but a figure of it There was no Bishop of note nor any of the auncient Doctors of the Church in all the first squadron which was not of this opinion or brought not out some matter of attainder against Ignatius Then Saint Peter by his authority and primacy ouer all the Church spake to them with an admirable Maiestie on this manner It is neither for you nor for vs to yeeld a reason of that which was done at Antioch when the Church of God gaue the name of Christians this was a worke of the holy Ghost And as it is not the seruants duty to aske any reasons of his Maister why he commaunds him this or that but he ought only to obey him so God hauing charged vs by his holy Spirit to call our selues Christians it is not fit for any man whatsoeuer to enquire the cause of it There is no speedier way to make men heretiques then to become curious questionists in such matters Therefore neuer thinke that this name was imposed vpon vs by the Suffrages of simple people As the name of Iesus came from God the Father so I may speake it for a certaine truth that by the faith and homage I yeelded to our Sauiour at the first vpon this word Christ he built his Church vpon me and gaue me the Keyes thereof among the rest For hauing asked the question of vs all what men reported of him some of the Disciples aunswered that some tooke him to be Saint Iohn the Baptist others said hee was Elias others one of the olde Prophets Math. 16. Luc. 8. But whom doe you quoth hee to vs his Apostles iudge me to bee I taking the tale out of the mouth of all the rest of my fellowes by the greatnes of zeale wherewith I was transported aunswered him Thou art the Christ the Sone of the liuing God and presently he replied that I speake not this of my selfe but by Reuelation from God his father And after this he declared me to be Peter and that vpon this Rocke he would build his Church and whatsoeuer I bound on earth should be bound in heauen Sith that vpon this confession of Christ he built his Church vpon me this was a silent lesson he taught vs of his will and pleasure that after his ascention into heauen he would haue his Church to bee called Christian and vpon this proiect all our brethren doubted not to take vp that name at Antioch I my selfe afterward making Euodius Bishop of that Sea Suidas in verb Christianus confirmed that name of Christian in the Church I maruell said Saint Peter turning himselfe to Ignace that you honouring as you say ye doe the Sea of Rome where my successours sway the gouernment and yet at the first dash you haue despised my decrees were there nothing else but this to be weighed in you you may not so be admitted into this ranke Ign. Will you not receiue vs vpon the three vowes we haue with great holinesse made of Chastitie Obedience Pouertie and that which is more of generall and particular pouertie when we became fathers of our order S. Peter This is another barre that shuts you out for although Chastitie Obedience and Contempt of the world were familiar matters with vs yet did we not this by vow that was brought into the Church after our time by those whom you see stand in the second ranke and to say the troth wee neuer tyed our deuotion to pouertie Ign. Wee minister the Sacraments of pennance and the communion as you did and we are readie to go foorth for the aduauncement of Christianitie whither soeuer it shall please your Successours to send vs. S. Peter These two Sacraments are likewise ministred by the Mendicants of which order there be many now in the Indies in Palestine and at Pera neere vnto Constantinople to conuert the Infidels yet are they not ranged in our Squadron you must go to them and let them know there is too great oddes betweene vs and you to yeelde you anie place heere Ignace finding himselfe excluded from the first station in this procession he was some-what amazed neuerthelesse he thought to speed better with the second because he should there haue to doe with S. Anthonie the honour of all the first Hermits For I know quoth he that in the heate of his holy meditations hee gloried in ignorance I am sure that if he doe but trie me therein he shall find me nothing inferior vnto himselfe Thus deuising with himselfe what might best bee doone to creepe into his fauour he shewed him that he had passed his time in heauenly contemplations and not in learning as hee had done before Yet true it was that hys ignorance had made many learned men which were all priested ministring the holy Sacraments some of them were Preachers and some Regents The holy and venerable yeeres of this good Hermite gaue Ignace this aunswere Brethren I commend your intention but it is nothing like vnto ours Our deuotion and the deuotion of all the good Fathers first founders of the religious orders was a solitarie life without schollership or priesthood our wisedome consists in continuall lifting vp the minde toward God taking all humaine learning to be meere vanitie And as for Ecclesiasticall functions we take no charge of them they depend vpon the Bishops that feede vs by theyr inferiors in the Church Your Rulers are not like ours In Gods name my good brethren goe your way in peace leauing vs to our sweet life in quietnes of conscience within our Cells Neuerthelesse it may be you shall find behinde vs some shreds and remnants of ours in in whom you may take some roote namely those which by permission of the holy Sea are called to the orders of priesthood and may both preach and minister the holy Sacraments of Penance and the Alter as you doe Ignace passing from them to the other Saint Benet perceiuing him comming by his gate tooke the speech to himselfe and said If you be of our companie you must either be Ancors and Hermits or Monks Conuentualls Your profession denies you to be Ancors we may be easily entreated to excuse you of it because that life is too painfull But if you be Monks and Conuentualls as we are where is your frock your hood your cloake For Elias the first image of our Order and after him S. Iohn the Baptist both differd from the cōmon people in apparrell VVhere is the great shauen crowne vpon your heads by which S. Hierom said that in pouertie we are like to Kings and Monarches where be the extraordinarie fasts your societie keepes not onlie beyond the cōmon people but beyond the Bishops and Curats Where be the Cloysters within your Monasteries Heereto Ignace and his companions briefely and roundly answered him that they were no Monkes but religious persons onely Is it euen so saide S. Benet then are you a kinde of quintessence of Monks And as the facultie of Phisicke
wee learne of Optatus That religion hath beene comprehended in state not state in religion Euery one of vs should wish to haue the Gouernours of Common-weales religious that is men of fayth integritie not playing with theyr consciences to fauour theyr affaires But for a religious Order to manage state matters in the midst of theyr prayers is great irreligion or rather heresie Ies That which you alleage was Optatus his oppinion not Ignatius Gent. What say you to Saint Paule teaching that Nemo militans Deo implicat se negotijs secularibus If it be fit so to doe why did you of late yeres forbid your companie to meddle therein hereafter Ies That was a statute onely for the time For perceiuing that in the end of the yeere 93. all Fraunce was enclined to peace beyond our expectation wee made that constitution to curry fauour with the state Yet for all this I would not haue you thinke that wee haue here stakt our feete into the ground and goe no farther For the same constitutions permit vs to resolue in particuler as occasion coūsels vs. Gent. A fearefull permission But what meane you by the worde State affayres Ies The day would be too short to vtter it Let it content you that the greatest and surest counsell we take is of our owne consciences which we know to be guided by the line and leading of our Sauiour By this scrue somtime we remoue Kingdoms punish Kings and Princes whose manners we mislike and all for the glory honour of God and of his holy Church Gent. All the Christian vvorlde should haue you in wonderfull reuerence for this and I am sorry you should proue so vnthankfull now as to abrogate such a holy lawe Ies It is not so repeald but that it liues in our soules continually For within these three yeeres we practisd to kill the Queene of England and the Countie Maurice of Nassau and howsoeuer by misfortune we faild of those two strokes yet we are readie to reach at them againe there and else where as wee thinke good and as opportunitie shall be offered Gent. Then you mixe mercenary murders with state matters call you this ioyning of State Religion both together Ies Why doubt you of it Heresie is a maladie whereto fire and sword should be applyed as Empiriks deale with desperate diseases Gent. You could not haue pickt out a more fit phrase of speech than to liken your religion to Empiriks medicines which the arte of Phisicke condemnes To vse fire and sworde against an Heretique is the Magistrates office into whose hands God hath put the sword to punish them that are worthy to be punisht not yours who as religious men are called to another function Ies What Magistrate dares proceede against Kings but we which are inspird with the holy Ghost Gent. Is this a poynt of your first institution Ies Wee haue put in this our selues by a rule of Christian-good to relieue our neighbours And to shewe you with what pietie wee goe forward when wee haue by our holy exhortations gaind any man of worth to execute our dissignements before hee depart we confesse him and imploy one part of his penance to confirme him in that holy enterprise wee make him heare Masse with deuotion Wee minister the blessed Sacrament of the Altar to him this done we giue him our blessing for a sure pasport to goe directly to Paradise VVas there euer a more sacred and meritorious course than this For to be briefe it is in defence and protection of our Christian Catholike Church Gent. O christian company indeed I would be glad to learne why our Sauiour Christ beeing apprehended was so sore displeased with S. Peter when hee had cut off Malchus eare For at the first blush it seemeth that a man could not haue drawne his sword in a quarrell of greater merit Ies You say well but you doe not weigh the text Our Sauiour did not forbid Saint Peter to betake him to his weapon but after the blow was giuen he cōmaunded him to put it vp againe Gent. Pardon mee this aunswere hath I know not what smack of Machiauell Ies Adde this vnto it that S. Peter prouoked with an vndiscreet zeale would haue hindered a misterie that tended to the redemption of mankind and wee employ the sword for the maintenaunce of the Church without which man-kinde would perrish Gent. O braue and holy exposition are you of opinion that this course is well pleasing vnto GOD Ies None but the Heretiques of our time euer doubted it Gent. I am none of them neither haue I at any time enclined so to be yet I doubt much of this matter Is there any thing in your Statutes commaunding you to goe farther Ies There is Gent. What is that Ies We professe to obey the Generall of our Order blindfolde for those be the expresse words of our Constitutions and wee are bounde to pinne our consciences to his sleeue to suffer him to rule vs like a boate hauing no motion but that which they giue to it that row it to leaue off our worke alreadie begun to obey him and acknowledge the presence of Iesus Christ in him as if Christ cōmaunded vs. Gent. Pertaines this to your Order Ies Yes I assure you Gent. O admirable paradox of obedience like that of Abraham Ies So it is That example was euer in the mouth of Ignatius teaching vs that obedience is more acceptable to God then sacrifice Gent. O blessed Fathers the Iesuites nay rather true and onely Patriarches of our Church Doubtlesse it is not without reason that you be called Fathers after the accomplishment of your last vow Well then the case so standing if your Generall should commaund you to procure the death I will not say of a Prince for I doubt not but you would obey him therin but of our holy Father the Pope would you doe it Ies I would take time to deliberate Gent. If you should do so this were not to tie your conscience any longer vnto his sleeue Ies You take me vnprouided I craue respite to make you an aunswere Gent. Your Order beeing grounded vpon all these godly and holy resolutions surely our Church is much bounde to you I meane not the auncient Doctors of the Church onely but the Apostles themselues whom you haue taught their dutie Nay what speake I of the Apostles you haue taught the great Maister of the Mould wherein wee ought to fashion all our actions when contrarie to the expresse cōmaundement giuen S. Peter you procure the death of Kings and Princes But what reward haue you got by this Ies As much as wee can desire or hope for And amongst others we are allowed to giue absolution of all sinnes and offences howe foule soeuer they be except such as are reserued to the holy Sea wholly extreated issuing out of Iudgements Censures and Ecclesiasticall paines beside that which is comprised in the Bull vsually read vppon Maundy-Thursday And for all that that
profest fathers but onely of the simple vow he procured letters dimissorie as you haue heard wherein though it be said for iust cause yet if you talke with him he will tell you that there was no other but onely this hee would continue with them no longer as I haue learned of himselfe and you see it was at his owne request that he came away and not at the motion of the Superiour And surely sith Clemēt du Puits vsed the matter thus I assure my selfe he might doe it by some mysterie that is kept secret amongst them without seeking the authoritie of the Generall and if he might I doubt not but the like authority is graunted to all the other Prouincials Good God what a discipline is this What respect and obedience sheweth it to the holy Sea The General may now defend himselfe by the Gregorian Bull of 1594. but in what Buls will the Prouincials find that this power is graunted them If that vpon the importunitie of an inferiour he may dismisse him to the preiudice of the 3. religious ordinary vowes of all substantial orders Pouertie Chastitie and Obedience What a Religion is this wherein all things are permitted him against our Religion Are not all these iolly Maisters verie coozners liuing in the midst of vs But you shall find other manner of stuffe in the rest of their vowes if it please you to giue me audience as hitherto you haue done CHAP. 14. ¶ How the Fathers Iesuits voning pouertie by their great and third vow make a mocke of God YOu haue vnderstood of the Father Iesuit here present that after the simple vow they make a solemne vow by which they adde nothing to the former but onely that by making this second they cannot any more inherit nor be dismist by their Generall There remaines now the third which is the vowe of three steps by which besides Pouertie Chastitie and Obedience vowed by them they make a particular vow of Mission to our holy Father the Pope which is to goe to the Indies and Turkie for the winning of soules if they be commanded by his holines But aboue all I make great account of that precise Pouertie which is enioyned them by their constitutions Runne through all the orders of religion there is not one of them in which Pouertie is so recommended as among the Capuchins which liue from hand to mouth and put ouer the care for to morrow to the onely goodnes of God Buls of the yeere 1540. and 1550. The foundation of the profest which are the Iesuits of the great vow is to vow pouertie as well ingenerall as in particular as it is in all the orders of begging Friers But because their pouertie had need to be expounded let vs see the commentaries they bring vs by their constitutions Part. 3. constit ca. 1. Art 27. They haue three sorts of houses one for their Nouices another for their religious bound by their solemne vowes which they call the house where there Church is and another which they call a Colledge for the religious that are bound only by the simple vow wherof some are schollers probationers others coadiutors some spiritual some temporall In domibus vel ecclesiis quae à Societate ad auxilium animarum admittentur redditus nulli ne Sacristiae quidem aut fabricae applicati haberi possunt sed nec vlla alia ratione Part. 6. constit ca. 2. Art 2. ita vt penel Societatem eorum sit vlla dispensatio sed in solo Deo cui per ipsius gratiam ea inseruit fiducia constituatur sine reditibus vllis ip sum nobis profecturum de rebus omnibus conuenientibus ad ipsius maicrem laudem gloriam Professi viuant ex eleemosynis in domibus cum aliquò non mittuntur nec officium Rectorum ordinarium in Collegiis Art 3 vel vniuersitatibus Societatis habeant nisi ipsarū necessitas vel magna vtilitas exigeret nec reditibus aorum in Domibus vtantur Parati sint ad mendicandum ostiatim Art 10. quando vel obedientia vel necessitas id exiget Et sit vnus vel plures ad elecmosinas petendas quibus personae societatis sustententur destinati quas eleemosinas simpliciter amore Domini nostri petent Non solum redditus sed nec possessiones habeant in particulari Art 5. nec in communi Domus vel Ecclesie That is to say In those houses and Churches which the Societie shall accept of for the saluation of soules there shall be no reuenewes proper eyther to be applied to the vestrie or to the frame and buildings or for any other purpose whatsoeuer That the Societie may haue nothing to dispose of but onely depend vpon God whom by his grace they serue trusting that without reuenewes he will prouide things necessarie for vs to his praise and honour They that are professed that is men of the last great solemne vow shal liue by almes in their houses when they are not sent forth to any countrey nor take the ordinarie charge of Rectors of Colledges or Vniuersities except it be vpon necessitie or vrgent vtilitie require it neither shall they vse the Colledges reuenewes in their houses They shall be readie to begge from doore to doore when obedience or necessitie requires it And to this purpose let there be one or two or more appointed to craue almes for the sustenance of the Societie which shal begge the almes simply For the loue of our Sauiour Iesus The houses and Churches of the Societie shall not onely haue no rents or reuenewes but no possessions or inheritance in generall or particular Gather all these particulars together was there euer pouertie more obstinately vowed then this And therefore it was that first Pius 5. and after Gregorie 13. ordained that this Societie should be placed among the orders of Mendicants If they would obserue that which heere is enioyned them I would excuse them with all my heart of the heresie of their first vow And that because that after they had a long time enioyed goods during the time of theyr simple vowe at the last to make satisfaction to GOD for it being come to the period of their great vow by reason whereof they haue the name of Fathers aboue the other religious yet not onely they vow from thence forwards a beggery but also so themselues to become treasurers thereof I would honour them as the true followers of S. Peters repentance after he had denied his maister would esteeme them aboue all the other orders of Mendicants But when saw you thē goe with a wallet vp and down the towne For all this they liue richly and plentifully not with the Manna of God for they are not children of Israel but by a notable poynt of Sophistrie see how By the Bul of Pau. 3. 1540. and that of Iulius 1550. The houses where these holy Fathers dwell are not permitted to haue any goods
after they haue raised tumults in all Countries that theyr designements sort to effect CHAP. 17. ¶ That the Pope hath not power to translate the Crowne of Fraunce from one to another against the dangerous position of the Iesuits and some other discourse tending to the same effect THe Iesuits not content to haue offered violence to our King in time of the troubles doe at this day in the time of peace by theyr pennes offer violence to the Royaltie it selfe Hee that maintaines in Rome that the Pope may transfer Empires and Kingdomes from hand to hand at his pleasure deserueth a Cardinals hat as Father Robert Bellarmine the Iesuite he that maintaines the same position in Fraunce is worthie of a hat of that colour but not of that kinde as the Cardinals Kings die whē it pleaseth God to call them the Roialtie neuer dies Which is the cause that the Parliament Court of Paris when they accompanie the funerall obsequies of our Kinges are not in mourning weedes but in Scarlet the true marke and ensigne of the neuer dying maiestie of the Crowne or Royaltie One of the chiefe flowers of our Crowne is that our Kings cannot incurre the censures of the Church of Rome nor their realme be interdicted nor consequently transposed It is a law not made but bred with vs which we haue not learned receiued or by long instruction imprinted but a law which is drawne inspired and deriued into vs out of the very breasts of our Mother Fraunce wherein we are not nurtured but nursed that if any thunderbolts fortuned to be sent from Rome against the maiestie of our Kings so as in consequence thereof the realme might fall vnder the sentence of Interditement we are not bound to yeeld obedience thereunto Neither yet for all this did our kings euer loose the title of Most Christian nor wee of the Eldest sonnes of the Church The Iesuit hath beene condemned by a decree of the Court he drawes his chaine after him still yet will hee not cease to be a Iesuit that is a Seminarie of diuisions factions and dissentions within our country Let vs then heare what he saith who vnder the name of Montaignes hath publisht the booke of the Truth as hee intitles it but of the forged and lying Truth After hee had discoursed that the Temporall state onely appertained to the King and the Spirituall to the holy Father who claimed no interest in their souerainties hee affirmes that if the king happē at any time to transgresse God hath put a rod into the Popes hand to chastise him and depriue him of his kingdome And this is for the behoofe Mont. cap. 15. of the Truth defended for the good of Princes saith he who most commonlie are reclaimed and brought to their duties rather for feare of their Temporall estate which they euer-more hold deer though otherwise ill giuen then of their Spirituall which they set not by vnlesse their conscience be the better which is not generall to all of them But the Pope is no God no more was Samuell who executed that sentence against Saul So as God had annointed Saul King by the Prophet so doth he send the sentence of his deposition by him and by him translate the kingdome annoint Dauid king In the time of Osias king of Iuda the high priest no more a GOD then Samuell gaue the kingdome from the father to the sonne he being strooken with leprosie for his presumption This transposition of the Crowne was doone by the appointment of the high Priest according as by the Law was ordained and consequently the deposition of the Father Iehoiada was no God but a priest and Gods Lieutenaunt when after he had caused Athalia the Queene to be put to death for her tyrannous gouernment hee put the scepter into the handes of Ioas a prince of the blood and lawfull successor to the Crowne All those were but Gods ministers to execute his decrees as the Pope likewise is And seeing God hath infinite meanes to translate a kingdome by the force and weapons of Pagans as of Moores Turks and other strange Nations making the Assyrians conquerours ouer the Greekes the Greekes ouer the Assyrians both of the Iewes and the Romans of both what milder course could he haue ordained among Christians what way more reasonable or more secure then by the mediation and authoritie of the head of the Church and the common Father of all Christians who beeing specially assisted by God and by men both learned and religious will in likelihood doe nothing preiudiciall to the right of the lawfull successors and will proceede without passion and withall moderation and mildnes in a case of that importance hauing an eye euermore to the honour of God and vnto the publique and priuate good In conclusion by this learned position which our pernitious Iesuit maintaines the Pope hath authoritie to transferre kingdoms frō one hand to another when he seeth cause so to doe and dooing it hee is subiect to no mans controule inasmuch as if God himselfe may doe it then is it lawfull for his Vicar to doe the like the Pope hauing no lesse preheminence ouer Kings in these times of Christianity then the Prophets had in the time of Moses law This fond opinion of thine brings mee to a meruailous straite forcing mee to combate against the authoritie of the holie Sea First if you will argue this position morallie where shall you finde that a King constituting his Lieuetenants generall in Prouinces giueth them in all poynts as ample authoritie as himselfe hath ouer his subiects And to say that God hath transferred his omnipotent power into any man whatsoeuer is a poynt of blaspemie against the Maiestie of GOD. Besides tell mee Sophister where finde you that you ought to beg such examples out of the old Testament to transplant them into the new But with such illusions doe you and your associats surprise the consciences of the weake ignorant multitude For if that reason of yours were of any value or consequence we should by the same bring Circumcision into vse againe at this day because it was vsed vnder the Law of Moses And by the same pretext it shall be lawfull for the subiect to lay violent handes vppon his Soueraigne Iudges 3. because Ehud murthered Eglon King of Moab vnpunished Seeing you terme your selfe a Iesuit let vs follow the footesteps of Iesus Christ for to this marke ought all our cogitations to leuell whereunto restraining our discourse I will make it appeare that I am a true Cathotholicke liegeman to the Pope and thou a true Catholique Impostor VVee consider the power of our Sauiour Christ in two different times one was vvhen for our Redemption hee descended from heauen into the earth the other vvhen after his death and passion hee ascended from earth into heauen The first was the time of his humilitie in respect whereof hee professed that his comming was not to be an vmpire of their