to him alone the Papists haue recourse Two things are materiall in all this Proceedure for the honour of our Country One is that j doe not find any of the Prelaticall Ministers of any greate repute for Learning or Honour engaged in the carrying on of these Bloudy Contriuances For j am persuaded they will scarce disgrace their Degree by owning Oates to be of it and as for D. Tongue and the B. of L. if we consider their past liues we shall haue reason to think them in the ministry but as saul was amongst the Prophets The other that if it be a dishonour to our nation that such notorious Periured men as Oates Bedlow Prance and Dugdale were bred and borne in it it is for its credit and honour that not withstanding all tentations of the greatest feares and greatest hopes only four should be found in it who yeilded to such tentations To say nothing of Preists or of Noble men and Gentlemen who may be thought to haue a greater proportion of Learning of Conscience and of Honour we haue seen a poore Comedian Medburne refuse a reward considerable for one of his condition 500. L. and choose rather to rot a liue in prison as he effectually did then acknowledge a crime of which he was jnnocent and by that concurre to the death or ruine of many jnnocent Persons His example and that of some others who in alike manner chose rather to be afflicted weth the people of God then the temporall enjoyments of sinfull perjury Heb. 11.25 These examples j say j use to alleadge to restore in the opinion of wise men the Honour of our nation which the Periury of Oates and his Associate the Partiality of the Jewry and Assistants and the Butcherly cruelty of some of the judges hath brought uery low Jndeed j think it a great unjustice to charge a whole nation with the shamefull faults of some few howeuer inuested with some publick office when so many others constantly oppose them But j intend not an Apology for the nation but a vindication of the persecuted part of it from those crimes which are uniustly charged on them euen after their Death Let us heare what is alleadged against them ANTI-FIMBRIA c. FImbria page 1. Protestants who make a conscience of their words and count it a horrid crime to speake otherwise then they think when they are dying may be ready to judge those guiltlesse who when they are dying assert their junocency with highest Asseuerations Answer Jf we may guesse at the Disposition of those dying Protestants you meane by the whole tenor of their liues we may conclude they think it no crime at all to speake other wise then they think seing in their liues they scruple at it so little We can not judge certainly of the interiour sentiments of a man in particular by his actions seing these are often contrary to his conscience Passion preuailing ouer Reason and hurrying him to what he knows to be unlawfull Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor But it is almost impossible that a whole People a nation should be inclined to commit one and the same sin unlesse the Rules of conscience which would check them be first defaced in their mind because it is morally impossible that a whole nation should as one time be depriued of the free use of reason by one Passion Hence it appeares that the Persons you commend for sincerity in their words haue really no scruple of any Lying For seing they reward Periured Persons and with the greatest threates and promises endeauour to work uppon the frailty of such as are so unfortunate as to fall in to their hands to bring them to encrease the number of false witnesses and punish as guilty of the most hainous crimes such as prefer the Peace of their conscience and their sincerity before their liues can we guesse they scruple at lying or Perjury No no it is in uaine to pretend to it for your publicke actions convince the falshood of your pretence and where these are knowne as they are to the greatest part of Europe none will euer beleiue you count it any crime at all to speake other wise then you think It is tru your endeauours haue beene for the most part frustrated hauing not met with many who haue had a conscience hard enough to beare Perjury and those too you first made Protestants before you could make them False witnesses but the smalnesse of their number doth not excuse you who use such unworthy meanes for so dishonourable an End At least out of your Proceedings it is euident you little esteeme sincerity which you punish nor scruple at Lying which you promote Read the frequent Libels against Papists which dayly appeare of late full of Lyes composed as j am informed by some Ministers of the Protestant Church some by your self and without the helpe of a Reuelation you shal perceiue a Lying spirit in the mouth of your Prophets as there was in the mouth of the Prophets of Ahab 1. kings 22.23 We may with great probability guesse you say as the jews did Jsay 28.15 We haue put our hopes in a Lye a Lye shal protect us A Protestant beyond seas considering this with some confusion sayd Our Reformation begane with Lying continues with Lying and will end with Lying And can we think you make a conscience of speaking other wise then you think You know sir who in scripture is termed the Father of Lyes Joan. 8.44 But at the same time that you deliuered up your will to the Workings of Errour God the God of Truth struck your Understanding with such a blindnesse that you could not tell any Probable or Credible Lyes as Gods Prouidence shews its self in ioyning Antidotes to the Poyson of Scorpions Soe that the meanes you use to blast our Reputation and to ground the opinion of a Plot doe destroy themselues whilest the things you say are not only untru but also incredible For what man in his Wits can beleiue that a superior of a particular Congregation of Religious men should by his letters Patents dispose of all offices ciuill Military and Ecclesiasticall of a whole Kingdome euen those of the Crowne and Bishopricks That Oats a new man ether un knowne or too well knowne to be trusted with any thing as being thought unfit to liue as a priuate scholler in any of their Colledges should be entrusted with the distributing these Patents That such a body as the Catholick Nobility and Gentry should acknowlegde that unheard of Authority of that Superior and accept of his Commissions That not one of these Commissions should be found or owned by any who receaued them That a Customary Trienniall Assembly of Religious men to consider of the Superiors of their Prouince which is constantly held by Jesuits and other Regulars should be esteemed a conspiracy against the king and state That Oates who neuer had beene one day nay one hour a Jesuit should be admitted in to
your whole Pamphlet is built on our holding Equiuocation lawfull practicing it for which reason you repeate it so often your whole discourse falls to the ground To confirme this opinion of our abhorrency for Equiuocations j appeale to the constant practice of the rigidest Papists particularly Jesuits who as you say are particularly addicted to these Equiuocations Haue they not all unanimously constantly refused some Oathes for containing some things which they thought untru which by this their darling Equiuocation myght easely be uerifyed had they thought it Lawfull Haue not many lost their Liberty by Imprisonment and some their Liues uppon the Gallows rather then take some Oathes which you think we can soe casily make innocent What more foolish then to hazard the losse of life or Limbe Liberty or Goods for indifferent things Reproach as long as you pleas to Jcsuits and Papists the Doctrine and Practice of Equiuocotion that calumny cannot be fixt on them where they are knowne their whole conduct the whole tenor of their liues is a sufficient confutation of it and a conuiction of its untruth We say with an ancient Father Apologias non scribimus sed vivimus Our actions are our Apology But you discouer a greater defect then want of understanding in this Reproach viz want of Discretion in taxing us with this crime of which you are as guilty as we innocent With respect to your present dignity be it spoken Did not you M. r Barlo D.D. and now Bishop of Lincoln moue with the seditious Torrent which bore downe all Authority Ecclesiasticall and Ciuil all the time of the Troubles Did not you howle with those wolues Speake the language of Canaan Take all Oathes tendred by those in usurped Authority how destructiue soeuer they were to Monarchy and Episcopacy and contradictory to one an other Jf you changed your mind soe frequently and beleiued sincerely what you swore what a Weather-Cocke are you Jf you altred not your sentiments you must ether haue beene often forsworne or haue recourse to Equiuocation Deny not the fact which publicke Fame confirmes and the Terrae-Filius of your university reproched you with it uery handsomely saying all things would downe with you besides a Blacke-Pudding Omnia deuorat praeter nigrum fartum your conscience scruples at nothing but that You would oblidge a considerable part of the world who wonder at your conduct in letting it know whither this scruple arises from the prohibition of eating Bloud contained in the new or in the old Law Fimhria p. 2. Garnet and Tresham used equiuocation in their answers when they were examined and you cite Casaubon for it Answer 1. Casaubon's credit in matter of Humanity is greate in Divinity little but nothing at all in things of Fact concerning the actions of Papists whose profest Ennemy he was Answer 2. Nether Garnet nor Tresham are the rules of my Faith or Opinion or Practice Jf you could proue as certainly j beleiue you cannot that they equiuocated or Lyed or were forsworne that would not justify me should j practice ether nor proue that j imitate them in it or that j think that others may with a safe conscience follow that example Fimbria p. 3. Persons Nauarre and Sanchez approue of Equiuocation Answer 1. A hundred such Authors doe not equall the Authotity of the Pope as uniuerfal and supreame Pastor teaching the Church and prohibiting some points of Doctrine under paine of excommunication To these definitions we submit our understanding Answer 2. How little we Inglish Catholicks euer regarded the sentiments of those or any other Authours of what quality soeuer in this matter of Eqniuocation or Oathes doth sufficiently appeare by our perpetuall refusing such Oathes as without hauing recourse to those petty euasions could not be verifyed Fimbria p. 4. Let the world judge what regard is due to the words of such dying men whose Doctrine excuses from sin and Lying all untruths Answer You nether haue proued nor shal euer be able to proue that these men or any Papist aliue holds that Doctrine we condemne it we detest it from our harts and to conuince you and the whole world that we doe this sincerely we appeale to our constant unalterable practice as is aboue sayd But you who haue without scruple swallowed soe many Oathes whereof some must be false unlesse you can make contradictions true you j say may be suspected without rashnesse of Equiuocation in what you speake or write or sweare Fimbria p. 4. J cannot imagin how what Gauan says can be true that the Jesuits allow not the Doctrine of king-killing but detest and abhor it or that none of them hold it lawfull to kill a king but only Mariana Answer This Assertion containes two parts 1. That the Jesuits detest and abhorre the Doctrine of king-killing 2. That none of them but Mariana taught it Now the first is soe tru that j defye you or any of your Brethren to name any Jesuit aliue who doth not detest it J haue knowne seuerall and conuerst with some of the cheife of them both for Learning and Authority very familiarly yet neuer beard them or any one of them by the least word approue of it or speake of it without horrour This testimony j owe to Truth and justice And if the Protestants please for their owne further satisfaction to consult any of the Inglish Jesuits now in Prison or any others ether in France or Flandres where some Jesuits are â—â—ill to be found althô in your animaduersions on the speaches you say they are banisht out of both those places if you find any â—â—e approue of that Doctrine stone him J acknowledge that at Louain lately some Theses were printed which contained that exploded Doctrine But that hinders not the Truth of what j haue deliuered here concerning the Jesuits 1. Because they were not Jesuits who printed those Theses 2. Because 〈◊〉 j heare those Theses neuer were defended 3. Because the Maâ—er who had deliuered that Doctrine and composed the Theses was deposed from teaching and cast out of that uniuersity and all the Netherlands for that fault by his Ecclesiasticall Superiour By which you may see how unjustly that Doctrine is charged uppon any Catholicks at all which was soe seuerely punisht As to the second Gauan doth not say none but Mariana held 〈◊〉 but that he knew none but Mariana who taught it There is not one 〈◊〉 the best of my knowledge that allows of king-killing Doctrine 〈◊〉 Mariana are his owne words Now althô there should haue beene 1000. others of the same fentiments yet what Gauan sayd may be tru if he knew nothing of the rest Soe j may say truly â—â—d sincerly J know none but the B. of L. who will take all Oathes witâ—â—â—â— scruple althô probably there may be others of the same Principle of conscience and Faith unknowne to me Nether is it to be wondred at that Gauan should know of none 〈◊〉 Mariana who taught that detestable Doctrine seing under
that Assembly when some who had beene 25. yeares some aboue 50. yeares Jesuits could not enter into it That a war should be designed and yet nether men nor Mony nor Armes nor Prouision nor Ammonition appeare That after so diligent informations and searchings into Papers and houses no footstep of soe greate a businesse in fourteene months time should be discouered but that all this machine should still rely uppon Oates his word That when so many thousands were engaged non but this one infamous Person should acknowledge soe horrible a Plot That this same Person should severall times contradict himself in his Depositions and yet his present Oath alwayes be true and men be condemned uppon it That almost all the guilty persons at least the cheife and most notorious of them should voluntarily present themselues to the officers of justice That not one of them all though inuited with assurance of Impunity and Pardon and great Rewards should acknowledge the least Guilt euen at their last breath but that all should dye protesting their Jnnocency not one excepted That hauing ruined their Body by soe detestable a Plot they should all unanimously resolue to damne their souls with a Perjury at that moment when they were to be presented to the dreadfull Tribunall of the upright and all-seing Judge These things cannot be paralleled in any Hystory and are so euidently untru that they ground such a certainty of the Papists Jnnocency that a greater in morall matters can not be found And some of these considerations hauing beene represented to the Publick in French an Eminent Person of the Reformed Religion Petitioned his Prince that they myght not be printed in his cheife Citty saying those euident unjustices acted in England would if knowne endanger the liues of all the Protestants in his Dominions Fimbria ibidem Notwithstanding men will haue reason to judge them truly Traytors if they take notice how full and cleere the Euidence is by which they were cast and understand the Principles of the Persons executed who are by common doctrine taught amongst them furnisht with expedients to deny what is true and affirme what is false and that with solemne Oaths and yet nether lye nor be forsworne nor sin in the least degree Their cheyse Artifice is that of mentall equiuocation The use of which is allowed by all sorts of Papists And you repeate this second part pag. 8. 10. 11. 14. and caet Indeed your whole discourse relyes on it Answer Here are two Reasons alleadged against all those cleere proofes of the Jnnocency of suffring Catholicks 1. The cleernesse of the euidence against them 2. That they hold mentall equiuocation Lawfull You only hint at the first and soe j shal be short J neuer saw any understanding man satisfyed with the seuerall Tryalls euen as you haue printed them That of M. r Colman is publisht in other Languages and seuerall able men hauing examined it with as much attention and exactnesse as they assured me as if they had beene to pronounce sentence in the case sayd that the euidence against him consisted of two parts 1. What the Witnesses deposed 2. His letters That the Witnesses Depositions were insignificant a being euidently false That his Correspondence with foreigne Ministers was suspitious unlesse with his king's Priuity Yet in the letters themselues there was nothing against the king's life or state or Gouernment Soe they doubted not of his Jnnocency as to the crimes contained in his jndictment for which he was condemned Now if this be the sentiment of the wiser part of the world in Colman's case which is undoubtedly the hardest of all what think you is their opinion of the rest It is in the Eye of Europe soe cleere that nether all the Perjurys of Oates nor all your sophistry wil euer perswade the contrary Now to that Artifice which you impertinently and ignorantly call mentall equiuocation a word unknowne to Diuines and where of one part contradicts the other You myght as well speake of a vocall thought But let that passe You say equiuocation is allowed by all sorts of Papists J say this is false for the Pope and Cardinalls and the Congregation of the Inquisition are certainly one sort of Papists and they allow it not but condemne it by a solemne Decree publisht on the 20. Febr. 1678. or 2. March 1679. Where they censure 65. Propositions Of which the 26. is as followeth Si quis vel solus vel coram alijs sive interrogatus sive propria sponte sive recreationis causâ sive quocunque alio fine juret se non fecisse aliquid quod reverà fecit intelligendo intrà se aliquid aliud quod non fecit vel aliam viam ab eâ in quâ fecit vel quodvis aliud additum verum reverà non mentitur nec est Perjurus And the 27. Causa justa utendi amphibologijs est quoties id necessarium eut utile est ad salutem corporis honorem res familiares tuendas vel ad quemlibet alium virtutis actum ità ut veritatis occultatio censeatur tunc expediens studiosa In Inglish thus 26. Jf any man ether alone or in presence of others ether uppon examination or of his owne accord or for Diuertisment or for any other intent sweares he did not doe what he really did imagining he did not an other thing or that he did not that same thing such away or any other interiour Truth that man doth nether Lye nor is Perjured 27. A just cause of using Equiuocation is when it is necessary or usefull to preserue our Health or Honour or Goods or for any other act of vertu soe that when these occurre it may be thought expedient and laudable to conceale the Truth Thus the two Propositions Doe they not containe that uery Doctrine which you uery Learnedly call mentall equiuocation and which you assure all sorts of Papists allow Jf it be not Tell us what is If it be Heare the following Censure of the Congregation or rather of the Pope with the Congregation quicunque cujuscunque conditionis status vel dignitatis illas vel illarum aliquam defenderit vel de ijs tractaverit nisi fortè eas impugnando ipso facto incidat in excommunicationem latae sententiae à quâ non possit nisi à Romano Pontifice absolvi Whosoever of what quality soeuer he be shal hold both or ether of these Propositions or mention speak of them unlesse it be to impugne it or them is ipso facto excommunicated from which excommunication none but the Pope himselfe shal absolue him You see how ignorant you are in the Tenets of our Church of which notwithstanding you speake so magisterially you see that Doctrine forbidden under the greatest penalty the Church can inflict which you assure is soe much endeared unto us Owne that we cannot lawfully practice what we can not speak of under soe seuere a sentence unlesse it be to impugne to condemne to detest it And seing