I hold in generall too much suspiciousnesse as great a fault and as great an enemie to wisedome as too much credulitie it doing often times hurtfull wrong to friends as the other doth receiue wrongfull hurt from dissemblers yet viewing the short continuance of sworne Leagues at this day the small reckoning that Princes make of Oathes solemnly taken whether to neighbours or subjects not saith but profit beeing the bond of alliance and amitie which altering once the other haue no longer during it making me thinke not unpossible that the Popes unlimited fingers may bee stirring even at this day more often in secret in uniting those knotts of the bonds of conscience than the world is ware of at leastwise that by authoritie and imitation of his example Princes assume unto them selues a like facultie of dispensing with their owne Oathes whensoever they can perswade them selues it is behooffull unto their kingdomes as he when to his Church But howsoever that stands this is very apparent that by this doctrine and policie the Popes opposites and enemies especially the States and Princes of the Reformed Religion are inestimably praejudiced beeing reduced hereby to a continuall incerteintie and confusion in all their weightiest actions counsells and resolutions there being a warrant dormant for all men to breake league and oath with them and no need of particular dispensation from his Holinesse their Church long since by her rules and some of great reckoning among them more lately by their writings having published and preached to all the world that Faith given to Hereticks is not to be kept that leagues with them are more honourable in their breaking than in their making denying that right unto Princes of Christian profession which Christians unto Heathen the Heathen one to an other of how different Religion soever yea all honourable Princes unto very Traytours and Rebels haue alwayes kept inviolable And surely if Father PARSONS at his late coÌ„ming to Rome pretending to make peace betweene the English Schollars and the Iesuites who were charged with much indirect dealing and large imbeazeling and setting downe certein articles betweene them to that purpose whereby each part should be bound to desist impugning of the other did by handling the matter as is said with such sleight and conveiance imitating therein a rule of fast on the one side and loose on the other in the ground of their order as first to sweare the schollars to obserue that which was their part and afterwards to leaue the Iesuites unsworne to theirs effect his secret and ambitious intent and to the great griefe of the schollars make the Iesuits their Governours what other account can be made of these peaces and leagues betweene those of the Romane and of the Reformed Religion but that the one side being tied by oath and the other left free for so are they taught they shall so farre forth onely haue performance and continuance as shall proue to the advantage in ease or profit of that partie which esteemeth itselfe left at libertie The sacred the soveraigne instrument of justice among men what is it what can it bee in this world but an oath being the strongest bond of Conscience this the end of strifes particular this the soder of publike peace and the sole assurance of amitie betweene divers Nations which being made here below is enrolled in his high Court whose glorious name doth signe it who hath made no graunt of accesse to his Coelestiall palace but to such as hauing sworne once though it redound to their owne damage yet swarue not from it that nothing but mischiefe can be praesaged to the world in this age most wretched wherein perjurie hath so undermined the very tribunals of judgement that it hath chased true justice out of the world and left no place for a just man where to stand against the craftie But what may be said when he that sitteth in the Temple of God shall so far advance himselfe aboue God as to dispense with oaths made sacred by the most holy and high name of God when he that professeth himselfe the sole Vmpire and Peace-maker of the World should cut in sunder those only sinews that hold peace together when the Father of Princes and Prince of Religion shall carie him selfe with so wicked partialitie and craft as in dissoluing oathes by afflicting therein the part he hateth and making the other perpetually obnoxious to him to worke his owne certeine advantage from both and lastly by making that auncient bridle of the unjust to be now an onely snare to entrap the innocent shall impose that blemish upon the name of Christianitie which Pagans in their naturall moralitie haue abhorred I will not here omit one other great helpe which casualiie rather than cunning may seeme to haue wrought it falling out often in the affaires of men that where wisedome hath furnished out sundry aids and instruments there some also doe frame themselues as it were by chaunce springing out of the concurrence of divers accidents with the former As at this day the Greatnesse of the House of Austria extending it selfe well neere to all Quarters of Europe and confining with many of the Popes principall adversaries who having long since upon the rich purchase which they had of the West-Indies devoured in assured hope and conceipe the Monarchy of our Westerne-World And finding no sitter and more plausible meanes ro enlarge their temporall Dominion than by concurring with the Pope in restoring his spirituall haue linked themselues most fast with his sea and investing them selues voluntarily witb an office of their owne erection haue taken upon them to bee the Executioners of the Papall Excommunications that having title from the Pope who giveth his Enemies states Occupanti and distracting their subjects from them upon feare of his curse the rest they may supply out of their owne force and opportunities And for this purpose hath bâ—ne erected and by them highly cherished that super politike and irrefragable order as they compt it of the Iesuites who couple in their perswasions as one God and one Faith so one Pope and one King bearing the world in hand that no other meanes for the Church to stand but by resting upon this pillar and by uniting in this sort all the forces of the Christians this the onely meanes to vanquish that Arch-enemie of Christianitie That the Italians may not brag to haue beene the onely men who haue subdued the world unto them by their wit the Spaniards hauing proved so good schollars in their schooles that though they follow them in their grounds of pretending their advancement of Religion and in their Instruments of religious orders to practise mens minds with yet in this they out-goe them that they use the Popes weapons lightnings thunders and terrours for instruments of their owne greatnesse and his hope of re-establishing his spirituall reputation by them to the immoderate encrease of their secular power by him that the Pope also himselfe must in
without which all falls to ruine but by belieuing in his Son and in keeping his Commandements And this also may seem touching the Church of Rome sufficient Next followeth the Greeke Church enthralled all in a manner saue the Muscovites and the Candians with some few other of no great name and number under the Turkish-tyrannie Of which Church as their farre distance from us requireth not to speake much so their uniformitie in miserie yieldeth not much to be spoken For theyr Religion except onely theyr auncient errour touching the proceeding of the holy spirit from the Father alone wherin they haue long dissented from all the Latin or West Church in other poincts they seeme to stand in some middle tearmes of opinion betweene the Romanists and Protestants yet so that in the more they approach to the Church of Rome and to the Protestants in the more weighty or at leastwise more dominatiue With Rome they concurre in the opinion of Transubstantiation and generally in the sacrifice and and whole body of the Masse in praying to Saincts in auricular confession in offering of sacrifice and prayer for the dead and in these without any or no materiall difference They hold Purgatorie also and the worshipping of Pictures But for Images they will not so much as endure them in theyr Churches as well for that proclivitie they haue to traine away the ignorant into crime of Pagan-errour as also to avoyd that similitude betweene theyr Churches and the Heathenish Temples of Idolls which imagrie doth cause And for theyr Pictures they kneele to two onely of Christ and our Lady the rest they passe over with an ordinary reverence For Purgatorie they hold none in Hell or in the skirts thereof or by any outward torment but that the soules of the faithfull are not received into glory till by an extreame compunction and anguish of mind they haue worne out those staines with which sinne and the pleasures thereof in this life defile them In summe those opinions which grew into the Church before that separation betweene the Greeks and the Latins and all those Ceremonies which were common unto both they still reteine as theyr crossings and tapers with certeine other But for those superstitions which haue crept in in fresher memorie or which were if as auncient yet not so current and in generall all those Canons of the Romish faith which haue bene thrust on them in these latter times by the unaccomptable power and pride of the Papacie tending to the advancement of theyr owne sea and to the exempting of theyr Church and doctrine from tryall by those Anabaptisticall fancies of the spirit that moues them and protects them from error in their consultations and resolutions touching matter of faith extenuating the sufficiency and authoritie of the Scripture in comparison of theyr spirit or Church guided by it all these things they abhorre no lesse than the Protestant They hold understanding requisite to concur with affection for the accomplishment of devotion in praying to God and although theyr Liturgies are the same that in the old time namely S t. BASILS S t. CHRISOSTOMES and S t. GREGORIES translated without any bending of them to that change of Language which theyr tongue hath also suffered yet do they say that alteration is not so great but that theyr people with small accustoming understand the Liturgies well enough But for praying by tale with S t DOMINICKS round compters they esteeme of it no better than those Heathenish repetitions and unnaturall lip-labours which our Saviour censureth Neyther can they belieue that the Apostle S t. IAMES the lesser who is painted under the Papacie with his great beads at his girdle even as MARY MAGDALEN lightly praying before a Crucifix was S t. DOMINICKS disciple but a wiser mans farre and one that introduced a better fashion of praying of the world could haue beene content to haue followed his prescript In like sort for the holy-water so much used under the Papacie they belieue no such feare that the Devill should haue of it nor such force in it to purge sinne as theyr neighbours doe teach They repute it a very vaine opinion that the Church cannot erre both in the whole and every part thereof and consequently that their neighbours of Rome had bestowed that paines better which they haue spent in proving and perswading that they cannot erre in providing and caring more not to haue erred They acknowledge that there is sufficient doctrine in Scripture for salvation though to the auncient usages of the Church and writings of ancient Fathers they yield due reverence Three things in the Pope they cōdemne especially his pride his cruelty his presumptiō most of all his pride in arrogating so exorbitant a jurisdiction over all the Church contrarie to the decrees of auncient Councells and upon no shadow of right or good foundation but chiefly in usurping that temporall tyrannie over Princes and theyr States in de posing of the one and disposing of the other at his absolute pleasure his crueltie in persecuting other Christians with such extremitie for theyr different opinions his praesumption in mounting up into the seat of God by dispensing with the Lawes of God and graunting pardons for sinne and Liberaties out of Purgatorie which they accompt to bee of those royall praerogatiues incident to God onely For as for the doctrinall foundation of those Indulgences the over-plus of merits and satisfaction in some being more than they needed or than were to bee requited with any joyes of Heaven in theyr particular persons and consequently remaine as a perpetuall treasure to the Church to bee conferred by the Pope on his weaker and lesse deserving or rather lesse satisfying children for so is their opinion so farre are they from prizing merits at such an inaestimable valew that contrariwise they concurre in assertion with the Protestants that it is unpossible for any creature to merit as by way of right the least dram of reward at his Creatours hands the service of ten thousand millions of Worlds beeing not able to adde any shadow of perfection to him who is Perfection it selfe having whatsoever is good or desirable within himselfe even from all aeternitie in infinite of degree and with impossibilitie of any the least addition But whatsoever reward is bestowed on the creature floweth forth from the meere bountie and graciousnesse of the Creatour who as in goodnesse alone and meere grace did make him so in goodnesse and meere grace also doth advaunce him unto that higher happinesse That service intermediall which he requires at his hand is a gracious disposition of sweetest harmonie from the unexplicable wisdome of a Lord and Father still abounding and still enlarging his hands in all bountie and goodnesse towards his sonnes and servants and destined to no other than to the creatures behoole to his benefit and advauncement only that by his requisite endeavours in those honourable wayes of wisdome and vertue of loue and thankfulnesse and of imitating
Confession out of which so great good is promised to the World and the want whereof is so much upbraided to their opposites I must confesse I brought with me this perswasion and expectation that surely in reason and very course of nature this must needs bee a very great restraint to wickednesse a great meanes to bring men to integritie and perfection when a man shall as it were dayly survey his actions and affections censure with griefe confesse with shame cure by counsell expiat with punishment extinguish with firme intent neuer to returne to the like againe whatsoever hath defiled or stayned his soule Neither doubt I but it had this fruict in the first institution and hath also with many at this day yea and might haue beene perhaps better restored in Reformed Churches to his primitiue sinceritie than utterly abolished as in most places it is Notwithstanding having diligently searched into the menaging thereof in those parts I find that as all things wherof humane imbecillitie hath the Custodie and government in time decaying by unsensible degrees fall away from their first perfection and puritie and gather much soyle and drosse in using so this as much as any thing For this poinct of their Religion which in outward shew carieth a face of severitie and discipline is become of all other most remisse and pleasant and of greatest content even to the dissolutest minds the matter beeing growne with the common sort to this open reckoning what need wee refraine so fearefully from sinne God having provided so ready a meanes to bee rid of it when wee list again Yea and the worser sort will say when we haue sinned wee must confesse and when wee haue confessed wee must sin again that wee may also confesse again and withall make worke for new Indulgences and Iubilies making accompt of Confession as professed drunkards of Vomiting Yea I haue knowne of those that carie a shew of very devout persons who by their owne report to excuse their acquaintance in matters criminall haue wittingly perjured themselues in judgement only presuming of this present and easie remedy of Confession and other of more than ordinary note among them who when their time of confessing was at hand would then venture on those actions which before they trembled at as presuming to surfeit by reason of neighbourhood with the Physician which Physician also himselfe is perhaps more often infected by the noysome diseases which his patient discloseth than the patient any way bettered by the counsell which the Physician giueth though this should bee the very principall vertue of that act But this must bee graunted to be the fault of the people yet a generall fault it is and currant with small controulment Howbeit neither are the Priests or Pope to be more excused perhaps in their parts The Priests will tell the penitents that God is mercifull that what sinne soever a man committeth so long as hee continueth in the Church and is not a Lutheran there is good remedy for him And for Penance it consisteth ordinarily but in Ave-Maries and Pater-Nosters with some easie almes to them that are able and some little fasting to such as are willing yea I haue knowne when the penance for horrible and often blasphemie besides much other leudnesse hath been no other than the bare saying of their â—eads thrice over a matter of some houres muttering and which in Italy they dispatch also as they go in the streets or rid businesse at home making no other of it that as it is two lippes and one fingers worke But were the penance which the Priests enjoyne never so hard and sharp the holy Fathers plenarie pardon sweeps all away at a blow Now of these they haue graunted and this man especially so huge a number that I ween there are few Churches of note in Italy which haue not purchased or procured a perpetuall plenarie Indulgence by vertue whereof whosoever at certein set yearly dayes being confest and hauing communicated oâ— as in some pardons having intent onely to confesse and communicate in time convenient powres out his devotions before some altar in that Church and extends his hands in almes to the behoofe thereof which clause in all former graunts was expressed but is now left out for avoyding of scandall but still understood and practised accordingly hath forthwith free remission of all sinne and punishment Yea if the worst fall out that a man bee so negligenâ— as to drop into Purgatorie at the time of his decease which but by very supine negligence can hardly happen Yet few Cities are there wherein there are not one or two Altars priviledged Pro de functis where for every Masse said a soule is delivered and so great multitude of Artizans must needs make their ware cheape I will not here warble long upon this untunable harsh string neither will mention perhaps the fourtieth part of what I haue seene much lesse will I now rake up old rustie stuffe out of the dead dust and darkenesse wherein time and shame hath suffered it to rest Onely for examples sake and for verifying of what I haue said I will set downe some of that which is in use at this day which is printed on their Church-doores and proclaimed in their Pulpits In the Eremitane at Padova their Preachers very solemnely publish a graunt of plenarie Indulgence from Baptisme to the last confession with twentie eight thousand yeeres over for the time ensuing The pardon of ALEXANDER the Sixt for thirtie thousand yeeres to whosoever before the Altar of our Lady with Christ and her Mother shall say a peculiar Ave importing that our Lady was conceived without sinne is Printed a new in Italy and pictured in fairest sort But these are for short times At the Sepulchre of CHRIST in Venice a stately representation whereon is written Hic situm est Corpus Domini nostri IESV CHRISTI yet inferring no reall presence thereby as I take it with verses annexed of Conditur hoc tumulo there is hanging in a printed table a prayer of S t. AVSTINE a very good one indeed with Indulgence for fourescore and two thousand yeares graunted from BONIFACR the eighth and confirmed by BENEDICT the eleventh to whosoever shall say it and that for every day toties quoties which yet is somwhat worth that in a few dayes a man may provide for a whole million of Worlds if they did last no longer than this hath done â—ithertoo In S t. FRAVNCIS Church at Padova I heard a Reverend Father preach at large the holy historie of the divine pardon of SISA Abomni culpâ pâ—nâ graunted by Christ in person at our Ladies suit vnto S. FRANCIS extended to all such such as being confest and having communicated should pray in St. FRANCIS Church there of Sancta Maria de gloria Angeli yet sending him for orders sake to his Vicar Pope HOâ—ORIVS that then was to passe it with many other re-apparitions delectable strange accidents of great
growing as hitherto hee hath done leaue no hope for Christendome to subsist but in theyr inward Concord It is true that a forreigne enemie is a reconciler of brethren and that common danger holds them together so long as it lasteth who else would flee a sunder upon every light occasion But herein me thinks it commeth first to be considered whether the Turk be so fearefull a Monarch as is commonly conceived especially since his late so huge enlargement towards the East That which most men estoeme in him the grand cause of errour seemeth to mee a chiefe argument of the contrary at this present and that is the very hugenesse of the Empires For Empires are not then alwayes at theyr strongest when at theyr biggest there beeing a certeine due proportion in all things which they breaking that exceede as well as they that come short of may bee compted to bee huge and vast not great since that is great properly which is great in his actions which are as often impeached by unwildinesse in the big as by weakenesse in the little But if to this bee adjoyned as it sometimes falls out that there bee but a little soule to mone this vast body which maketh some of the biggest men to bee neyther the wisest nor valiantest and that is that the government which is the soule of a state bee scant and feeble not able to embrace nor to order so huge affairs then is there no other greater praesage of ruine than very massinesse it selfe which everie strong push or justle makes reele and totter for want of that inward strength which were requisite to hold it stedie And this take I to bee the State of the Turkish Empire at this day which beeing a meere tyrannie as ayming onely at the mightinesse and securitie of theyr great Lord the sole absolute commander without any respect to the benefit of the people under him saue only so farre forth as may serue to beare up his greatnesse and for that cause hee in his jealousie and distrust of his owne keeping his Territories halfe desolate wast and unhabited his subjects without heads of Nobilitie to lead them without hearts to encourage them to seeke deliverie abasing them by all kind of bestial education and oppressing them by all sorts of extortion and outrage giving the Lands where hee conquereth to his Souldiers and Timarri which scattered over all parts of his ample Empire are the onely contented people and onely strength in effect hee hath as beeing bound by theyr tenures to serue in his warre whethersoever hee calls them and without his charge this beeing his state it is cleare that the wildnesse and lying wast of his Country is to the great diminishing of his owne wealth and revenew which is lesse than some one of our Christian Princes at this day though his Empire much larger than all theyrs together the unpopulousnesse together with the basenesse and feeblenesse of such as are makes that no one Country is defence for it selfe but must haue the concurse of many of the rest to assist it and lastly the huge circuit of his soyle and confines embracing as is esteemed eight thousand mile of Land and of Sea as many is cause that his Timarri cannot assemble together but in very long time wherin opportunities are ofteÌ„ lost besides the tiring both of themselues and theyr horses ere they arriue And the truth heereof is assured by fresh experience hee having done no great matter in all this warre of Hungary though none to speake of but Germanie with some small helpe of Italy haue opposed against him But if wee farther consider the effiminatenesse of the education of theyr Great Lords in these times a thing which they are advised and constreined unto even contrary often-times to the manlinesse of theyr owne natures and all to keepe the Father from jealousie of his owne sonne whose brauenesse of mind and warlinesse is still suspected and use having soaked once into theyr bones in youth doth for ever after lose the sinnes of theyr manly dispositions and subject them to the softnesse and basenesse of pleasures considering also the avarice and corruption which raignes there all peaces and warres all friendships and enmities all fauours and wrongs all Counsells and informations being growne to bee saleable if these bee as they are the signes of a diseased and prognosticates of a dying Monarchy much more of a tyrannie then surely haue wee not now so great cause to dread him as to blame our selues and our wranglings and vilitie who choose thus in practising to exterminate each other to trace out an unhonourable and fruitlesse life at the end finding our selues in the very same or worse tearmes than when wee began rather then establishing first a firme accord at home to attempt with united loue zeale and forces so just so christian so honourable so rich a warre And verily if but our Princes confining upon him though agreeing among themselues for the most in Religion were not so strangely infected with emulations and home-ambitions as to condiscend to pay tribute to the Turke in severall for so doe they as a redemption each of theyr peace which yet hath no longer assurance than his pleasure which with double as much under-hand bribes and presents must be daily sweetned and which is yet worse when his list comes to invade any one of them as hee doth for his very exercise and avoyding tumults at home the rest to hold off from giving succour to theyr neighbours for feare of drawing a revenge upon themselues some other time which is the case of the Polonians and Venetians at this present who scarcely dare so much as pray against him in theyr devotions otherwise than in theyr hares which I ween they do duly were it not I say that theyr private ambitions feares and miscasts did driue them to make so abject and unchristian a choice rather than zealously and violently to joyne and pursue one certeine course for the rooting of him and his tyrannie out of this part of the world it were not to bee so much doubted but the feare now on this side would soone turne to the other seeing that one good blow to a body so ill built and full of distempers were able to put the whole in daunger of ruine and shivering These reasons induce mee not to thinke that the daunger from the Turke should bee so great as to enforce the Christians to runne mainly into an accord And though it should yet without other sounder working by perfect composing of all inward diâ—cention this would be but a civill accord and only for the time which the feare once past would dissolue of it selfe and the former contentions reviue as fresh as ever For the bond of common feare is the strongest indeed of all other but the shortest withall which nothing during the daunger is able to breake and the daunger once passed falls in sunder of his owne unsoundnesse Howbeit if the Turke should set foot