doubtlesse their Churches there be still repleate with i 2 Pet. 2. adulterous lasciuious wanton and incestuous eyes Obseruing these things O how happy thought I art thou O England if as thou enioyest the light of Christs Gospell so also thou wouldest more and more by holy and pure conuersation labour to excell the Churches of Sodoma and Gomorha where all impure Idolatry and abhominations doe reigne Heere I obserued also the glorie of God euer commended Faith Hope and Loue in Iesus Christ incessantly inculcated the Fathers of the ancient Church reuerently cited the memories of the most blessed Virgine Mary and Christs Apostles reuerenced and honored yea in their publike Prayers and Sermons their vertues and noble acts preached commended inculcated to be followed and imitated The buriall of the dead verie religious and pious and altogether Apostolicall which obseruing me thought these men sure doe striue onely for truth reiecting all vncertaine traditions And then with all I could not but inwardly be moued in my verie soule against Stapleton Sanders Allen Parsons Bellarmine and other like Pontificians for their horrible calumniations against the Church of England and the gouernment thereof as though they buried their dead like dogs perswaded not their people to good life but onely to faith that they ministred their Sacraments very irreligiously with such like imputations all which I found to be meere calumniations And I found the
whole English audience at S. Omers he did most bitterly inueigh against all such Priests as in England did allow and commend the Oth of Allegiance to be taken and according to his k Pat. Fea. name hee did so feake them that hee doubted not to call them Wolues yea rauening Wolues and although said he they say Masse minister the Sacraments say their other praiers liue vertuously and so appeare with the outward clothing of sheep yet they are Wolues their rauenous and woluish sinne being because they did not teach forsooth according to the order * Marke the nature of the Popes Mission as the Ignatians interpret it of their mission marke his words nor according to his commandement from whom they had their mission can you conceiue the mystery of those wordes the order of their mission in teaching the Oath of Allegiance to be lawfull surely this order of mission is that policy which Robert Parsons ment when to a certain Pope seeming loath to send such proper men into England as came before him to kisse his feet and to take his Benediction where it was probable they should fall into danger of death and saying that ere it were long he would take some other course for the conuerting of England that politik man replyed thus in the very hearing and not without admiration of those Priests Holy Father it is meet that they stay not but goe and that the l Parsous policy policy be still continued which word policy stroke so deeply into one of those m M. Wors Priests minds that he hath politikely kept himself out of England liueth still a poor life beyond seas rather then he will come into a Plentiful Country to vphold Robert Parsons policie with danger of his life When the Reporters of the late most detestable murther of Henry the fourth the French King was somewhat fresh and newes was brought how that most hatefull villaine Rauilliacke did seem to make some shew of repentance at his end in so villanous a sort as before God his repentance was as bad as the deed it self to wit in these words as it was reported that hee was sorry for that he had committed murther but not sorry that he had killed Henry the fourth the king of France which report when I heard I both detested and reproued the repentance as wicked and as diuelish but against me therein although diuers Priests and Recusants were at Table onely a certaine n Pat. Freem alias Warr. Ignatian Priest opposed himselfe desending Rauilliacke that in such a kind of repentance he might haue true and Christian contrition to which seriouslie beholding the man ashamed of his Spirit and almost of my selfe who was then a fellow prisoner with him I replied thus * A certaine pedanucall Ignatian in his confutation of Anticotton subscribeth his Epistle Dedicat. to the Queen of France thus Seruus bumilimus Cliens ob sequen sissimus O rator sidelissimus unus Patrum de Societate Jesu Father for so they must be all called you and your order haue little reason in any respect to defend that most wicked villaine considering what a Patron the late murthered King was to your Order but notwithstanding my reply he held on to maintaine his paradoxe He is now recollecting his spirit at Louaine God indue him with better Diuinity and sounder distinctions before he returne into this Countrey he was heere reputed halfe a Saint and therefore I doubt he may returne againe somewhat sooner then welcome to England Not many yeeres since there was a certaine worthy and very worshipfull Gentle woman for whose loyall heart to Prince and Countrey and for al those who with her haue issued from the same stocke I dare vndertake I am so well acquainted with their true English hearts and dutifull affections who being at S. Omers had and wore about her necke a certaine Iewell which was once belonging to a great Princesse The Iewell being very precious and of gold had set into it an Agnus Dei and vnder a cleare Christall vpon one side thereof it had the picture of our Sauiours face vpon the otherside the picture of our most excellent Soueraigne when hee was a childe but how that good Gentlewoman was taken vp by an Ignatian Priest in my hearing for wearing of it about her necke and before her breast because it had our Princes picture vpon it who as the Ignatian said was a persecutor and an enemy to Catholike religion I can tell because I heard his reprehensions of her and defended her wishing her and charging her in what I could to continue that custome still But since that time I being not long to stay at Saint Omers and returning into England I know not how they haue beene so busie with her that for one respect or other shee could not keepe it quietly but hath sent it away to Loretto when I saw the Gentlewoman at S. Omers some tweluemonth and more agoe I was very earnest with her to know vpon what occasion she had put the Iewell away but I could not possibly learne of her she respecting doubtlesse the Ignatian Fathers credit at S. Omers onely shee told me because she could neuer be in rest about it but that they would be still vrging to c I doe not well remember whether her word was to get or beg it get or begge it from her she vowed it to Lorette whither also shee accordingly sent it notwithstanding many oppositions against the same her fact where also now it remaineth hanging vpon the blessed Virgin Maries Picture which is there worshipped and adored These three particulars with some like which I partly haue forgotten partly omit I write not God is witnesse for any other end but to discouer their Spirits that they may be taken as they are for the very despisers of authority of whom the Apostle Iudas hath so expressely foretold long agoe admonishing vs to beware of them For it is a thing which I haue euer specially obserued that those who are the children of God are guided with Gods Spirit especially when they are prosecuting of the workes which apportaine to God if therefore these men do thus most egregiously abuse themselues in the deliberate prosecuting of their religious courses what may be thought of their Spirits They doe often impose as against the truth of the Gospell of the reformed Churches that * I dare stand to the defence of it that the liues of Calan Beza were more commen dable then the life of Parsons Creswell or Hoalt Garnet their famous Martyt who was as it is reported by honourable persons tipfie a very few daies before his end Caluin was a wicked man an incestuous man that Bean also was voluptuous man before he fell from them But let them not tell what maner of men they were when they were with them but when they left them when they were gon from them for if they liued vertuously religiously