name is vsed but to vpholde his pride but if you haue no better proofes then these to confirme Peters greatnesse heare what I can say in the negatiue to proue that Peter was no greater then the rest of the Apostles Ta. I woulde faine see that quoth blind Hewe for that would seeme strange amongst Catholickes Pa. Why then to open the eyes of blind popish Catholikes let them looke first into the Actes of the Apostles Chap. 8. where the Apostles that were at Ierusalem vnderstanding that the Samaritans had receiued the Gospell of Christ by the preaching of Philip they immediately sent both Peter and Iohn for the better confirmation of the Samaritans this argueth that Peter had no such iurisdiction ouer the rest of the Apostles as our papistes doe dreame of for then he could not haue beene sent but Peter and Iohn were sent as other priuate persons to preach and minister to the Samaritans And in the eleuenth of the Actes when Peter hadde beene warned by a vision to goe to Cornelius the rest of the congregation called him to an account and after a sort rebuked Peter for entring the house of an vncircumcised person and Peter was driuen in his owne excuse to recapitulate vnto them the whole maner of the vision how it appeared vnto him and was warranted by the spirit of God by this it doth appeare that Peter had no superioritie aboue the rest but rather argueth an inferiority then any place of principalitie we reade how Paul againe not onely controled Peter about matters of circumcision but also withstoode him to his face in such sort as he that should reade ouer the second to the Galathians would thinke that if there were any superioritie amongst the Apostles it rather belongeth to Paul then to Peter but there was no dominering amongst them nor one greater then another but as I haue sayde beefore they marched all in one equalitie both in power and authoritie True it is that Peter did still shew himselfe to be of a more stirring and liuely spirit then the rest and was more apt and readie both in propounding of questions in answering of demandes which proceeded somtimes of ignorāce as when he demāded of his master whether it might not suffice to forgiue his enemie 7. times thinking that to forgiue eyght had beene too much Sometimes his readinesse in answering was inspired by the spirit of God as when Christ demanded of his Disciples whom they thought him to be Peter immediately made answere I say thou art the sonne of the liuing God sometimes againe ouer much confidence of himselfe made him to be somewhat too forwarde in his protestations as in the 26. of Mathew where Christ expostulating with his Disciples tolde them that this night they shoulde all be offended by him but Peter led partly by zeale and partly by presumption answered If all the world be offeded with thee yet wil not I be offended with thee and yet the very same night he denyed him to a poore maid and in the 16. chap. before when Christ revealed to his Disciples that he must goe vp to Ierusalem there to suffer many things Peter rashly aduised him to shun the place not to goe thether at all By these and other like places it doth appeare that as Peter was of a more quicke and liuely spirite then the rest of the Apostles so he was more foreward then the rest eyther to speake or to do any thing as time and place did serue or as he was fitted by occasion And as the infirmities not onely of Peter but also of many holy men besides are registred in the holy scriptures and left vnto vs for our example so wee doe not cite these places of any spite or malice whereby to impugne Saint Peters Authoritie but rather to make knowne the Popes tyrany that hath a long time iuggled with the scriptures and hath not onely made Saint Peter a couerture to his pompe and pride but also many times abuseth the name of the liuing God himselfe for where hee beginneth with this preamble In the name of God then commonly he contriueth some seruice to the Deuill To winde vpp all therefore I say that if that blessed Apostle Saint Peter would arrogate but halfe so much to himselfe as our grosseheaded papistes will attribute to their Pope hell fire were fitter for him then so great glory in the kingdome of heauen Ta. I wonder how any presumptuous foole in the world dare auouch these blasphemies against the Vicar of Christ Pa. And I wonder as fast in what place of scripture you doe finde that Christ would haue any such Vicar or howe the Pope should come to that title that you speake of to be the Vicar of Christ but I wonder most of all that so many fooles will beleeue him but vpon his owne report hauing neyther scrypture script nor scroule to confirme it Ta. You haue forgotten your selfe Patricke the matter is better warranted then you are aware on how many notable Authors haue extolled the pope so far that they make it Sacriledge to dispute of his factes Heresie to doubt of his power Paganisme to disobey him Blasphemie against the holy Ghost to speake against his decrees and Canons Pa. And presumption not to goe to the Deuill with him for company Ta. You may iest as you list but what I haue deliuered is approoued by seuerall speciall authours as it appeareth testified in their owne workes and writings Pa. And is not Bonifacius a holy Martyr of the Popes owne making as good an authour as any of the rest whose wordes be these If the Pope be found to neglect the saluation of himselfe and his brethren vnprofitable or slacke in his office silent in that which is good hurtfull to himselfe and to all others yea though he lead with him innumerable soules by heapes to the deuill of hell yet let no mortall man find fault with or reproue him for his doings Ta. I will bee with you to the worldes end sayth Christ And therfore what soeuer Bonifacius hath written if the Pope should erre as you haue sayd this promise could not be kept Pa. But to whom was that promise made thinke you was it to the Pope alone or to the whole Church Ta. I thinke the promise was made to all but to the Pope especially that is the head of the Church Pa. Keepe that head still for your Romish Church for the Church of God knoweth no other head but Christ Ta. But our Sauiour hath sayd it is not possible that theelect should be seduced Pa. Not possible they shoulde bee seduced to fall from God but the elect may sinne yet not vnto death so they may erre but not vnto destruction Ta. I say that the promise of our Sauiour that Peters faith should not fayle is enough for mee to conclude that the Pope cannot erre Pa. Then you vnderstand Christes wordes after this sorte I haue prayd for thee Peter that thy faith should not fayle
the country that was neare about it why then the Chayre of Moses which Christ here spake of was nothing else but the doctrine of Moses which hee hadde formerly taught and left vnto them and which Christ in this place willed his Disciples to heare and likewise to followe what the Scribes and Pharises sayd and taught but not to doe as they did to followe their sayinges but not their doinges euen so likewise Peters Seate Peters Keyes and Peters doctrine are all one and the selfe same thing but this doctrine of the preaching of the Gospell your Pope hath abolished at Rome and in the place thereof hee hath set vp the preaching of his owne lawes of his owne decrees and of his owne traditions and therefore he sitteth not on the seat of Peter but in the Seate of Antichrist in the Chayre of pestilence and for Peters comming to Rome it can doe your Pope no good at all he may well bragge a little of the matter but it will not serue his turne Ta. Thus you would conclude that Saint Peters seate consisted in nothing more then in the preaching of the Gospell And by this you woulde depriue him not onely of his Patrimony but also of his Dignity Saint Peter is little beholding to Protestants for of him that was called the Prince of the Apostles they would make him to be but Minimus Apostolorum but if to preach the Gospell be to sit in Peters Seate was it not Peter to whom Christ especially recommended the feeding of his flocke And what is meant by the feeding of the sheepe but the preaching of the word and ministring of the sacraments which as it was commended to Peter especially so it remaineth a precept for euer to the Popes that are his successors And was it not to Peter againe to whom Christ sayd I haue prayd for thee Peter that thy faith might not fayle what malitious impietie then in Protestantes to spurne against that Principality that Christ himselfe hath confirmed not onely to Peter himselfe but to the rest that bee his successors in the holy sea of Rome Pa. First for this prioritie that papistes would so faine ascribe to Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles I say our Sauiour Christ hath long sithens determined when in the 10. of Saint Markes Gospell hee told them that there shoulde bee no precedencie amongst them nor the one to bee accounted more worthy then the other and therefore flatly decreed betweene them that hee that would aspire to be greatest the same should be least now for Saint Peter esteeme him as you please choose how you will account him to be either Maximus or Minimus But what blockishnes is in papists to thinke that because Christ commanded Peter to feede his flocke that this precept therefore was giuen but to Peter himselfe as though that commandement to feede the flocke of Christ did not belong as farre foorth to all the Apostles as it did to Peter I will tell you Syr Tady there is not so simple a minister in the Church of God that hath cure of soules but according to his measure is as straightly tyed to the feeding of Christes flocke as euer was any Pope of Rome or as Peter or as Paul or as any other of the twelue Apostles And now for your Popes that you say are successours vnto Peter if wee shoulde looke into the foode what it is they haue distributed and consider of the diligence they haue vsed in performing this precept thus left vnto Peter we should find that in feeding the sheepe they haue poysoned the pasture they haue infected corrupted it with the venemous leauen of their owne lawes and traditions and in stead of giuing foode they haue fleeced the flocke they haue made a shambles of the sheepe haue murthered and massacred the innocent lambes such hauocke your Popes haue kept amongst the Saintes of God and yet they would be accounted to be Peters successors but what a counterfeit Hypocrite is your Pope that vnder a shew of humility will professe himselfe to be Seruus seruorum and yet will take vpon him to controule and dominere ouer Emperours and Kinges and because Christ hath sayd I haue prayd for thee Peter that thy faith shoulde not fayle therefore say the papistes the Pope cannot erre thus they doe wrest and wrythe holy scriptures to serue their fleshly appetites and as for Saint Peters Patrimonie Saint Peters Seate Saint Peters Keyes Saint Peters Power Saint Peters Authoritie yea and Saint Peter himselfe they are all made props and supporters to vphold the Popes pride Ta. Why how now Patricke what art thou out of thy wittes wilt thou impugne saint Peters authority or wilt thou denie that he hath absolute power both to bind and to loose either in heauen or in earth as Christ himselfe hath giuen and warranted vnto him Pa. I denie him nothing but that he had full power and authority by the preaching of the Gospel both to bind to loose to open and to shut and to doe all thinges in as large and ample maner as eyther Iames or Iohn Philip or Bartholomew or any other of the Apostles whom our Sauiour himselfe after his resurrection armed with equall authority when in the 20. of Iohn he sent them into the world to preach to all nations Ta. Thus I perceiue you can be contented that Peter shoulde march with the rest of the Apostles in equall ranke but you will not admit him any supreame authority Pa. If you can alleadge but any one place of scripture that doth giue vnto Peter any more then the rest you shall finde me apt enough to acknowledge it Ta. Is not this confirmation enough when Peter is the rocke whereon Christ himselfe said he would build his Church Pa. I wonder papistes are not ashamed to vrge that place of scripture so grossely Peter acknowledging Christ to be the sonne of God our Sauiour answered Vppon thisrocke I will builde my Church the Pope would haue the rocke to bee Peter himselfe whereon Christ promised to build his Church when indeede it was the faith of Peter confessing Christ to bee the sonne of God for faith is the rocke whereon Christes Church is built for who is of Christes Church but he onely that beleeueth Christ to bee the sonne of God this faith is it against which the gates of Hel cannot preuaile Ta. What malicious despight is this to depriue Saint Peter of his principalitie giue him some preheminence for shame if it be but because he was the first amongst the Apostles that confessed Christ to be the sonne of God Pa. It is truth Peter was the first amongst the Apostles that confessed Christ to be the sonne of God and so he was the first againe that denyed his master neither doe wee seeke to depryue that blessed Apostle of any pryoritie that the word of God doth allowe him but rather to curtall your Idolatrous Pope who by magnifiyng of Peter woulde thereby exalt himselfe Peters
towne corporate is inioyned for that houre to the seruice of the prince and how can a man more honestly expresse his zeale to the pope then flatly to deny his seruice to his prince I say that Catholicke that will offer himselfe to prison in such a case as yearely they doe almost in euery towne is worthy to attaine that estimation that he himselfe doth so much desire Pa. And what is that to be accounted a reble a traytor and a false hearted villayne to his prince Ta. No syr he doth it out of the loue he beareth to the Pope therefore amongest Catholickes to be beloued honored esteemed cherished and to be reputed for a patron a protector and a demy saint so long as he liueth and after his death to be canonized numbred and regestred in the Popes Calender Pa. Why then â—o commit a papist to pryson is rather a grace then a disgrace vnto him Ta. I tell you it is a glory vnto him he doth reioyce in it hee doth triumph in it he doth knowe himselfe to bee renowned by it Pa. But doth your townes-men that bee thus ill affected to their prince indure anie great penurie during the time of their imprysonment Ta. Now God and our blessed Lady defend it no sir they liue in pleasure they lie well they fare well they are frequented by their friends and rather then they should liue in lacke the whole cittie where they dwell will contribute towardes their charges Pa. But is not this a gratious clemencie in a soueraigne that will suffer those corporations to houlde or inioy any liberties or priuiledges that are thus opposite to himselfe and repugnant to his lawes Ta. Speake not of clemency Patricke where the priestes that shoulde sacrifice for the sinnes of the people are constrayned to liue in a disguised sort but not in open show Pa. And by this counterfeit shift of disguising themselues they march vp and downe the streets of Dublyne and where they list besides seducing the people without impeachment Ta. And from whence is that but by the mighty power of God that is able to protect his seruants although in the Lions denne and therefore he that hath any wit in his head will neuer seeke to apprehend trouble or molest any Catholicke priest Pa. Whereof should we stand in feare or doubt Ta. Of more enemies then friendes bee sure of that And name mee but any one manne that hath most buisied himselfe in those matters that hath gotten eyther gaine or grace and lette it bee that a Catholicke priest bee sometimes apprehended as God bee thanked for it it is seldome seene in Ireland doth he not vse his priestly dignitie in as large and as ample manner as if hee were at libertie in what pryson can you shutte him vppe but there he maketh holy water holy bread holy falt holy candell and for those that haue continuall accesse vnto him aswell men women and children he confirmes them still and reconciles them to the pope Pa. But doe you reconcile so many to the Pope when you be in prison as you speake of Ta. Both in pryson and out of prison we reconcile as many as will heare or beleeue vs. Pa. What to be traytors to the prince Ta. No syr but to vow themselues to the pope without any intended treason to the prince Pa. But this reconciled sort must in the end become traitors to the prince whether they ment it at the first or nay for when it pleaseth your holy father to depose the prince and to excommunicate as many as will acknowledge him for a lawfull magistrate as many times he hath done what shall your reconciled sort do then Ta. If a prince bee a heriticke shoulde wee communicate with him Pa. We may then condemne his heresie but we must pray for his person as the Apostle hath taught vs I exhort you therefore that first of all supplications prayers and intercessions be made for Kings and so for all that are in authoritie Ta. That is meete so long as they be good christians Pa. The aduertisement was written from Paul to Tymothy and at that time when princes were both infidels and Idolators Ta. I thinke those kings that be pagans are rather to be prayed for then those that be heretickes Pa. The church of Christ hath prayed for those princes that were heretickes that in the middest of their impietie and hottest tyrany Constantius for one that was an Arian and yet was prayed for by the decree of a common Counsell Ta. Perhaps they might do this in the beginning of his raigne before his heresie was discouered Pa. Perhaps there are none but papists that would appose any such doubtes and what are they but traytors that woulde teach subiectes to rebell Ta. It is no treason to say the Pope may depose princes when he hath receiued that power from Christ Pa. If you coulde but proue that we might the better beleeue you in some other matters Ta. Hath he not the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Pa. So hath euery other person that is a minister of the word of God but what haue they to do with the kingdoÌ„es of the earth our Sauiour beeing demaunded by Pilate what kingdome it was that hee claimed openly avowed My kingdome is not of this world but the Pope that takes vppon him but to be his Vicar woulde dispose of all the kingdomes in the world Ta. May not the shepheard reclaime the sheepe if he will not be ruled Pa. So he may sell the sheepe to the Butcher if he bee fat but what is that to your Pope woulde you haue him to doe the like by princes I hope you vnderstand Syr Tady that all similitudes be no sylogismes Ta. For all this I cannot thinke it any treason to defende that the pope may lawfully depose any prince for tyrany or heresie Pa. I cannot let you to thinke what you list but I can tell you truly it is treason by the lawes of the Realme to subiect eyther the princes sword or his crowne to the Popes courtes or in any sort to his vsurped power Ta. The time hath beene when Princes might in no wise meddle with ecclesiasticall persons and I warrant you the Pope will neuer giue his consent that any prince of them all shoulde haue lawfull authoritie to punish a priest Pa. God be thanked of a good amendment Princes are beecome to be more wise and I thinke you haue heard of some prety store of your trayterous priestes that haue already hopped as far as from Tyber to Tyburne and there is some hope that shortly more will follow Ta. I haue hearde of some that suffered martyrdome but I know you will say they were executed for treason when in truth it was but for the testimony of their consciences Pa. And if it be a matter of conscience for priests and Iesuites to vndermine a princes estate and to stirre vp their subiectes to rebell to goe about to plucke the crowne from their
Church of God what meant he by the Church the priests or the people Ta. Perhaps hee ment them both aswell the people as the priestes Pa. Canne you finde in any one text of Scripture where the Church is taken for the priestes without the people Ta. But yet the priestes are onely called Churchmen Pa. Why now you haue answered the matter soundly hereafter when they tell vs that the Church doth consist in the whole congregation of the faithfull we may then answer them that the priestes onely were called churchmen and therefore they must commande Kinges and Princes what they must doe and what religion they must establish Ta. It is very true for who should iudge of religion but the Priest Pa. Why then the priest must iudge of truth but the Prince you say may commande for truth and then we are all this while out of our reckoning for if it bee in the princes power to command for truth they will say that our gratious king commaundeth nothing here in Ireland but what Christ hath already commanded and what is established by the word of God and thus we haue brought our hogges to a faire market Ta. But that princes should haue power to compell mens consciences I say is a thing most vnreasonable Pa. And that euery ignorant and obstinate person shoulde make a conscience of euery popish fantazy is a thing most intollerable Ta. Doe you terme it to bee fantasticall that our progenitors haue professed and that we our selues were baptized in Pa. This is your common inchantment wherewith you bewitch a number of seely soules bearing them beleeue that in bap tisme they haue vowed themselues to your Romish religion but in whose name were you baptized was itin the popes or in Peters or in Paules if in no other then in the nameof Christ alone then are you made the sonnes of God and not the slaues and vassels of Rome and as in baptisme you receiued no mans marke but his so you stand bound to regard no mans voyce but his Ta. Yet I say still that it standes with no reason that a prince may forcibly compell any man against his conscience Pa. But I say still that a Prince may forcibly compell his subiectes from Idolatry and heresie to the sincere seruice of God the scriptures doe furnish vs with sundry presidents tending to that purpose amongst the rest take this one Iosiah was highly commended for making the people of Ierusalem all that were â—ound in Israell to serue the Lorde Ta. Iosiah compelled the people to serue the Lorde according to the truth but doth it therefore follow that euery prince may inforce a religion that is but fitting to his owne will and fancie Pa. It doth therefore followe and by the circumstance of the whole chapter it doth appeare that euery christian Prince throughout his realmes and dominions may roote out heresie Idolatry superstition and hauing againe restablished the true and sincere worship of God may compell and inforce his subiects both to obey and submit themselues vnto it Ta. But the religion which we professe is the true auncient Apostolicke religion first deliuered by Christ himselfe vnto Peter and by Peter himselfe to his successors the Bishops of Rome Pa. Indeede your Pope in his doctrine dooth as rightly succeede Saint Peter at Rome as the Turke doth succeed Saint Iames at Ierusalem and as the Scribes and Pharises did Moses in whose chayre they sate when they crucified the Sonne of God Ta. I hope you make no doubt but that the Pope is Saint Peters successor and that the chayre wheron he now sitteth at Rome was first Saint Peters seate Pa. I vnderstand not what you meane by the Popes chayre by Saint Peters seate whether you meane it by any Throne or Tabernacle or by some other Tribunall or what manner of stoole it should be that you call Saint Peters seate Ta. I beleeue you well for Protestants God knowes are not onely ignorant but they are likewise blind and senfeles in those thinges that doth appertaine to the misteryes of the Catholicke Church but for your better satisfaction and to giue you true weeting of Peters Seate what it is you that are so full of scripture cannot be ignorant where Christ in the 23. of Mathewe tolde his Disciples that the Scribes and Pharises did sit on Moses chayre willed them therefore in respect of their place both to heare and beleeue them being as they were successors vnto Moses then the like of Rome where Peter was sometimes Bishop and where he constantly preached Christ crucified must therefore necessarily be the Seate of Peter and this holy Sea of Rome is it which Peter hath left to his successors and we may as truly say that the Pope doth now sit on Peters Seate as Christ told his Disciples that the Scribes and Pharises did sit on Moses Chayre Pa. There haue beene many papistes that haue taken great paynes to proue that Peter was Bishop of Rome but there was yet neuer any one of them coulde make it so apparant but that wee might deny that by good authority that peter was euer at Rome at all but let it be granted that Peter were at Rome doth it therefore follow that the Sea of Rome must be Peters Seate Peter preached in many places before hee came to Rome if euer hee were there at all as it appeareth in the Actes of the Apostles and by the testimonie of your owne Legende Peter was a long time at Antioche and why should not Antioche or any other place where Peter taught and preached challenge a superioritie as far foorth as Rome Ta. I see I must render you a reason for the matter will it please you now to vnderstand that besides Peters being at Rome Peter likewise dyed at Rome and suffered vnder Nero therfore the place more holy and worthy of authoritie Pa. May it please you now to heare me to render you the like reason our Sauiour Iesus Christ was crucified and dyed at Ierusalem for the sinnes of the worlde and therefore in the worke of our redemption his power is more â—ull and ample at the citie of Ierusalem then it is in any other place where he hadde formerly taught and preached You say Protestants are blinded but if papisteswere not both blind and out of their wits besides they would neuer gather such conclusions whereby to vpholde the pride of their pope that be cause Peter was at Rome therefore the Sea of Rome must be Saint Peters seate but how hangeth this together where Christ in the 23. of Mathew tolde his Disciples that the Scribes and Pharises did sit on Moses Chayre what was ment by Moses chayre in this place it could not be meant by the citie of Ierasalem as the papistes would haue Rome to be the Seate of Peter because as they surmise Peter was at Rome but Moses was neuer at Ierusalem neither in the Synagogue neither in the Temple nor in any part of
the light which we haue receiued from the scriptures your holy father can neyther merchaÌ„dize the soules nor emptie the purses of so many men as he was wont to doe Ta. I tell you it is not necessary that the vnlearned and ignorant people should either looke into the Scriptures or vnderstande our prayers Pa. Nor may they not heare them reade when they come to Church Ta. Wherefore should they else come to church but to heare both Matins and Masse Pa. Then these words Beati qui audiunt verbum Dei et custodiunt ipsum is thus to be vnderstoode Blessed are they that heare the word of God and knowes not what it meaneth Ta. Our doctrine is very curious not for all to vnderstand Pa. Pray God it be not as dangerous for any to followe Ta. If there be any danger in the seruice of the Church it must be amongst Protestants where euery blinde minister may goe vp into a pulpite and teach what he list Pa. Indeede the Protestant ministers haue not halfe so manie trickes and turns whips and slips mops and moes as your priest that is at Masse Ta. Euery vnlearned Catholicke doth knowe his time when to stand vp when to kneele downe when to adore when to say Amen when to come and when to goe Pa. Indeede vse doth worke misteries and long practise hath taught them to keepe their Row to kneel when they heare the Sance-bell ring to adore when they see the Hoast ouer the priests head to stand vp when he is walking of his statioÌ„s from the one ende of the Altar to the other but may this knowledge serue thinke you for saluation Ta. Doe you make doubt of that if the people but know this and when to say Amen it is enough Pa. How vnwise was Saint Paul then not to foresee this method for as it should seeme by his Epistle to the Corinthians the people were as good to say Amen when the Sance-bell ringeth as to the priest when he mumbleth vp his Liturgies which neyther himselfe nor they vnderstande Ta. I will not speake of the peoples knowledge but I say hee is but a sory priest that doth not vnderstand asmuch as is contayned in his Portes Pa. It is an easie matter indeede for a priest to say Masse out of his owne booke but to vnderstand what hee readeth it were a goodly matter to finde one amongst tenne that could doe it Ta. To reade well and distinctly is as much as we require wee are not so precise as your puritan Protestants Pa. Yet none more ignorant then your puritan papists as one of your Catholicke priests approued himselfe at the Christening of a childe Ta. I neuer heard of the name before nor I beleeue your selfe did euer know a papist that was a puritan Pa. Ireland is full of them where we may find more precise folly amongst the papistes of that country then is to bee founde in Italy or Spaine Ta. Your country-men I perceiue are little beholding to you but out with your taâ—e of the christening of a child wher you say a papist did showe himselfe a puritan Pa. If you will haue it for a tale let it passe for a tale a true tale it is and thus it followeth but yet within the compasse of memorie an honest townsman whose name was Browne had kept his eldest sonne so long to schooll that in the beginning of Queene Maries raygne being growne vp to mans estate for his great learning and clarkeship was thought fitte to be made a massing priest by the aduise of his friendes and his owne assent he tooke orders and where beefore hee was called by the name of Tom Browne by his priestly dignitie he had this adition and was cald by the name of Sir Thomas Tom Browne It was not long but he was inuested with a benefice and a childe was brought to him to be baptized our priest that had neuer christned before betooke himselfe aforehand to looke ouer his booke and reading till he came to Abrenuntias Sathanum et omniaopera at these wordes he began to blesse himselfe and making the signe of the Crosse on his forehead he called to his assistance the Clarke that stood fast by and demanded of him what those wordes might meane the Clarke that was as ignorant as master parson himselfe tould him he vnderstoode no latine and therefore coulde not satisfie him whereuppon Syr Thomas was strucke into a great amazement for he vnderstoode neuer a worde but Sathanum and that he was sure was latine for the deuill And for the diuelles name to be vsed in the christening of a childe hee thought was far vnfit for so godly an exercise thinking therefore the worde to bee mistaken would needes seeke out a better to supply the place scraping out Sathanum he put in Christum And thus where it stood before wilt thou forsake the diuell and all his workes Syr Thomas had in this sort mended the matter Wilt thou forsake Christ and all his workes to the which the gossips in the childes name must answer Abrenuncio I forsake them Ta. I thought your tale would tend to a good purpose but admit that this were true yet here was no puritaÌ„isme the worst you can make of it was but a little mistaking and that proceeded from a godly zeale and a religious intent Pa. If you had ioyned ignorance with your zeale you hadde shot something neare the marke but by this you may perceyue how necessarie it is that both priest and people should vnderstaÌ„d what is reade and taught in the Church Ta. In our prayers we speake to God and not to men there fore I see no reason why euery man should looke to vnderstand what we reade or what we say Pa. But it is the people and not God that needeth the priests voyce in the Church prayer Ta. The priest is the mouth of the Church and therefore hee must speake for the whole congregation Pa If it be needfull for the priest to speake it is as necessary for the people to vnderstand Ta. It is needfull for the priest to speake and to make intercession for the people vnto God but in such a language as is acceptable vnto God Pa. God with whom there is no respect of persons hath lesse respect to tongues Ta. The Hebrue Greeke and Latine were all three sanctified in our Sauiours Crosse and therefore it hath beene long sithens decreede by the holy Church that God should be honored and serued in one of those three learned languages Pa. But who set vppe those learned titles was it Christ or Pylate Ta. What though they were set vp by Pylate those three languages were onely dedicated to the Crosse Pa. Then Pilates impietie that deliuered Christ to bee crucified proclaiming the sonne of God for a traytor and to aspire the Crowne of Iurie in Hebrue Greeke and Latine must prescribe a rule to the Church of God against the Apostle Corin. 14. Ta. It is enough to say that the
Church hath thus decreede and a good Catholicke should admit of nothing else nor neuer seeke further Pa. You were best to sticke fast to that ankerholde for if the authoritie of your Pope be not able to countervaile both Peter and Paul yea and to waigh vp Christ himselfe your whole religion is but Idolatry superstition and hypocrisie Ta. I tell you for the approbation of our religion although we had no Scriptures to helpe vs yet we haue such other circum stances whereby to confirme it as I hope the proudest Protestant in all your Colledge will be ashamed to make any doubt in the matter Pa. Our Protestants in the Colledge would be ashamed to make doubt of any thing that is apparantly true Ta. But they must haue scriptures for their confirmation I am sure they doe looke for that Pa. If it be for doubts in religion for matters of faith or for thinges that doe concerne our saluation they will beleeuc nothing but what is testified and to be approued by the Scriptures Ta. Then they stand vppon good securitie and so a man may trust a Dogge with a shoulder of mutton but these are vnbeleeuing Apostles that will not acknowledge Christ to be risen vnlesse with Thomas Dydimus they may feele the print of his woundes with their owne fingers but blessing light on them that haue not seene and yet will beleeue the Reuelations that haue bin sent the Visions that haue beene seene and the Myracles that haue bin wrought to the comfort of Catholickes and the confirmation of their religion let all the Diuines that be in your Colledge that doth so much impugne our Catholicke religion bring foorth but one Myracle that doth make for them and we will drop ten for one against them for the approuing of ours Pa. Indeed we bring no Myracles whereby to fortifie our religion but such as were performed by Christ and his Apostles many hundred yeares sithens Ta. And they be old ande ouer worne but we haue them euerie day spicke and span newe Miracles vppon Myracles one in anothers necke and those most admirable and strange to be reported Pa. And I thinke no lesse incredible to be beleeued Ta. For the certainety of them there is none will doubt but heretickes and now if I should speake but of halfe the Myracles that are expressed in our Catholicke hystories I might easely find matter wherewith to begin but neuer finde time when to make an ende I will therefore ouerpasse our Golden Legend a whole volume of Miracles extant in Folio besides many other that are contained in one holy booke of Conformities where mention is made aswell of birdes as beastes that came flocking together about Saint Francis to heare him preach and howe the Nighting gales and other singing birdes woulde come helpe him to sing Masse but these are of an old date I will therefore come to new matter what Myracles haue beene lately performed by our Lady of Hall set downe by Iustus Lypsius a most learned Iesuite who now but within these very few yeares write two learned Bookes full of Catholicke doctrine in the prayse of two Images the one of them called our Lady of Hall the other by the name of our Lady of Sichem both of them the Images of our blessed Lady the Virgine Mary the which two Images as Lypsius affirmeth haue performed greater myracles then the scriptures do testifie were done by Christ himselfe There is mention made of ten seuerall persons that were deliuered in a great extremitie from the danger of death but by thinking of our Lady of Hall Seuen others that were already dead were restored agayne to life being but layed before her Image now for curing of all maner of diseases as to make the dumbe to speake the deafe to heare the blind to see the lame to goe they are common things matters of small account shee dooth them with ease and great dexterity But amongst a number of other Myracles I will deliuer one for the comfort of Falconers Lypsius confidently reporteth in this foresaide booke that an angry disposed Lord would haue hanged his Falconer for loosing of his hawke and when the rope was about his necke and hee ready to bee executed hee did but call to his mind our Lady of Hall and at the very instant of his thought the hawke came flying and lighted on his shoulders and so saued his life I thinke I might weary the wisest man in Ireland if I shoulde set downe all what Lypsius hath reported of these two Ladies Pa. Doth your Lady of Hall vse to take no money for these cures you speake of doth she all these thinges gratis without any further consideration Ta. What miserable wretch would be so vngratefull as not to bestowe an offering of the mother of mercy Pa. Then I see it is not out of kinde for Ladies to take offerings but doe you call your Lady of Hall the mother of mercy Ta. Patricke be not an enemy to thine owne destruction doe but consider of this that followeth and vse thine owne iudgement This booke thus published by Lypsius of the Myracles that were performed by our Lady of Hall was contradicted by a Protestant minister of the lowe countries whereuppon Clarus Bonarscius a famous and a most learned Iesuite that was abiding in Antiwarpe but within these three or foure yeares which worthie champion of the Church of Rome incountered this deprauing Protestant this lowe countrey minister writing a booke agaynst him which he intituled The great Theater of the Iesuites honour in which booke amongst a great deale of other Catholicke matter in a most eloquent and learned manner he inveyeth and bitterly rageth against Protestants in generall forbearing to disgrace neither prince nor pesant that are not deuoted to the Catholicke Church of Rome and was not ashamed to detect and reprooue some Protestant princes particularly without any respect either to their estate or dignitie hauing thus clarkly rayled and raged against them he spendeth a little time to speake of his friend Lip sius whom when he had highly extolled for his Catholick zeale in writing of those 2. bookes he composeth an excellent poeme in the honour of our Lady of Hall the which he dedicateth to her selfe and to her young sonne In this Poeme amongst other Catholicke matters he confidently affirmeth the milke of our Lady to bee equall in comparison with the bloud of Christ and that our sinnes are cured aswell by her milke as by his bloud That God hath diuided his king dome with our Lady reseruing iustice to himselfe and yeelding mercy to her That a man may appeale from God to our Lady and that sins are sooner forgiuen by her intercession then by the mediation of Iesus Christ. Pa. But is it possible Syr Tady that any such booke shoulde be extant as you report wherein should bee published so horrible blasphemy Ta. Are you not ashamed to vse any such tearmes or to aske any such question I tell you there