blindly leade to your Romish captiuitie Ta. Doe you call them captiues that are drawne to our Catholicke Communitie whom we chearily feede and foster vp with the milke of our holy mother Church Pa. The milke that you feede withall is but Boyne Clubbo it is not the sweete milke that is drawne from the Gospell Ta. Doe you disproue that foode that is aswell approued by the Pope as by all the auncient doctors of the Church Pa. They must bee your owne doctors that must helpe you for I am sure the doctors and fathers of the Primitiue Church had little to doe with your religion Ta. And who be those that you terme to be our own doctors Pa. Who should they be but the pillers of your Church Bonauentura Occam Scotus Thomas Aquinas with an infinite number such other like that be of your popish rable Ta. Our religion is not so much propped vp by them as by the holy scriptures Pa. Prooue but that and I will promise you to goe to Masse three times a weeke Ta. Is it not proofe enough that hath beene confirmed by the Pope himselfe many hundred yeares agoe and all those confuted that haue sought to impugne it Pa. Your Pope confureth more by poysons and by treasons then he doth by arguments or by any other authoritie either of words or writings that are drawne from the holy Scriptures Ta. You may make as many cauels as you list but I say the successor of Peter cannot erre and therefore the church is safest when it is ruled by him for whose faith Christ hath prayed that it might not faile Pa. Are we come to that againe I haue already named you a Pope that hath erred and dyed an hereticke and I tell you yet againe that the diuines of Paris openly confuted the conclusiōs and articles of Iohn the 22. and got the same to bee condemned before Philipe King of France with the sound of Trumpets but in whose name will not he craftely set forth his errours which dare falsely set forth himselfe in the place of the Sonne of God And haue not some other of your Popes both corrupted and falsified Counsels Canons and Decrees and all to vpholde their pride Ta. Shew me but where such a pranke hath beene played and I will giue you the Bucklers Pa. Where it was decreed by the Counsell of Chalcedon that Constantinople should be aduanced in ecclesiasticall matters as farre forth as Rome they shamefully forged that Constantinople should not be aduanced so far forth as Rome a horrible corruption of a Counsell turning an affirmatiue to a negatiue Ta. And what can you make of that but Vitiūscriptoris an ouersight in the writer a matter easely ouerslipt Pa. These be your shamelesse shifts when matters bee apparantly proued against you but what haue your Romanistes left vncorrupted no not the holy Scriptures themselues and howe many bookes haue beene forged and foy sted in seuerall mens names some of them calling their owne dreames and fantazyes the Gospell of Thomas of Barthelmew and of Barnabe and what Epistles Canons and Decretalles haue beene published vnder the names of Clemens Cletus and Anacletus and of diuerse others well proued to be but forgeries And how many Monkes and Fryers seeking to coloure their fayned holinesse with the reuerent titles of auncient Fathers pre fixed the names of Augustine Ambrose Hierome Cyprian Isydore and of many others before diuerse of their owne fantasies and forgeries thereby prouiding to strengthen their kingdome of blindnesse and errour the which if by the wisedome of God had not beene playnely approued and manyfestly founde out wee might haue reuerenced a company of lousie Monkes Fryers vnder the names and titles of auncient and learned fathers Ta. Lette them answere for themselues that haue done these thinges and I beleeue if your owne mynisterie were well sifted we might find amongst them some that in their conuersation of life are not answerable to that semblance that they make when they be in the pulpite Pa. Haue you no better shiftes then these whereby to excuse your impieties let the world then iudge of your religion what it is that is thus propped vp with such counterfeit stuffe lyes fables dreames visions vnwritten verities and impossibilities Popery is a religion that can content it selfe with knowing vntruthes without further search to find out the truth Ta. They are but heretickes and schismytickes that will thus reporte our religion is approued by the Pope and who is fitter to decide of truth then hee that is the supreame heade of the Church Pa. And although that supreame authority were alowed which your Pope coulde yet neuer proue yet it will bee sayde that the right directions vnto the truth must bee discerned by the doctrine and not by the dignitie Ta. Then who shall bee iudge of this truth which you speake of Pa. God is truth and who shall be iudge of God Ta. That God is truth it cannot bee denyed but of matters in controuersie who shall be iudge of truth Pa. Who but he that shall iudge all at the last day and in the meane time he onely is the supreame iudge of truth The Father hath committed all iudgement to the Sonne and my iudgement is true saith Christ. Iohn 5. 8. Ta. But if the scriptures bee mistaken or misinterpreted who shall then giue censure but the Pope Pa. This strife sayeth Saint Augustine requireth a Iudge Iudicet ergo Christus Let Christ be Iudge and Optatus writing of the same matter sayeth There can be no Iudgement we must seeke for a Iudge from heauen but why knocke we at heauen when we haue his will here in the Gospell And we are further taught in the Gospell it selfe They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them Ta. You are loath I perceiue that the Pope shoulde bee your iudge yet when he speaketh truth I hope you wil vouchsafe him audience Pa. No doubt but so long as he speaketh truth wee will both heare him and beleeue him and so we would do by Balams Asse Ta. Then you will beleeue nothing for truth but what you finde testified by the scriptures Pa. Nothing else but what the scripture doth approue for your Mongrell Monkes and Fryers haue so corrupted and counterfeyted the auncient fathers that wee dare trust nothing but what is concordant and agreeing with the scriptures Ta. But doe you not finde it testified that there were manie things done by Christ that were not written Pa. And yet a very foolish presumption to impugne thinges that are written vppon supposall of those things that are vnwritten and Basyle giueth vs a caueat in the matter It is a manifest fall from faith and a sinne that argueth infinite pride eyther to leaue that which is written or to admit of that which is not written Ta. This common frequent that is had to the scriptures by euery ignorant man hath opened the gap to all kind of diuision of heresies schismes sects and disorders Pa. By
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
that is to say notwithstanding my prayer for thee thou thy selfe shalt denie me and thy successors shall be heretickes Idolaters and â—unnagates from me Ta. Make you what cauels you list in this matter I doe conclude that the rulers of the Church must needes haue the holy Ghost Pa. A happy conclusion for him that weares a mytre and by this we may perceiue how probable it is that the Pope can not erre Ta. The Pope is the head of the Church and Christes Vicar generall heere vpon earth and in matters of faith the Pope can not erre Pa. It is truely to bee proued that not onely the Popes but that wholl Councels haue sometimes erred Ta. That a Councell may erre I will not gaine say but for a Pope to be an hereticke were strange to bee told Pa. No wonder at all if your owne stories be true Honorius dyed an hereticke and was accursed after his death for heresie by a generall Counsell Ta. Well if it were so there is but one and one swallow they say maketh no summer Pa. Why then there was one Pope that was a noted heretick but if I should speake of many other abhominations that haue beene committed by Popes sithens your third Bonifacius obteyned from that Paricide Phocas the title of supremacy were infinite to bee spoken of and that the greatest number of your Popes for these 600. yeares last past haue not entered by Canonicall election but by violence sedition corruption and bribery Let your renowmed Abreuiator Apostolicus Platina beare witnes who complaineth The Popedome sayth he was come to that passe that he that could doe most with ambition or bribery he onely obteyned the papall dignitie Ta. This is but one doctors opinion trifles of no account the malicious reportes of heretickes Pa. Then I perceiue one swallow wil make no summer with you nor one doctors opinion receiued in a matter of truth but will you accept of good company what say you to Sigebertus Marianus Scotus Martinus and your holy Abbot Barnarde that haue all of them inucied against your Pope insomuch that Frier Mantuan rayleth at Rome it selfe giuing this admonishment you that wish to liue godly depart from Rome for all thinges are there suffered saue godlines Ta. The Citty of Rome hath beene renowmed both for learning and religion Pa The Citty of Rome is now infamed for all maner of abhomination Ta. Rome beareth the same name shee did 12. hundred yeares agoe and why should shee not chalenge the same vertues which then shee had Pa. Ierusalem was sometimes the holy citty but nowe shee is become a shameles strumpet and Niniuie was spared for her true repentance but sithens confounded for her disobedience Ta. You are so full of scripture Patricke that there is no dealing with you but if your Colledge doth teach this doctrine I can tell you it will cracke your credite amongst your friendes heere in Ireland but that paltry Schoolehouse will doe much harme heere in Ireland it breedeth vpp heretickes apace but if good counsayle might be accepted I could aduise you of such a course that howsoeuer it would be auayleable for your profit I am sure it would much better your credit Pa. Good counsayle comes neuer out of season to a wise man and as he may bee esteemed for a friend that will aduise it so he is no lesse happy that hath wisedome to follow it Ta. Then to shew my selfe a friend vnfeined and to make you happy if you will not front your owne fortune the matter that I would induce you vnto is to spende some three or foure yeares study in any one of the Popes Seminaries where you shoulde find a more readie and exact method maner of teaching then hitherto you haue beene aquainted with all and that forme of education and training vp as your Colledge at Dubline will neuer be able to afford Pa. You meane amongst the Iesuites Ta. I meane amongst the Iesuites that holy societie who for their great learning and godly conuersation are aboue all others most esteemed and renowmed there you shall not onely perfect your owne knowledge with diuine wisedome and vnderstanding but you shall be further enabled for the good of your country where at your returne you shall be receiued and entertained by the best inhabitants not onely of the English people but throughout the whole realme of Ireland who would not only receiue you into their houses but who soeuer did sit at the table your place should sure be aboue the salt Pa. The sum of all is this you woulde haue mee to leaue my studie heere at the Colledge and for the bettering of mine vnderstanding I should trauaile to Rome or to Remes there to bee instructed amongst the Iesuites Ta. You shall there both inrich your minde with knowledge and aduance your credite with a reuerent estimation Pa. Your Iesuites indeede are so famous for their learning that they can make themselues blinde by seeing too much they can set the holy scriptures at a iarre and they are as curious in searching out the vertue of the wordes as they be carefull to subuert the wordes of the truth what is it which they can not vtterly ouerthrow with their fiery blastes of thundering wordes by their engins of Definitions Distinctions Diuisions Sylogismes Figures Allegories then they haue so many generals and specials with such glosinges and expoundings that they will presume to measure Gods word and his workes with their logicall Sophismes The puritie of religion is inspired from aboue and not to be comprehended by diuiding defining compouÌ„ding nor by any other sophisticall manner of contending A miserable and a most vngratious study that doth nothing else but study how to erre Who are they but your Iesuites that haue brought the cause of Christ to a meere brabble of wordes whom neyther the weakenes of their owne cause nor the force of the truth nor the defence thereof so many times approued against them by the Authoritie of holy scriptures can content or disswade them to forsake the way of their contentions but that they are still whetting themselues to trouble the Church of God and to inuey against the truth Ta. You were best to take a little breath Patricke and then you may fall to your rayling againe was there euer a more malicious invectiue breathed out against that holy societi that all the world doth admire aswell for their learning as for their integritie of life Pa. I doe not maruell Sir Tady though the night Owle that hath but a scriking voyce her selfe should sometimes commend the Cuckoe for her sweete and pleasant singing Ta. And the Cuckoe for a plaine song may compare with your Nightingall Pa. So might Pan with Apollo by the iudgement of Midas Ta. I see you are too confident in your owne conceit I wisht you well and I would I coulde haue preuailed with you for your owne good Pa. I am afraid you doe preuaile with too many that by these alurements you
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
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