Principles for a good Catholick ought certainly to love Holy Church better than Father or Mother Wife or Children And did not the glorious Saint Q. Mary of England endeavour to cut off her own Flesh and Blood her own Sister to set up Timothy Malt on the Throne of her Fathers She wou'd have done as much no doubt by her own Daughters if she had had any and they had been Hereticks and stood in the way as her Sister did She was as Unnatural as lay in her power for Holy Church And this Trick had taken then and in all likely-hood at this time the Malt 's had been the Reigning Family instead of the Stuarts had not K. Philip spoil'd the design partly hoping when he had buried Q. Mary he might marry that Sister of hers and so hold this Kingdom in her right and partly fearing that if his Son by his first Wife Don Carlos should happen to Die this young Malt should carry away the Crown of Spain from any Son that might be born to him afterwards or from his Daughter the Infanta Isabella that was as good a Catholick as he If K. Philip err'd in this he made amends for it afterwards for when some Years after this he came to understanding that his own Son Don Carlos was inclin'd to the Protestant Heresie in high Indignation at this and Zeal for Holy Church he threw off all natural affection at once to that his only Son and not content to exclude him from the Succession he took a surer way to secure the Catholick Religion by making him die in Prison This heroical Action of his though he modestly represented it to the then Pope Pius V. in his Letter which I doubt not your Fatherhood has read in the Life of that Pope now a Saint in your Kalendar written by Girolamo Catena the Secretary of his Favourite Nephew and Printed at Rome with a Dedication to Pope Sixtus V. yet his Holiness set a just value upon it and because he cou'd go no higher for a Parallel he resembled it to God's giving his Son for the Redemption of Mankind For says your Historian he presently call'd a Consistory and there caus'd this Letter to be read and then with Eyes and Hands lifted up to Heaven he broke out into the Apostle's Words He that spared not his only Son but gave him up for us all How shall he not with him c. That which this great Saint and Head of the Church judged to be so highly Meritorious in King Philip was indeed a higher Instance by many degrees of abandoning natural Affection than that was to which you perswaded King James But your Work was the easier especially having to do with a Prince that would think it a very Scorn to be told that any Catholick King of them all had a greater Zeal than he has for the Catholick Church And for the necessity of it that he should find out some way or other to disinhereit that Heretical Daughter whom he used to call by the Name of Queen Bess you need not tell him that she was as likely to do as much Mischief to the Church as ever Queen Elizabeth did and therefore she ought to be prevented in the same manner as that Queen should have been if King Philip had not hindred it For the doing of this in that way of a Mock-Childbirth you had such a Queen to act it for you as perhaps never was in the World an Italian by Birth that has the Blood of four or five Popes in her Veins an adoptive Daughter of France a most bigotted Disciple of your Order one that seem'd to have been sent hither for such a purpose far ' un fioliolo by all means to get a Son I would not seem by setting forth the Necessity of this or the Advantages you had for the doing of it with so much Ease Closeness and Secrefie to derogate any thing from your Merit good Father in the Advice or Contrivance of any thing else that was properly yours For whatsoever that was as no doubt your Part was very great in this whole Business it cannot be denied that it was worthy of your Self and your Order and most agreeable to the Principles of your Church Fourthly The last Accusation of the Hereticks against the late King and consequently against his Guides and against You in particular seems to me the greatest and truly it strikes a Horrour into all Men's Spirits that think on it They say How could it be propos'd to reduce this heretical Land to the Roman Catholick Religion without making it swim in Blood Your Arguments never did much any where but least of all in England where you have been so often foil'd by the Learned Men of the Church of England and where your Religion also is so much against the Interest of the Kingdom Therefore it was observ'd by an old experienced Missionary that had staid long in England That this Nation was to be reduced to the Roman Catholick Religion by nothing but the Sword And said he when the young Missionaries come first over they think they can do mighty Matters with their Arguments but after they have been in England some time they are all of my Opinion And indeed this is so known and received a Maxim amongst you That England is never to be converted but by the Sword That the late King himself in a Speech to the Parliament of Scotland told them That he knew the bringing in of the Roman Catholick Religion into these Realms must cost so much Blood and make such a Desolation that he had the greatest Horrour at it imaginable and hop'd that none of them wou'd have such hard Thoughts of him as to believe him capable of so much Cruelty and Barbarity even as Hazael said to the Prophet Well then King James knew well enough what it would cost and what must be done to bring in Popery and yet Popery he was resolv'd to bring in as I am sure every Man in England believed two years since and every Man must believe in spight of his Heart that knows the Jesuits his absolute Guides What Excuse then can be made for so great Cruelty intended 'T is the Business and End of a King or Supreme Governour to defend from Injury to Preserve and Protect the Lives and Fortunes of his Subjects How then can any one be a King over those he thinks himself bound and resolves to Destroy There are some indeed so tender-hearted in themselves and of such tender Understandings to boot that they won't believe this or at least are afraid to be known they believe it And therefore they say Surely the late King did not Design to bring in Popery at all or at least not by such rough ways But by such ways all experienced Catholicks conclude it must be brought in or not at all The Question then is only Whether the late King resolv'd to bring in Popery and if his Guides were not resolv'd to bring it in by
had stood gaping so long wait almost three Years without plainly going about their Business which was an Age to Men whose Hearts were before so sick of having their Hope 's delayed Then indeed when they thought it must be Now or Never which was the common Word among the Roman Catholicks about that time and when they drank and wished Courage and good Success to the Undertakers they fell roundly to their Business They had by their Arts before inflamed the two Parties of Church-men and Dissenters one against another and they did not doubt but the Dissenters wou'd effectually help them to pull down the Church of England the greatest Obstacle to their designs And who wou'd have thought they should have been so much disappointed of this hope Then they used the craftiest means and greatest diligence imaginable to model a Parliament that might remove the Test and Penal Laws out of the way that their Friends might be capable of all places by Law and then be sure none should have had any Offices of Trust none should have had power over the Lives and Estates of Hereticks but such as thought themselves bound in Conscience to destroy them They new Modelled the Army as much as they cou'd and brought in as many Foreigners as they cou'd without danger of an immediate Rupture And who would ever have thought that an Army compos'd as it was then for the most part of Men whose Fortune depended wholly on their Employment would not have Fought or done any thing for their Pay without examining the Cause Pray do but consider How many came over with the Prince of Orange who had Protestant Swords though they themselves were Papists No Man indeed that had ever liv'd abroad as all the Jesuits had and seen how little Soldiers mind the Cause they Fight for cou'd ever have dream'd that the whole Design shou'd have been spoil'd by the Army that was to carry it on and had been manag'd and modell'd almost four years together for that purpose Well! I am sure every body must grant that the Jesuites had at least great probabilities to build upon the Army when the Late King had made it his Business so much to oblige the Seamen and Soldiers of Fortune in the Kingdom And thus confiding in the Army they had nothing else to fear but might go on boldly since they cou'd not apprehend any suddain Rising of the Church of England Men who were the main Body of the Kingdom by reason of their habitual Loyalty and from Dissenters they hop'd they shou'd have no disturbance since they had so much carress'd and oblig'd them and made them the King 's new Friends and Darlings They therefore confidently proceeded first to cleanse the Nurseries the Universities from Heretical Plants and to plant Catholicks in their stead then they found out a way to remove all honest Church of England Men from their Churches by commanding a Declaration to be read by all the Clergy which if they did read they were Betrayers of the Law of the Land by giving such an Approbation to an Illegal Dispensing Power they had made themselves ridiculous to the People and sinn'd against their own Consciences and had likewise given a fair opportunity to the Jesuites of imposing downright Popery upon them in the next place And we know that all that wou'd not have been such Knaves or Fools were to have been deprived and when the Bishops had the Wisdom and the Courage to oppose this well-laid Project by their Petition we know they flung them into the Tower in Terrorem and presently brought forth the Babe to shew People that the Design wou'd not die with King James and that their hopes of any Relief by a Change were cut off They had set up Popish Chappels in London Oxford Bristol c. which thing alone to be able to effect in England was enough to make a Jesuites Heart leap for joy and overcome him so that he knew not where he was nor cou'd think any thing impossible for him that had brought things to pass so much beyond his Expectation Nay they had got the Pope's Nuncio to be publickly Feasted at the Guild-Hall in London which was next door to an owning of the Pope's Authority in that Protestant City they had appointed Four Roman Catholick Bishops to take care of the Souls of all the Nation instead of the Protestant Bishops they cast into the Tower and they to begin their Office writ a most loving Pastoral Letter to their whole Flock the time being not yet come for Dragooning Indeed just as they were Sailing with full Sails to all their Desires unluckily comes the Prince of Orange over and stops the Bells and all things turn'd upon a suddain it wou'd even turn a Man's head to think how Well Men may blame this or that in Councils when they don't succeed and every body can see Faults afterwards when there is no helping them but had any of those that blame the Management been Jesuites themselves they wou'd have done just as they did There was danger in carrying on things so fast and there was no less danger in delaying them for though they had made a Prince of Wales yet if K. James should have happened to have fail'd their Prince must have been taken out of their Hands and bred up by Protestants A thing of so great horror to his Queen-Mother that when it was once mentioned to her she declar'd She would rather kill him with her own hands But this she might have done with as little pain to her Bowels as she had in the Child-birth In short there was danger on all hands and no Man could divine where the greatest lay The Jesuites did as much as Men cou'd do in their Circumstances they saw as much as Men cou'd see in the Light they were in and they wrought as well as Men could work with the Tools they had and on the Stuff they were to work on If the design did not succeed it is not the first well-laid Design that has miscarried and therefore it was truly more the Jesuites Misfortune than their Fault or perhaps the Sins of the Hereticks hindred them from being knock'd on the Head or Converted they were not worthy of so great a Blessing Howsoever the good Fathers and their Devoto did all that lay in them to do them this kindness and must have the Glory of heartily endeavouring it though they did not effect it They have all done like true Zealous Roman Catholicks as they desire to be thought and would not lose the Glory of the Zeal they have shewn for Holy Church for Ten Thousand Kingdoms So that no fault either of Dishonesty or Imprudence can be laid to their Charge but rather they deserve the Character of True and Zealous Roman Catholicks Only there is one little blemish indeed that seems still to stick upon their Devoto and consequently upon the Guide of his Conscience and to soil all his Glory and to oppose his pretence
to so much Heroick Piety and that is his still Indulging himself so much Liberty with Women And that he should take upon him to be an Apostle to bring all other Christians to his Sect as if they could not be Saved otherwise than in his way seems very strange to them that do not understand your Religion but if they understood it they would easily see how to Answer this little Objection For Catholick Priests and especially those of your Order as appears in the Book called the Morals of the Jesuites have not quite the same Opinion of this Sin that Hereticks have 'T is a Sin that most Men and they themselves often find so great a propension to from Nature that they can hardly resist it therefore they judge of it favourably And besides they do not think as Hereticks do that nothing but the Merits of Christ in those that Repent and forsake it can wash it away for they have the Merits of the Saints too of whom the most perfect even our Lady herself according to their Legends have often been very propitious to such kind of Sinners and some of their Saints themselves have been noted for such Sins and yet found them no Obstacle to their Canonization Again Catholicks think there may be Satisfaction made by Men themselves for their Sins And if Men shew a great deal of Zeal for Holy Church and destroy her Enemies the Hereticks though they should be a little faulty in this matter yet according to the Opinion of Roman Catholick Writers who have ever reported them great Saints that were zealous for Holy Church though notoriously given to this and other Faults such ought still to be accounted Saints as appears in St. Gregory of Tours and other Writers And truly without this Fault in Princes oftentimes the Guides of their Consciences can work but little good with them For if they did not find them tardy in such things they could never prevail with them to make such mighty Satisfactions and to do so much good to Holy Church in enriching Her and destroying Her Enemies and the like to make amends for their Faults and to prevail with Holy Mother-Church to Mortgage the whole Treasure of the Merits of the Saints to purchase their Forgiveness So that if this be a Fault in any Prince it is the Occasion of so much Good it affords so advantagious an Handle to the Guide of his Conscience so mightily to benefit Holy Church that it is a great Question fit to be disputed in their Scools Whether a good Roman Catholick Guide of a Princes Conscience be bound wholly to root it out of him If he be bound in Conscience to do it it is a thousand pities for it is certain it is not for his Interest or the Interest of the Church And all Roman Catholicks agree that he is bound to promote as much as he can the Interest of his Church Now their Schools hold That in a Case of Conscience where there are Probabilities and Doctor 's Opinions on both sides a Man may follow either side without Sin and be sure the Confessor will take the most profitable side The Popish Guides therefore cannot but laugh at the Protestant Ministers who teach that there is no Forgiveness of Sin but upon Repentance and forsaking Sin and so get nothing by the People's Sins which have been the Enriching of the Romish Church Thus have I good Father fully Justified You and the rest of the Society as to your Honesty and Prudence in Acting according to True Roman Catholick Principles in the Government of the late King's Conscience and shewn that he very well deserves to be Sainted in the Roman Church for being so Absolutely and Religiously govern'd by You as became a good and a zealous Roman Catholick It remains that I venture some Advice upon you according to my Promise which being followed may preserve to you the Honour of being accounted a Faithful and Wise Guide of a Zealous Roman Catholick Prince's Conscience to the End And in order to that I will lay down for a Rule what I suppose you will readily grant me viz. That you ought to perswade your Devoto always to do that which according as Matters stand will most tend to the Good and Honour of the Roman Catholick Church If then I can prove what I advise you to is for the Good and Honour of the Roman Catholick Church you ought to take my Advice if you will maintain the Character which you have hitherto had of acting like an Honest Man according to his Principles Not to spend many Words about that which seems to me a very plain thing The Advice which I have to give you is this To perswade your Devoto with all speed to put himself into a Monastery and become a Recluse You may say Yes indeed just such Advice you did expect from an Heretick that would have the Roman Catholick Cause given for lost in England and would fain peaceaply enjoy his Heresie But an Enemies Advice is not to be taken nor he to be believed that speaks for his own Interest But pray think seriously upon the matter I do assure you That I am satisfied in my Conscience that I am your Friend and the late KING's Friend and every Roman Catholick's Friend in giving you this Advice For it is impossible you should be so sensless as to think That you shall ever again be able to perswade the People of England That a true zealous Roman Catholick Prince will not destroy them if ever he come to be set over them 'T is true they had so good or rather evil Opinion of your Devoto as to think that his Honour and good Nature would be too strong for his Religion But since he hath so abundantly convinced them That he hath no regard to his Word no not when he has rais'd Men to the highest Trust in it That he hath no regard to natural Affection nor to Humanity it self when it stands in opposition to the Glory of advancing his Religion but that he values his Religion above all things as indeed every Man ought to do the true Religion and he verily believes the Roman Catholick to be the true there must certainly a perfect Phrenzie seize the whole Nation before ever they will think of taking him again to be their Governour No he that is bound in Conscience to destroy Protestants and we are sure he will follow his Conscience herein can never be a King of Protestants that is a Preserver and Defender of them You may as soon make a Lion turn a good Herdward and the Wolf a good Shepherd the Fox a good Keeper of Geese as a zealous Papist a good King over a Protestant People Surely the Frogs after they had Experience of the Storks Government and Jove had been so propitious as once to remove him though they croaked still as if they in some Discontent yet they would never have been so mad to have called for their Stork to
come and Reign over them again 'T is true the Church-of England-Men have always taught the Doctrine of Non-resistance and do not think a Prince for Male-Administration to which any Prince may be liable is to be Dethroned and therefore they stood by King Charles the First to whose Charge at the worst nothing could be laid but some particular Acts of Male-Administration and who had no Principle that Obliged him to destroy his People and who 't is plain never design'd it But no Protestant living can be so sensless as to think he is not bound to take Protection where he can have it to defend him from a Prince who is bound and will follow his Conscience to destroy every Man that will continue a Protestant Such a Prince contradicts all the Ends of Government and is utterly uncapable of it for no Man can in any Law or Equity be the Governour of those whom he is bound to Destroy and that as being absolutely necessary for the Saving his and their Souls There is no hopes then ever to bring back your Devoto into England unless he should turn Protestant which I believe you nor he would agree to for the gaining of Ten Thousand Kingdoms To what purpose then will you hazard the Lives of so many good Roman Catholicks and endanger the losing of the Lands and Stock of the Holy Society besides so many large Estates of Roman Catholicks in England out of which you may continually have good pickings upon such a lost Game 'T is true the shedding of Hereticks Blood is nothing but the spilling of so many good Catholicks Blood as hath been spilled already and is like to be lost upon such a vain and unlikely attempt is certainly that which you cannot approve Now all this needless expence of Catholick Blood and Treasure will be saved if you can but perswade your Devoto immediately to sequester himself from the World and give himself wholly to Contemplation and Devotion which will compleat the Glory of his Piety and finish the Saint After that he hath done all that was to be done for the Roman Cathhlick Religion in an active State What remains for him to do but to betake himself to the Contemplative which the Roman Church has always taught to be the highest State of Perfection upon the Earth And as in all other matters so in this be sure you have no reason to doubt of the ready Compliance of your Devoto for he hath already shewn an earnest longing after this State of Perfection as appeared sufficiently by his most Pious Expressions to Mr. Chudley when he took his leave of him to go to be a Carthusian O God! said he How much I envy you this Happiness And how sorry am I that I cannot go with you I do believe therefore good Father that in the Opinion of most of the Roman Catholick Church you will be guilty of a very heinous Sin if you do not promote this most earnest Desire in this Zealous Prince for to speak seriously to you in the Words of some of your greatest Saints Will you commit so great a Sacriledge as to rob God of one that would give himself up wholly to him Will you rob the Virgin Mary of such a Princely Husband Have you no regard to the great Merit of this Prince And after that he hath done all that was to be done for the Roman Catholick Church Will you envy him as a Reward of his Labours in his Old Age to enjoy the sweet and happy Ease of a Contemplative Life To sit down quietly and reflect upon the Great Things he hath done and suffered for his dear Mother the Roman Catholick Church where he may read at leisure the Legends of the Roman Saints and have the comfort to see that his own Deeds have surpassed all theirs where he may expect and wait for his own Canonization the greatest share of Heaven the Romau Church can give him Do not therefore good Father as you value your own Credit or all that in the Romish Church is Sacred as you prize the Lives of Multitudes of Roman Catholicks as you esteem their Wealth and Treasure and hope to have a share in it or as you desire to finish the Noble Work you have hitherto so well carried on and to complete your Saint or as you fear the dreadful Sin of Sacrilege do not hinder this Pious and Ardent Desire of this Zealous Prince to become a Recluse either of the Carthusian Order according to his own Wish or what other you think most convenient for him according to the Patterns that have been set him by so many Noble Kings and Princes of your Church Assure your self that by encouraging him in this Desire you will purchase to your self and your Order an overflowing Merit endless Fame and perhaps some Money besides For the Hereticks of England are not so ill-natured but that though they would not have one over them that is bound to kill them yet to do him any real good they would I am perswaded afford him a Princely Maintenance enough to reward you Nobly and to build a Monastery whereof he himself might be Governour and after all this he may leave enough behind him to pay for his Canonization Not to mention old Stories of Kings in former times you have two Examples fresh in your Memories of Crowned Heads that did the same thing in different ways one a Disciple of Yours the King of Poland that Reigned 'till he and his Country were utterly weary of one another and then he wisely retired and went into a Monastery The other Queen Christiana of Sueden who was indeed a wise and subtle Woman she being turned of your Religion plainly saw That a Protestant Body could not have a Popish Head and therefore timely compounded for a good Maintenance and relinquish'd Had you not better then perswade your Prince to take some such Course rather than to spend a great deal of precious Catholick Blood and Treasure To waste and wear out his Life in Trouble and you to get nothing by it I had thought of other things to Advise but if you take my Advice in this as all the World knows you may if you will then there will be no need of any other But if you will not be advised in so plain and so easie a thing as this To what end should I offer you any other Therefore think of it and Judge of me as you please But in my poor Opinion I have given you Faithful Advice and therein shewn my self Your Friend FINIS