ADVICE FROM A CATHOLICK To his Protestant FRIEND Touching the Doctrine of Purgatory By way of Letter Printed in the Year 1687. Price Two Pence Advice from a Catholick to his Protestant Friend c. SIR THO' at our last parting I found you obstinate in your Unbelief as to the matter of Purgatory yet as I think my self bound both as a Christian and as a Friend to combate that dangerous Infidelity of yours so I shall now undertake that Province with some new Efforts Nevertheless I will not venture to Engage you singly with my own strength but borrow the necessary forces from such as have been most vers'd in such sort of Conflicts Wherefore to begin I must tell you That your Repartées upon me when we last discours'd this point rather spoke the Libertine than a Professor of Christianity Purgatory you deridingly cry'd is not so hot as Folk talk Who ever came back to tell us News of it God is merciful think you he takes delight to burn his Children and to cut off the Price of his Son's Passion who satisfied for our Sin. When I heard this I was afraid you would have proceeded and joyn'd with Atheistical Philosophers in saying That Death is the Remedy of all Evils and that tht Soul separated from the Body hath no more to suffer What could I less expect when you so diametrically oppose not only the General Consent of all Ages but also the General Opinion Practice Sentence and decisions of all the Church in such sort That there is not any Truth of our Faith more fortified As to the First the Gentiles who lived out of the Law were sensible of the noble extraction of the Soul and knew it to be defiled by the Body and by sensual Works On this account had they recourse to feeble Elements to purifie it One while washing themselves in virgin-streams another passing thro Flames and sometimes contriving other means to cleanse themselves from the Pollutions of the Flesh And they were not content to purge themselves in this Life but extend it to the Souls of the Dead constantly believing they stood in need of Remedies to free themselves from Bodily stains The Hebrews the Aegyptians the Greeians and Romans all contended for Prayers for the Dead and the Truth of Purgatory The Hebrews three times in the Year Celebrated the Feast of the Dead and their Priest mounting up into a Four-square Pulpit made on purpose and Ceremoniously to represent the City of the Blessed according to S. John rehearsed aloud and Apoc. xxi 16. Civitas in quadro positas est audibly the Names of the Dead to recommend them to the Prayers of the present Congregation Prayers so familiar amongst them that they wrote them upon Tombs instead of Epitaphs in these terms Sit Anima ejus colligata in Fasciculo viventium Let his Soul be bound up in the Posie of the Living As if we should say all the Souls of the Saints were as an odoriferous Posie whereof every Elect constituted a Flower The Aegyptians were so possessed with the Opinion that Souls were to be purg'd in the other Life in as much as they had been drench'd in the voluptuous Pleasures of the Flesh that in the Funerals of the Dead having opened the Body they took the Heart out of the Breast and put it into a little Casket then on the Bank of Nilus where ordinarily Tombs were erected a Herald holding the Casket and shewing it to the Eyes of Heaven protested before all then present the Deceased now in Question had lived piously and according to the Laws of his Ancestors that if he had offended through Bodily Pleasures they wished his Soul might be as well cleansed as they went about to purge the Stomach the Instrument of the Lusts of the Living thereupon they threw it into Nilus What need I mention the Grecians their Prime Man Plato nay termed the Divine in his Phaedon spake so perspicuously for Purgatory that he seems to have had his Education in Christian Schools And as for the Romans Quintilian in the very Infancy of Quint. Declam 10. the Church when as some of the Apostles were yet living in a certain Plea. urges the Truth of Purgatory by saying The Soul being purged by Fire went to take place in Heaven Besides Julius a very ancient Author speaking of the Death Julius Florileg lib. 3. of a Lady named Podon observed in plain terms That her Husband who was one of the most ancient Christians made Offerings for her which he calls Gifts for Ransom of the Soul Answerable to which Tertullian writeth it was the Custom of the Ancient Church to Pray for the Souls of the Tertul. in Exhort ad Castitat Dead yea and to make annual Offerings for them Thus when we see a◠Universal Agreement in a Proposition it is not one man speaks but the Mouth of Heaven which uttereth this Verity And also observe when the Holy Fathers produce an Example of Pagans it is not to set us the Pagans for our Instruction but to shew that to waver in the Belief of things they generally held by the sentence of Nature is to be worse than a Pagan Having thus proved the Universal Consent of all Ages and Countries I now proceed to shew it to have ever been the Universal sense of the Church For this purpose in France view the Council of Chalons upon Saone for Prayers for the Dead and the Truth of Purgatory In Spain that of Praga in Germany that of Worms in Italy the Sixth General Council held at Rome under Pope Symmachus in Greece a number of Synods collected by Martius In Africk the Third of Carthage and lastly the Three Oecumenical of Lateran Florence and Trent which say the same A man that hath but the least sense surely needs no more than this to be possessed with the truth Ay but you object That Jesus made Purgation of Sins and said to the Good Thief Thou shalt to day be with me in Paradice A goodly Consequence Jesus purged Sins there is then no Purgatory Might you not as well say Jesus pray'd for Remission of our Sins then we no longer stand in need of Prayer or Penance Besides you would seem to intimate by saying the Good Thief went directly to Paradice without feeling Purgatory that we assert it was necessary for all the World to pass that way No make your Self a great Saint and the Purifying Flames will have nothing to work on But you say this Doctrine came but lately into the World and is the Invention of Self intercsted Pfiests But consult the Scripture and the Fathers and they will satisfie you to the contrary When St. Paul said that the day of God viz. the day of Judgment be it general or particular shall be manifested by Fire which shall put every One's Works 1 Cor. 3. Chap. upon Trial and that he who upon the Foundations of Jesus shall build with Wood Straw or Hay to wit with vain and
their saying Pater Nosters and Creeds to the Honour of them and Ave Maries to the Virgin Mary for the infallibility of the Bishop or Church of Rome for their Doctrine of the blessed Virgins Immunity from actual sin for the necessity of Auricular confession for the necessity of the Priests intention to obtain benefit by any of their Sacraments and lastly for their licentious Doctrine in holding that tho a man lives and dies without the practice of any Christian Vertue and with the Habits of many damnable sins unmortified yet if at the last moment of his life he has any sorrow for his sins and joyn confession to it he shall certainly be saved This is a Doctrine may keep many Souls out of Heaven but I doubt will scarce carry any one there So that the Papists Doctrine being ancient is nothing as long as 't is evident that they hold many dangerous errors As for instance the Millenaries and the Communicating Infants was more ancient than their Doctrine and 't is plain that Antiquity unless it be absolute and primative is not a certain sign of true Doctrine and the very Apostles themselves assure us that in their days the mystery of Iniquity was working The Papists demand how comes it to pass that their Doctrine is so Universal forgetting that weeds spread faster than good herbs And we ask them how the errours of the Millenaries and the Communicating Infants became so universal let them tell us this and we will tell them that for what is done in some may be done in others The Papists ask us where our Ch. was before Luther and tell us because 't was no Ch. before him therefore it can be no true Church at all To which we answer That this cause is no cause for tho Luther had no being before Luther yet none can deny but that he was when he was tho he could not be before he was So there may be a true Church after Luther tho there was none for some Ages before him as since Columbus his time there have been Christians in America tho there were none for many Ages before For it does not follow that nothing but a Church can possibly get a Church nor that the present being of a true Church depends necessarily upon the perpetuity of a Church in all Ages For though I cannot deny the Churches perpetuity yet that 's not here necessary to rur difference but that a false Church by Gods providence over-ruling it may preserve a means of confuting their own Heresies and so reduce men to Truth and raise a true Church I mean the integrity of the Word of God with Men. Thus the Jews preserve means to make men Christians and Papists preserve means to make men Protestants and the Protestants false Church as the Romans call it preserves men Papists Nor does it appear that the perpetuity of the Church is the truth of the Papists Church for they speak as if they were the only Christians in the World before Luther when the whole World knows that this is but talk and that there were other Christians besides the Papists that might have perpetuated the Church tho there had not been then one Papist in being For sure there was a Catholick Church before the Roman one Next the Papists say To hold that the Visible Church is not perpetual is a Heresie so that Luther's Reformation being but particular and not universal nor but of late date it can have nothing to do with the visible and perpetual Church Which the Protestants answer thus To say the visible Church is not perpetual is properly a Heresie but the Papists cannot deny but that the Apostles who preach'd the Gospel in the beginning did believe the Church universal tho their preaching at the beginning was not so So Luther also might well believe the Vniversal Church though his Reformation was but particular the Church in the Apostles time being universal de jure of right but not de facto in fact Nor did Luther and his followers as the Papists are pleased to mis-call many Protestants forsake the whole Church but the corruptions of it in renouncing some of their corrupt practices and this the Protestants say they did without Schism because they had cause to do it and no man can have cause to be a Schismatick because he is only one who leaves the Church without a cause for 't is not only separation but a causeless separation from the Church that is Schismatical and I think 't will not be amiss before I go any farther to distinguish the difference between Heresie and Schism Heresie is an obstinate defence of any error against any necessary Article of the Christian Faith. Schism is a causeless separation of one part of the Church from another Now we Protestants say still That we never forsook the whole Church or the external Communion of it but only that part of it which is corrupted and is to be fear'd will still continue so viz. The Papists Church and forsook not but only reformed another part which part they themselves were And sure the Papists will not say the Protestants forsook themselves nor their own Communion and therefore the Papists Argument must be very weak in urging that the Protestants joyned themselves to no other part of the Church therefore they must separate from the whole Church which the Protestants say is a false conclusion in as much as they themselves were part of it and still continue so and therefore the Protestants could no more separate from the whole than from themselves So that by the rule of Reason if Protestants be Schismaticks because they differ from one part of the visible Church by the same reason the Protestants may say that the Roman Church is in a manner made up of Schismaticks for the Jesuits are Schismaticks from the Dominicans and the Dominicans from the Jesuits and the Jesuits from the Canonists the Franciscans from the Dominicans and the Dominicans from the Franciscans for all these as the world knows differ in point of Doctrine and betwixt them there is an irreconcilable contradiction and therefore one part must be in error And if the Papists will but stand to justifie what they declare as truth That every error against a revealed Truth is a Heresie they holding for certain as a revealed Truth the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary then consequently the Dominicans that hold and declare it an error in Doctrine must necessarily hold a Heresie Now it may be a fault to be in error because it many times proceeds from a fault but sure Protestants forsaking error it cannot be a sin unless to be in error be a Vertue So hardly do Papists deal with us Protestants as they will either damn us in making us follow their false opinions or else brand us as Schismaticks for leaving them And yet the rational sort of Papists can hardly deny but the Protestant Religion must be a safer Religion than theirs in worshipping Pictures in
the Gate seem too big for the City I bid thee Farewel THE HISTORY OF POPE JOAN c. CHAP. I. I. Of her Birth and Education her several Names and how she came to be Chosen Pope II. Short Remarks upon the Premises III. Of her being brought to bed in open Street c. and of the Porphyry Chair IV. Remarks upon the Premises c. I. FIrst then 't is related that this Androgyne or Hermaphrodite was a poor English or Germane Girl they know not which they story it so differently Nay some of these Gentlemen Reporters are so blinded that they 'll tell you she was an English Woman born at Mentz and that she having been Educated at several Universities by dissembling her Sex and oft changing her Name for they have given her more Names than either the Great Mogul the Grand Seignior or Emperor of Persia ever attributed to themselves for sometimes they call her Agnes and some say her Name was Isabella others Gilbert others Jutte and some call her Dorothy but at last they will needs have it that she took upon her the Name of John the English-man in favor forsooth of a Gallant of hers that was that Country-man and came with him from Athens after having studyed a while there to Rome where she taught publickly in the Schools for two years say some others say six where for her knowledge in sacred letters she had but few her equals and none her superiors so that she acquir'd so great renown there by her reading and disputing so learnedly and accutely that after the decease of Leo IV. say some others Leo VI. she was by consent of all Chosen Pope See here good Reader a very fine plausible Romantick Story at first entrance II. But here be pleased to take a few short Remarks with thee hereupon First then Note that some of them say she was an English woman born at Mentz when as Mentz is a famous City situate upon the Rhine in Germany Then as to her studying in Athens as they formally story it you are to understand upon the Authentic Testimonies of Zonaras and Cedrenus that Athens was at that time ruin'd and the whole Country over-run with Barbarism And Corn grew there where Athens stood and consequently no more place of studying there at that time than there is now at S. Pancras Church Then as to her being Chosen Pope after her so short a time of Residence at Rome 't is like the rest for I 'll assure thee 't is a certain truth that from S. Peter's time to those days and after till Formosus who was the Eighth Pope after this pretended Pope JOAN none were chosen Popes that was not Educated from their Cradle in the Roman Church and was first made Presbyter or Deacon-Cardinal How then is it likely that an unknown Woman of as uncertain an Origine and Country and without any Order or Testimony of her Life-past should attain to the highest Ecclesiastical Dignity in the whole World Then lastly there was no Custom of publick Reading or Disputing at Rome in those days neither III. Then in the next place they tell you a very formal Story of her being got with Child but here 's the mischief on 't they cannot agree by whom some saying it was by one of her Servants others say 't was a certain Cardinal did the deed and that she being ignorant that she was so far gone with Child in the time of her Popedom was brought to Bed in the open Street going in Procession from the Vatican to the Lateran and there gave up the Ghost upon the Spot and that the Popes have ever since gone another way in Procession for very shame of such an Act. And that to avoid the like Error for the future when any Pope is then plac'd in the Porphyry Chair which hath an hole made for the purpose his Genitals are handled by the youngest Deacon Goodness what heaping is here of Lies upon Lies IV. But here we have a few particulars also to take notice of First that is it probable or possible can any rational Soul imagine that this Hermaphrodite should conceive and conceal her great Belly so closely that no mortal Creature could in the least perceive it No not any one either of the Church or Court of Rome Can any ingenious Person ever believe that such a wise Nation as the Romans are and always have been could be so grosly impos'd upon or that they should be so Sottish or Stupid as not one of them to know a Woman from a Man neither by her Voice Countenance nor Gesture And is it not very unlikely that she should be got with Child now in her declining Age at which time the Popes are ordinarily Chose And that she should be ignorant of her being so near her Time as to venture to go in procession so far on Foot All very probable or rather ridiculous Romances Then as to her going in Procession from the Vatican to the Lateran they have here express'd their Ignorance as well as Malice to some purpose as not knowing that the Popes at that time lived not at the Vatican No not till Pope Boniface the Ninth's days which was several hundreds of years after the Death of this Pope Joan. Fine Coherence in Chronology is it not So that 't is certainly true that this mistake in Time will ruine all as a very honourable and most worthy Person said not long since to a certain Person in another Case Then as to their telling you very formally how that the Popes ever since go another way in Procession I will assure you 't is upon another Account viz. by reason of the narrowness of the Ways and difficulty of passage for so great a Number of People and Horses they since go a more open and safe way and yet there have been Popes that have gone that way in Procession since that time Lastly as to the pierc'd Porphyry Chair you must Note that 't is usually plac'd near to the great Door of St. John Lateran's Church on the Day the Pope takes possession of his Charge in that Church wherein he is Seated a while and when he rises again the Quire Sings this Verse of the 112. Psalm Suscitaâ— de pulvere egenum de stercore erigit pauperem And tho' Platina one of so great esteem with Protestants at this day deny not the Story about the Procession Yet he ingeniously Confesses That the true use of this Chair is only to mind him who is placed in so high Authority that he is not a God but a Man and obnoxious to necessities of Nature as of easing his Body whence tho it be made of Porphyry 't is called Sedes Stercoraria And Zonaras and Cedrenus will tell us that the Grecian Emperours had on the day of their Coronation a great many Marble Stones of several Colours presented to them to chuse which of them they would make their Tombs of which was only to put them in mind
and that the Church composed partly of the Holy Apostles themselves who were blessed with and inspired by the Holy Ghost could mistake and that there is no man free from sin and yet that the Body of men that make up the Popish Church should be infallible is I confess beside my faith to believe or reason to comprehend For sure if the Roman Church had been esteem'd by the Apostles infallible what needed the Apostles any other â—…reed than this short Creed I believe the Roman Church â—…fallible and that would have been more effectual to â—…eep the Believers of it from Heresie and in the true Faith â—…an this Apostolical Creed we now have And sure the Papists cannot but believe with us that â—…ose Holy Men that wrote the New Testament were not â—…nly Good Men but also Men that were desirous to direct â—…s in the plainest and surest way to Heaven And the Paâ—…ists cannot also but believe with us that they were likewise â—…en very sufficiently instructed by the Spirit of God in all â—…e necessary points of the Christian Faith Therefore cerâ—…inly 't is most rational to believe they could not be igâ—…orant of this unum necessarium that all Faith is no Faith â—…cept we believe the Church of Rome was design'd by God 〈…〉 be the Guide of Faith as the Church of Rome believes â—…d would have us believe so too We also further believe and that with great reason too â—…at the Writers of the New Testament were Wise Men espeâ—…ally being they were assisted by the Spirit of Wisdom and â—…ch that must know that an uncertain Guide was as bad as â—…ne at all and yet after all this is it possible for a Philosoâ—…ical or Contemplative man nay for any man that has reaâ—…n or common sense after all these suppositions to believe â—…at none among these holy Writers of the New Testament â—…ould remember ad rei memoriam to set down plainly â—…is most necessary Doctrine not so much as once That â—…e were to believe the Roman Church infallible Again that none of the Evangelists should so much as â—…ce name this Popish necessary point of Faith if they had â—…teem'd it necessary for us to believe it when St. Paul says â—…e kept not back any thing that was profitable for us and sure â—…e Papists cannot deny but was is necessary to salvation â—…ust be very profitable And St. Luke also plainly tells â—…hristians his intent was to write all things necessary And â—…re it stands also with reason that when St. Paul wrote to â—…e Romans he would have congratulated this their exâ—…aordinary priviledge if he had believ'd it belong'd to â—…em And though the Romans bring it as a great Argument â—…or them that St. Paul tells them Their Faith is spoken all the world over Yet pray let them moderate those thoughtâ—… with this consideration that St. Paul said the very same thing to the Thessalonians And let them further consider this that if the Roman Faith had been the Rule oâ—… Faith for all the World for ever as the Papists hold surâ—… St. Paul would have forborn to put the Romans in fear oâ—… a possibility for though Raillery is much in fashion now 〈…〉 sure 't was not then that they also nay the whole Churcâ—… of the Gentiles if they did not look to their standing might fall into Infidelity as the Jews had done 1 Ephesians 11. And methinks it also stands with great reason that the Apostles writing so often of Hereticks and Antichristâ—… should have given the Christian World this as Papists pretend only sure Preservative from them To be guided bâ—… the infallible Church of Rome and not to separate from it upon the pain of damnation Methinks also St. Peter St. James and St. Jude in their Catholick Epistles would not have forgot giving Christianâ—… this Catholick Direction of following the Roman Church and St. John instead of saying He that believes that Jesus 〈…〉 the Christ is born of God might have said He that adheres to the Doctrine of the Roman Church and lives according to it is a good Christian and by this mark you shall know him In a word can there be any thing more irrational than to believe that none of these holy Men who were so desirous of mens salvation should so much as once remember to write that we were to obey the Roman Church but leave it to be collected from uncertain Principles and by more uncertain Consequences So that upon the whole I cannot without much wonder look on the Pope's Confidence and the Papists Credulity in esteeming the Pope or his Councils to be an infallible Guide sure either they never read what they ought to believe or else they will not believe what they read though it be never so known a Truth and worthy of belief for if they did they could never believe the Infallibility of the Popish Church For indeed if they would read the Popish Story or as I may well call it the Civil Wars of the Popes you shall find as I said before Popes against Popes Councils against Councils some Fathers against others nay some against themselves new Traditions brought in and old ones turn'd out one Church against another nay the Church of one Age against the Church of another In a word the Papists say their Church is infallible and all other Christians besides themselves tho more in number than they absolutely deny it and yet we must for all that believe the Popish Church infallible And to speak the plain Truth and in a word to unravel the real cause of the Grandure of the Church of Rome above all other Churches is only this Rome was the Imperial Town of the Empire and its greatness was given by Men and not God and when afterwards Constantinople was the Imperial City they Decreed that the Church of Constantinople should have equal Priviledges and Dignities with that of Rome And now to end this Discourse I desire you will please to consider this Conclusion which is that after all that the Papists have said be it never so much and mighty to shew the Infallibility of their Church I am verily perswaded they cannot shew more if so much out of the Scriptures for their Church as the smallest Society of Christians met together in prayer can for themselves that when two or three are met together in my name I will be amongst them says the Lord And now I have just done this small Discourse and the Sun is just upon finishing this days visit I can very readily follow that holy advice of not letting it go down in my anger which I thank God I have to none living and therefore am in so much Charity with the Papists as to wish that neither they nor Protestants might waist their precious time in meer speculative controversies about words and ceremonies which of themselves will never carry us to Heaven but that we may spend our time like wise Christians in the ways and fear of God which
sleight Works shall be saved as by Fire he clearly declared the Doctrine of Purgatory unless you be more illuminated than S. Basil and S. Ambrose who have judged it so for the first saith He threatneth the Soul not with Destruction but Purgation And the other plainly expresseth He speaks of the Pains of Fire which God had appointed to purifie Souls And the objection is as frivolous to say as by fire and not by fire as when S. John wrote in the first Chapter of his Gospel That Men saw Jesus as the only Son of God that he were only a Figure of it not a Truth or as when S. Paul witnesseth he was found as a man we might infer he were no 2 Chap. to the Philip. man. Doth not S. Bernard prove our Doctrine from S. Bernard's 66. Hom. upon the Cant. the mention of One Sin which shall never be remitted either in this World or in the otber Doth In S. Matthew Chap. 12. not the Evangelist himself mention a Prisoner which shall be put into a Place from whence he shall not come till he have paid the last Penny. Whereupon S. Cyprian says plainly it is one thing to be a long time purged for Sins by the Torment of Fire another by the Purgation which is made by the Passion of Tobit Chap. 4. Jesus Christ What is written of Bread to be put upon 32 Hom. upon S. Mat. the Graves of the Dead S. Chrisostome referreth to the Custom of the 〈◊〉 Church which called both the Priests and the Poor purposely to pray for the Dead The solemn Fast made for Saul S. Bede makes no question but it was for the quiet The 4th of Kings of his Soul. And the Great S. Austin cryeth My God Aug. in Psal 37. make me such in my Life that I may not need the Fire of Purgatory after my Death But grant the force of these reasons you 'll say you understand not where this Purgatory is and how Souls are there Tormented Now School Divines commonly place Purgatory in a subterranean Place of which there is great probability It may also be That Souls may be purged in the Air in the sphere of Fire and in divers parts of the Elementary World according to the Opinion of S. Gregory Nysâ—n S. Chrysostom and S. Gregory the Great Nevertheless the Church walking warily in its Ordonances ever grounded on the Word of God only obligeth us to hold as an Article of Faith a Third Place for the Purgation of Souls which is neither Paradice nor Hell. As for the Circumstances of the Place and manner of sensible Torments it hath Decreed nothing thereof as an Article of our Belief It dependeth on the Prerogative of God's Power and the Ministry of Angels As for Punishments it is most certain the first consisteth in suspension from the sight of God a matter very dolorous to the Soul which being out of the Body and far absented from its source naturally desireth to rejoyn it self to God and the least retardation it feels from such Felicity is most sensible unto it The second is the pain of sense which is exercised by Fire and sometimes also by other ways If you say you cannot comprehend how a material thing worketh on a spiritual I ask of you again this Soul which is in your Body is it of any other kind than those in Purgatory And yet see you not how it daily suffereth in the Body See you not how all the Dolours of Mortal Flesh rebound back again by a most necessary amorous Sympathy to the bottom of our Soul Is it not true our Soul containeth in it the root of Understanding and all sensible Knowledge framed and accomplished by help of the Bodies Organs Is it not true that being in the Body it understandeth and feeleth with dependance on the Body And when separated it certainly understandeth with independance of the Body And tho there is no more Corporal organ which is as the Chariot of feeling yet surely God may by his Power supply the Organ of Body and necessitate the Soul immediatly to feel the sharpness of fire as if it were still in the Body And further the fire not being contrary of its nature to the Spirit might for all that be chosen and appointed by the singular Disposition of Providence to be unto the Soul an Afflicting sign in that it representeth to it in its flames the Anger of an Offended God. But hoping you are now prety well convinc'd of the Truth of our Doctrine in this point I shall trouble you no farther at this time than with one Example of the Apparition of Souls in Purgatory But first let me mind you that he who believes nothing above Nature will not believe a God of Nature How many Extraordinary things are there with whose effects Experience has made us acquainted and yet of which God hideth the reasons from us Who can tell why the Theamede which is a kind of Adamant draweth Iron on the one side and repelleth it on the other Why do the forked Branches of the Nut Tree turn towards Mines of Gold and Silver Why do Bees often die in the Hives after the Death of the Master of the Family unless they be elsewhere transported Why doth a dead Body cast forth bloud in the presence of the Murderer Why do certain Fountains in the current of their Waters and in their Colour carry presages of Seasons as that of Blomuza which waxeth red when the Country is menaced with War Why has so many Noble Families certain signs that never fails to happen when some one of the Family is to dye The Commerce of the living with the Spirits of the Dead is a matter very Extraordinary but not impossible to the Father of Spirits who holdeth total Nature between his hands But to come to the point Histories tell us the Apparition of Souls in Purgatory are so frequent that he who would keep an account may as soon number the Stars in the Skye or leaves on the Trees But as it is not fit to be too credulous in all may be said there upon so a man must be very impudent to deny all is spoken of it and to oppose as well the Authority of so many great Personages as the Memory of all Ages Now for the present I shall only single out one instance to you Peter of Clugny surnamed the Venerable and in his time esteemed as the Oracle of France Who for his Wariness and scrupulous Consideration in these Matters cannot but be thought of unquestion'd Authority He relateth how that in a Village of Spain named the Star there was a Man of Quality called Peter of Engelbert must esteemed in the World for his excellent Parts and abundant Riches Yet when in years coming to understand the Vanity of all Sublunary things he withdrew into a Monastery of the Order of Clugny there piously to spend the rest of his Days as the best Incense is said to
come from old Trees He often talk'd of a Vision he had had which made the General of his Order then in Spain question him in the presence of the Bishops of Oleron and Osma and conjure him in the virtue of holy Obedience to tell him punctually the truth touching the Vision he had seen whilest he led a secular Life And this man being very grave and very Circumspect accordingly did so to this effect At the time of Alphonsus the younger's Warres in Castile in the persuance of the Edict I sent one of my menial Servants named Sancius into his Army The Peace being made and he disbanded returning home he was soon seiz'd with a sickness which in few days took him away into the other World. He had the usual Obsequies done him and about four Months after as I lay one Night broad awake in my Bed I perceived a Phantòme in the form of a man who stirring up the ashes of my hearth opened the burning Coals which made him the more easily to be seen Altho I found my self much terrify'd with the sight of this Ghost God gave me the Courage to ask him who he was and for what purpose he came thither to lay my hearth abroad But he in a very low voice answered Master fear nothing I am your poor Servant Sancius I go into Castile in the Company of many Soldiers to Expiate my sins in the same Place where I committed them I couragiously reply'd if the Commandment of God call you thither to what purpose come you hither Sir said he take it not a miss for it is not without the Divine permission I am in a state not desperate wherein I may be helped by you if you bear any good will towards me Hereupon I required what his necessity was and what secours he expected from me You know Master said he that a little before my Death you sent me into a Place where men are not ordinarily sanctified Liberty ill Example Youth and Temerity all conspire against the Soul of a poor Soldier who hath no Government I committed many outrages during the late Warr robbing and pilling even to the Goods of the Church for which I am at this present grievously tormented But Good Master if you loved me alive as one of yours forget me not after Death I ask no part of your great Riches but only your Prayers and some Almes for my sake which will much assist to mitigate my pains My Mistress oweth me about eight Francks upon a reckoning between her and me let her bestow it not for my Body which hath no need of it but the comfort of my Soul which expecteth it from your Charities This Discourse embolden'd me and made me more desirous to entertain it than to fear the Apparition I demanded whether it could tell me any News of one of my Contry men named Peter Dâ—jaca Who died a while since To which he made answer I need not trouble my self with it for he was already in the number of the Blessed since the great Alms he gave in the last famine had purchased Heaven for him From thence I fell upon another Question and was Curious to know what had happened to a certain Judge Whom I very well knew and who had lately passed into the other Life To which he replied Sir speak not of that miserable Man for Hell possesseth him through the Corruption of Justice which he by damnable Practice Exerciced having an honour and Soul saleable to the prejudice of his Conscience My Curiosity carried me higher to Enquire what became of King Alphonsus the Great at which time I heard an other voice that came from a Window behind me saying very distinctly it is not of Sancius you must demand that because he as yet can say nothing to the state of that Prince but I may have more experience thereof than he I deceasing five years ago and being present in an accident which gave me some Light of it I was much surprized Unexpectedly hearing this other Voice and turning saw by the help of the Moons brightness which reflected into my Chamber a Man leaning on my Window whom I entreated to tell me where then King Alphonsus was Whereto he replied he well knew that passing out of this Life he had been much tormented and that the Prayers of good Religious men much helped him but he could not at this present say in what state he was Having spoaken thus much he turned towards Sancius sitting near the fire said let us go it is time we depart At which Sancius making no other answer speedily rose up and redoubled his complaints with a Lamentable voice saying Sir I entreat you once again remember me and that my Mistriss perform the request I made you The next day Engelbert understood from his Wife the Case to be so as the Spirit had told him and with all Observation disposed himself speedily and charitably to satisfy all was required Here I shall respit from further Arguments and Instances till such time as I am sensible of the Operations of these In the mean while believe me Sir sincerely yours c. THE HISTORY OF Pope Joan AND THE WHORES OF ROME Calumniare fortiter aliquid adhaerebit Terent. The Second Edition LONDON THE PREFACE TO THE READER Courteous Reader THou hast here presented thee some few Remarks on two grand Scandals thrown upon the Church of Rome Satan 't is true wus from the beginning and always will be a Calumniator for so his very Name imports in the Hebrew Language continually endeavouring by Lies and other wicked ways to prucure as he does many Proselites But without doubt Truth will at last prevail and then down goes Dagon which inestimable Jewel Truth we ought all of us to search after and purchase and having obtained it how glad will every one be when he sees himself disabused As in the two following Stories the first of which thou wilt see here crammed full of as many Contrarieties ridiculous Fables and Vntruths almost as the Turkish Alcoran which nevertheless hath been wonderfully and maliciously defended and improved by Hereticks and Polities that have been Flatterers of such Emperours as were professed Enemies of the Popes and who made it their Business wholly to misprise the Glory and anâ—â—hâ—latâ— if possible the Authority of the aforesaid Church What Platina so much esteemed by Protestants says of this Story in his Lives of the Popes I here give thee as 't is lately Translated by Mr. Ricaut who had done well to have taken his Annotator Onuphrius along with him who Detected and Corrected many of his Errors and among the rest this of Pope Joan. And as for Martinus Polonus the first broacher of this Story what a simple Historian he was may be seen from Onuphrius Then as for the Story of the Whores of Rome that 's as good currant Coyn as the rest as thou wilt perceive by what follows which that I may not keep thee too long from or make
of their Mortality amidst their glorious Exaltations CHAP. II. I. Of the place assigned her among the Popes and II. Of Pope Leo the IX's Letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople III. When and by whom this Fable was publish'd c. IV. The occasion of its Invention V. The little Credit it hath with the most Learned Adversaries of the Catholick Church HAving thus discovered a number of manifest Untruths Improbabilities Contrarities and Ridiculosities in the former part of this Story let us see if they can acquit themselves any better in the latter I. First then as to the place these Historians allot her among the Popes I find as grand a disagreement therein as in any other Passages before for some modern Authors place her between Pope Leo the IV. and Benedict the III. whereas Anastasius Bibliothecarius and Ado of Vienna occular Testimonies say expresly that after Leo the IV. there was but only fifteen days of vacancy and Benedict the III. was immediately chose Pope to which all of that Age agree that wrote the Pontifical History viz. Regino Hermanus contractus Lambertus Otho Frisingus Abbot of Versperg Joannes de Cremana and others But her Historians and Advocates say some of them that she held the Chair a Year and eight Months others but four Months others a Year and an half and others two Years one Month and four Days Fine Concordance again is it not Then some will have her succeed Leo the V. others Martin the I. and some Nicholas the I. some call her John the VII others Jobn VIII But 't is most certain that John the VII was a Grecian and was Pope nineteen Years before this pretended one and John the VIII was a Roman and presided twenty Years after and held the Seat ten Years so consequently these two Johns were neither English-men not Germans II. Then here occurs a very remarkable thing to be seriously considered wherein may farther appear the improbability of this Story viz. that about a hundred Years after the pretended Being of this Pope Joan Pope Leo the IX writing to Michael then Patriarch of Constantinople about the Precedency of the Church of Rome to abate his Pride reproaches him which a Woman and an Eunuch's he means Nicbolas and Ignatius holding the Patriarchal Seat of Constantinople the which certainly he durst not have done if the Church of Rome had been tainted with the same Ignominy and without all doubt the Grecians would have been very glad to have had such an opportunity wherewith to have censur'd the Western Churches if there had been the least appearance of Truth in the Story III. And here we may easily perceive another very evident sign of the falsity of this Story viz. in that all the Authors that lived in this Pope Joan's time and for 400 years after make not the least mention of any such Person for the first that published this Fable was one Martinus Polanus who wrote in the year 1320 and this Pope Joan lived in the year 870. And indeed neither did they nor most of those that wrote after them relate it as for a certain truth but speak of it rather as a Fable all of them reporting it with uncertainty and as a mere common Bruit IV. Then as to what gave the occasion of the invention of this Story I would have the Reader to consider that any one that shall impartially and judiciously read the Lives of the Popes even from St. Peter shall certainly find that there were three sorts of them in general One sort of them were certainly very eminent for their Sanctity and integrity of living but had not that singular Art or Prudence of Managing or Administring the Affairs of this World that is they were not so well acquainted with the Temporal Concerns of the World. Another sort of them there were who tho' they were their Crafts-masters in these Mundane Affairs and knew excellent well the manner and method of ruling these Temporal things with all Prudence and Justice yet these were not endued with so singular a Sanctity of Life as they should be but on the contrary were rather addicted to their disordinate and irregular Affections and Pleasures and had but little Zeal for the things of the Spirit But then there have been certainly a third sort that took something af the best from both and so Govern'd both with Prudence and Holiness Of this worst and middle sort then was Pope John the Twelfth who leading indeed a kind of Debauch'd Life and permitting himself to be Govern'd by a Debauch'd Woman whose Name was JOAN gave the People at that Time occasion to say That it was not the Pope but the Papiss that Govern'd all things V. Lastly to let you see the folly of this Fable I shall shew you what Credit it hath with the most learned of the Church of Rome's Adversaries and plainly prove that 't is worse than an old Wives Tale by their taking this Story for a meer Fable First then Mr. Blondel a French Minister and one of that account and esteem in Paris that he was chosen above all to Answer Cardinal Peron's learned Book this Mr. Blondel I say hath written a Book in French whis was Printed at Amsterdam 1647. on purpose to shew that this Story of a She Pope call'd Joan was a mere Fable And that we may not think that Blondel alone of all Protestant Ministers held this for a Fable Monsieur Seravius a great Calvinist and Councellor of the Parliament of Paris in a Letter of his to Salmasius having mention'd to him this Book of Blondel's adds these words Noli autem credere c. don't believe says he that Blondel was either the first or only Man of our Persuasion that was of this Opinion altho' perhaps no Man hath handled this Matter with more forceable Arguments for there have been famous Divines of the Reformed Religion of the same Opinion and there are yet living in this City Men famous for Fidelity and Piety who heard this History vulgarly credited accounted fabulous from Chamerius's own mouth I my self lately saw Letters of yours and my very good Friend the Learned Peter du Moulin wherein he affirm'd that he always believ'd the same I have Letters by me also of Bochart's wherein he averrs that whatsoever was hitherto Publish'd in favour of this Affair to the World was meerly Vain and Fictitious This Mounsieur Seravius wrote in a private Letter tho' his Son after his Death publish'd and printed it to a Friend of the same persuasion And thus you may plainly see how this Fable tho highly maintain'd by the Adversaries of the Catholick Church thus Expir'd at last as all Lies do and was carryed to its Grave upon the Shoulders of Four the most Famous French Ministers viz. Blondel Chamier du Moulin and Bochart The Life of Pope Joan as 't is written by B. Platina is as follows JOHN the VIII says he was of English Extraction but born at Mentz and is said to have
not be tired with so long and tedious a Treat he diverted them with several Plays which were acted whilst they sate at Table and every Servitor that attended to render the Entertainment more splendid had a new Sute every Course that was brought in this is according to the Proverb Prelates fare indeed that is delicious Food yet all this is short of what he says afterwards â—…hat he was so shameless as to keep his Whore Tiresia publickly and so splendidly rich in all her gorgeous Apparel that her very Shooes were studded with Diamonds Pearls and pretious Stones The great and modest Prelate John Bishop of Crema who was commissionated to oppose the Marriage of the English Clergy did perform his errand so well as to confute himself grosly for that very night he was taken in Bed with a Strumpet What of all this you must not take notice of what they do but what they say thus the Catholicks excuse it but I 'le warrant you the Hugonot will either laugh or shake his head at such frivolous and sinful Evasions At the Council of Trent a fit place for such an Action a Husband lent his Wife to a Cardinal see what Fripperers and Brokers they are that can pawn their Wives Chastity for filthy lucre and though at first she was religiously scrupulous pleading Conscience yet she soon alter'd her Mind and prostituted her Body to the holy Man's Embraces The next Morning the Cardinal's Concubine went very confidently to her Husband and paid him the Mony promis'd for her work telling him withall that though you take it but for a Loan yet assure your self it is an absolute sale therefore you had best provide your self another Bed-fellow for to tell you the Truth I had rather be sold out right then barely lent that I may not be put to the trouble of changing so often There was a Bishop who said these Words in the hearing of the Writer In former times Stevens Apol. for Heroditus Clergy-Men were advanced for their Learning and Knowledge in the Tongues but for his own particular he understood not one Syllable of Latin but his Passe-Latin that is the Office of a Pander or Bawd by which means he was promoted to the Episcopacy John de la Casa Arch-Bishop of Benevent and the Pope's Legate in the whole State of Venice was the Author of an Italian Poem where he chanted forth 1000 Encomiums of Sodomy among other Epithets which he gives it he calls it a heavenly Work which Book was printed at Venice by Trojanus Nanus as the Amanuenses that copied it out do averr Monstrum horrendum c. A Monster of of Men. A certain Friar summoned to appear before his Diocesan being accus'd for a Lutheran but he not only excus'd but accquitted him because he could wench swear be drunk and did not quote Scripture which true Story gave birth to this facetious Epigram Esse Lutheranum rumor te Gaurice clamat Sed tuus Antistes te tamen esse negat Tam Scortaris ait quam si vel Episcopus esses Et potas dubiam pervigil usque Diem Nec memor es Christi nisi cum jurare libebit Nec scis Scripturas nec breve jota sacrae Nempe per haec suevit nunqam fallentia signa Ille vigil sanas noscere Pastor Oves Gauricus by report's a Lutheran His ghostly Father says he 's no such man Because he wenches at that wanton rate As if the Miter adorn'd his bald Pate He 's such a fuddle Cap too as they say He tipples without ceasing Night and Day Nor thinks on Christ but when he 's swearing Oaths Nor of the Holy Writ one tittle knows Now by such never failing Marks as these Which are his good Sheep th' watchful Pastor sees Cardinal Granvil was a debauch't Man one of low Birth but high Advancement a Smith's Son and we may well say of him as Juvenal did of the Greek Orator of the same extract in his 10th Satyr who though an Heathen did exceed him as much in Morality as Rhetorick and if his Lot had fallen within the Pale of the Church would undoubtedly have deserv'd the Cardinalate much more than he and prov'd a better Christian A carbone forcipibus gladiosque parante Incude luteo Vulcano ad Rhetora missus The private part of this Cardinal's Life his secret Retirements and Closet Conversation was dissolute and detestably lascivious even to Romanists themselves the dimensions of his Immoralities and Impieties were of a vast extent his Adultery Lechery and Wantonness banisht him from Rome Naples and Millan He to promote his Lust caused several exquisite Pieces of obscenity to be drawn and printed and in his private recesses he had the Pictures of the Greatest Ladies and Beauties pourtraicted to the Life which had been by him violated and prostituted to his devillish Lust insomuch that there was a Pasquinata that went up and down of him and some others that Carrera's Cowardise the Duke of Sesa's Gout Don John's Cod-piss and Cardinal Granvil's Breeches had lost the Guleta Heliodorus was so captivated and taken with his Aethyopian or amorous History of Cariclea which was to be called in by reason of some loose passages therein or he to lose his Bishoprick that the mitred Gentleman made choice of the latter rather lose his profit than his pleasure and wanton humour Octavian of St. Gelais Bishop of Angoulisme in France yet the worthy Translator of Ovid de arte amandi was so Poetically waggish that he would lay a Wager he could answer any one Extempore should speak to him in Rythme Done and done Cock-pit Law the Wager is agreed upon and laid and these three Verses were repeated to him whil'st he was dandling his breaden God. L'autre jour venant de l'Escole Ie trouvai la Dame Nicole Laquelle étoit de verd vestue Coming from School the other Day I met with bonny Bess by th' Way Cloathed all in green To which he readily replied without interruption to his devout Missification Ostez moy du col cest ' estole Et si bien tost je ne l'accole I'auray la gageure perdu Some one take off my Stole I pray And if I kiss her not straightway I 'll lose the Wager clean A pretty amorous and kissative Prelate indeed This can be no less than Osculum Charitatis let what Female soever receive it Of their Cruelty Massacres Murthers Coveteousness Ignorance NOr have we done with Cardinal Granvil for tho we concluded the last we must begin this Chapter with him He was more than suspected to be an Atheist very much addicted to Enchantments Sorcery and Poysoning and he made an Essay of this his black Art on the wise and virtuous Maximilian the second King of the Romans yet this walking Monument of Vices was lookt upon by the Pope and King of Spain to be a very fit Instrument in setling the holy Inquisition in the Netherlands a proper Agent sufficiently qualified with
Extract especially under the specious and Religious colour of sacred Confession hereupon he was brought to Trial before the Duke who ordered his Secretary to take a Catalogue of the names of the married Women that he had gallanted and after a tedious enumeration of many Persons of quality that frequented the Duke's Palace the Secretary still pressed him to a farther Confession whereat the poor Soul fetching a deep but counterfeit Sigh said Why then Sir sincc you are so urgent pray set down your own Wife in the number which sudden and unexpected Answer did so surprise the Secretary with Astonishment that the Pen fell out of his hand and the Duke at the rehersal of the Story was almost resolved into Laughter These tricks are so frequent among them that 't is commonly said as a Proverb An Augustine Friar in the Stews In a Village near Coignac This is in the Queen of Navarr 's Relations called Cherves a reputed Maid Sister to the Curate of the Parish who because she was accounted a holy Virgin spread a Rumour abroad among the credulous People that she was a second Virgin Mary and was impregnated by the holy Ghost O execrable Blasphemy But Charles Earl of Angoulesme and Father to King Francis the First hearing of it did imagine there was some packing and gross villany in the Business and took order for a more strict examination of this Wench who was about 13 years of Age The Court where she was summond to appear to make her defence did adjure her as well as her Brother to reveal the Truth upon her Salvation and being sworn she used this form of Affidavit I take the Body of our Lord here present upon my Salvation before you my Masters and you my Brother that never Man had any Carnal knowledge of me more than you and so received the Eucharist Having taken this Oath as you have heard they related the particulars of her Process to the Earl who hearing it thought on what they never dreamt of that she had great reason to use that form of words That never man touched her more than her Brother and took it for granted that he had raised her Belly whereupon he commanded them to return and imprison the Curate who upon his Commitment confessed the Fact his Sister in few days lost her Tympany and was delivered of a Child and both of them were condemned to be Burnt which Sentence was accordingly executed and 't was favourable enough too considering the horrid Blasphemy and Perjury of the Criminals A certain Curate not far from Vienna in Daulphine being taken in the Act with a notorious Strumpet who had often prostituted her self to his dissolute Embraces behind the High Altar and that on good Friday too an aggravating Circumstance the worthy Bishop of that Diocess was to inflict a Punishment on him for this heinous Crime and it was a merry one indeed viz. to sing Mass for a certain time but the compassionate Legate of Avignon thought the Priest was too severely dealt with and discharged him from that rigid Sentence which encouraged the holy Man to play his tricks more frequently with the same Harlot and in the same Place than formerly thus to advance their sensual Delight these Clergy-men make Religion and Holiness a Bawd to their own lascivious Wickedness Methinks they should be more wary to observe the old Rule Si non casté tamen cautè and not affront the Meridian Sun with their Noon days Impieties and this was the cause of that sporting reason that one gave why ghostly Fathers are called Beaux Peres because said he they get Children at the High Altar Thomas of Abington a lascivious Friar could not be satisfied with the Use of three Concubines but he must be incestuous as if single Fornication were a small matter for he had two Children by his own Sister nay some Friars and Monks have maintained twenty Whores at one time a fine Crew indeed able to fill a pretty Seraglio Berenger an Italian Marquess entertained a Chaplain in his House as Persons of his Quality usually do to perform the Duties of the Family as to their Devotion for which he had a competency becoming one of his Coat and to gratifie his Lord lay with his Lady and tho he was but a mere Dandiprat as deformed in Body as in mind yet she notwithstanding the Nobility of her Race run the risco of so ignoble an Action but he had his merited Compensation at last which spoil'd his sport for the Future for being discovered by the barking of an unlucky House Dog he was taken stript stark naked and had his impetuous Nerve amputated for the Offence This hapned in the time of Pope Steven the Eighth about the year 941. A Butcher of Strasbourg in Germany by a strange accident lost his Wife and not hearing the least syllable of her in a long time concluded she was Dead and so she was to him in truth tho not to the Franciscans who kept her at Bed and Board an Order so much extoll'd for their Sanctimony and Piety but he found that there was a Franiscan Novice who came daily to the Shambles accompanied with a ghostly Father which the Butcher thought did so resemble his Wife that he would often say were he not perswaded that his Wife was dead he should swear it were she In fine she proved to be what he thought her his Wife indeed which being discovered and made known to the Civil Magistrate not only the Franciscans but the other Monks and all the wicked rabble of lascivious Priests were deservedly expell'd the City A Franciscan lodging in The Queen of Navarr 's Relation a Gentleman's House of Perigort who was his Confessor and very intimate with him being privy to all his Secrets by that Religious Cheat of auricular Confession whereby he came to understand the Gentleman had a design to bed his Wife that Night who had layn in but three weeks before which the Confessor perswaded him to only for his own wanton ends for when Night approach'd the Friar anticipated him went to Bed to his Wife and enjoyed her who departed immediately after he had satisfied his Lust as mute as a Fish not so much as opening his lips and went out of the Door which the Porter took notice of Presently after in comes her Husband at the time appointed who thinking it was he that accompanied her before could not forbear discovering it whereupon he suspected the Friar had play'd him that slippery trick and finding him out of his Chamber and the Porter confirming his departure he was satsfied 't was he went back to his Wife and acquainted her with the circumstances of the Story and so left her to pursue the Francisean but his Wife being alone and extreamly perplex'd to rid her self of that trouble that was upon Spirit hanged her self but whilst she was strugling with the pangs of Death killed a little Infant that was by her with a Blow of