that we all desire and not to haue taken this course that he did to flie away like false shepheards from the flocke of Christ and to become trumpetors of inuasion blood crueltie and destruction Our weapons ought to be spirituall praeces lachrymae praiers and teares preaching and sufferings for Christs sake according to the practise of all vertuous religious pious and catholike priests in all ages I know what father Parsons hath written of this point in an other treatise of his but his examples do not warrant him nor his fellowes to deale in this sort as he hath done Fiftly to rebinde this againe with authoritie of our omnipotent legifer Christ Iesus when the Samaritanes refused to receiue Christ did not Saint Iames and Iohn speake thus to our Sauiour and I dare say in verbo sacerdotis with a more sincere true and religious zeale then euer Parsons had in all his practises Domine vis dicamus vt ignis descendat de coelo consumat eos but Christ turning towards them What said he mary increpauit illos dicens nescitis cuius spiritus estis They thought as a good catholike noteth vpon this place that they might haue done as Elias did they imagined that they were ledde with the spirite of zeale and of their masters honour but indeed ducebantur spiritu vindictae terrestri non caelesti Sixtly father Parsons and his companions with the rest of the seditious Iesuits taking vpon them to be viri apostolici Iesuitical or rather Ignatiā apostles who by their calling forsooth are to preach throughout all the world and ought to be tied to no speciall place longer then they list it should haue beene more agreeable to their dignities and estimation to haue come amongst vs hither into England as the Apostles did name whither so euer they went and by signes and woonders to haue conuerted their countrey to the catholike faith seeing they take vpon them a perfection aboue priesthood and will be called new Apostles illuminats and extraordinarie Rabbies that haue more neere familiaritie and acquaintance with God then any other And this had beene apostolicall dealing indeed Mary yet perhaps the case may be altered if they can perswade vs that their founder first father hauing beene a captaine and a man of warre had some particular illuminations and priuiledges from heauen that although Christs Apostles proceeded with mildenesse and patience as we reade in the Gospell their master Christ did which was a longer course then a Iesuiticall humour is able with patience to endure yet his the said Ignatius disciples should haue leaue to take a shorter way and that by fire from heauen or hell if they could or by any treacherie cruelty treason or what mischiefe soeuer so it were propter bonum societatis or ordine ad deum they were to omit no oportunitie or villany that might further such their intents But by their leaues this being a new and ruffinly course neuer heard of for conuersion of any nation they must shew some better testimonie then either Angel from heauen or feind from hell can affoord them or els we wil not beleeue them to be any other then the forerunners of Antichrist as cōsorts of Puritans in this their rebellious doctrine Seuenthly if father Parsons and his fellowes haue any such large commission from their founder for from Christ they haue it not as that by force thereof they might haue sollicited the Popes holines and the king of Spaine by all false and slanderous suggestions as they did to vndertake that glorious and woorthie acte forsooth yet considering that they only pretend therby the good of their country the restitution of the catholike faith they might haue sollicited some other prince to haue taken in hand that enterprise and not to haue sought to haue put their prince country into the hands of the Spaniards who are at this day reputed throughout all the world to be the most cruell and bloody nation that liueth vpon the earth The treatise of that woorthy Bishop Bartholomeus Cusaus a Spaniard borne dedicated to the last king of Spaine hath laid the Spanish proceedings amongst the west Indians so plainely out in their colours how many millions of men women and children they haue there murthered and that with such inhumane barbarousnesse and much more then Phalericall cruelty as vntill they do repent them and are become a new generation all kingdomes and countries in the world are to pray at the least to be deliuered from them But none could or would I am perswaded serue their turnes but the Spaniard whose pride ambition and crueltie hath so possessed their harts as father Ignatius was not a righter Spaniard by birth then our English Iesuits are by imitation Eightly besides by framing themselues with all trayterous practises and fury to assist and set forwrad the Spaniards designements they haue a stronger conceit or rather a ful perswasion that when the king had subdued this realme neither he his sonne or his daughter would make their residence heere for then the Infantaes title mariage or placing in the Lowe Countries was not dreamed of but that this kingdome should haue beene reduced to a Prouince and committed to the gouernment of their societie scil to father Parsons our pettie Coruine knight the rest of his superintendēcie or societie Which passage though it may seeme very strait yet if euer you see father Parsons booke of intended Reformation you will finde roome ynough to put in more odious stuffe then I haue handled or am willing to smatter my pen withall And therefote thinke it no maruell if they professe themselues the very vowed vassals in effect of the Spaniard for I am perswaded in my conscience that they haue consecrated themselues more deuoutly to aduance the now king of Spaine or his sister to the scepter royall of this land then they haue to promote the catholike faith Neither make I any question of it at all but that if heereafter any Pope shall crosse the Spaniards plots and purposes as like inough they may England and Fraunce with other nations hauing hitherto beene euer more respectiue to the See Apostolicke and taken the defence of Saint Peters chaire more faithfully vpon them then euer Spaine did till now of late yeeres which God of his goodnesse may alter againe and grant to his church in these nations their woonted florish the Iesuits will haue such a figge in store for his Holinesse that shall do so as no Ruebarbe Angelica Mithridate or other medicine or antidote shall expell the venime poison and infection from his hart nor any bezar pearle golde or vnicornes horne long preserue his life after it And if there be as there are shrewd suspitions in Rome concerning the death of two Popes two Cardinals and one Bishop already but for breaking or rather intending to breake the Iesuits a little of their obstinate will and vnbridled insolencie and onely to reforme them in their order then
no maruaile at their designements for England much lesse doubt to be made of what they would do in such a case if it came to canuasing for a kingdome THE VII ARTICLE VVHether seeing it is proued that the Spanish inuasion was traiterously procured by father Parsons means did he then also and some others by his procurement mooue her Maiesties subiects to disobey her highnes to take armes against her to surprise her person if they could and to ioine their forces with the Spaniard 1588. affirming that it was lawfull for them so to doe or not And whether might any of her Maiesties subiects lawfully haue followed their counsell therein THE ANSWERE THey did sollicite stir vp and mooue her Maiesties subiects as it is here deduced we cannot denie it greater is our greefe But it was not lawfull for any honest man or true catholike borne vnder English allegiance to haue followed their aduise And this our generall opinion of the seculars is no small comfort vnto many a deuout catholike whose tender consciences haue been by the Iesuits false pretended zeale mightily perplexed a long time with many doubts as not knowing what to doe in this case of obedience to his holines and their soueraigne Therefore I say in few that as concerning the first part of this article it might haue been a sufficient argument of Master Parsons hatred both towards her Maiestie and towards his natiue countrie to haue sollicited the pope and the king of Spaine with so great importunitie to haue assailed this kingdome with their owne forces though he and the rest of his crue had left her Maiesties subiects to haue at the least taken their owne courses as God should haue mooued their harts and not haue troubled himselfe so much in perswading them with great torments of minde in many to haue run with him and such like miscreants as he is into the pit of perdition for companie to satiate his insatiable desires But their malice pride and ambition are so infinite in their actiuitie and operation as there is no mischiefe or villany which they will not attempt to further their most sauage and Turkish designements It was much that one a clergie man possessed and seduced at that time by the Iesuits did iustifie the treacherous dealings of certaine English subiects in betraying the trust committed vnto them by her Maiestie and therewithall vpon Iesuiticall perswasions did also furthermore exhort others her highnes subiects to doe the like Mary the course that was held by them at this time 1588. passeth all Gods forbod as our phrase is But yet will the facing Iesuits so face out this matter as I shall not be credited herein except I make the same as cleere as day at noonetide when the sunne is brightest Therefore to lay open the case in plaine termes you shall vnderstand that in the said Declaration and Admonition before mentioned father Parsons in the good Cardinals name whom he had bewitched doth stretch all his rhetorike to the furthest extent with so great arte and cunning vsed therein as sure great pitie it is that euer so good a wit as his Grace had should haue been so mightily abused by that coosening mate and that they both were giuen ouer so farre at that time as that they should imploy such good gifts to so wicked a purpose For first they make their entrance into their discourse with a most odious and shamefull declamation against her Maiestie thereby to stirre vp her subiects harts to contempt of her highnes and to make her be holden euery where for odious to God to the world and all men I will not trouble you with the particulars but verily I am perswaded that Don Lucifer the wittiest fiend in hell could not haue written more spitefully Secondly they threaten the nobilitie gentrie and all the rest of the inhabitants of this kingdome with losse of all their goods their lands their liues and with damnation besides except that presently vpon the landing of the Spaniards they ioyned themselues and all the forces men munition victuals and whatsoeuer else they could make with that catholike armie forsooth For the words be these If you will auoide say they the Popes the kings and other princes high indignation let no man of what degree soeuer obey abette aide defend or acknowledge her c. adding that otherwise they should incurre the Angels curse and malediction and be as deepely excommunicated as any bicause that in taking her Maiesties part they should fight against God against their lawfull king against their countrie and that notwithstanding all they should doe they should but defend her highnes booteles to their owne present destruction and eternall shame Thirdly after all these and many other such like threats in a high and militarie stile to scarre bugs with then they come to some more milde perswasions and promise the noble men that so they ioyne with the Duke of Parma vpon the receit of their Admonition they will intreate that their whole houses should not perish Parsons did instigate the good Cardinall to sweare by his honor and in the word of a Cardinall that in the furie of their intended massacre there should as great care be taken of euery catholike and penitent person as possibly could be and that he was made a Cardinall of purpose to be sent then into England for the sweete managing of those affaires Fourthly other arguments they vsed â—â—wne from the certaintie of the victorie as that all the protestants would either turne their coates copies armes or flie away in feare and torment of the angell of God prosecuting them that although none of her Maiesties subiects should assist the Spaniards yet their owne forces which they brought with them were strong ynough their prouision sufficient their appointment passing that they had more expert captaines then her Maiestie had good soldiers all resolute to die in the cause which they had vndertaken that the blood of all the blessed Bishops shed in this land and all the Saints in heauen praied for the Spaniards victorie that all the vertuous priestes of our countrie both at home and abroad had stretched foorth their sacred hands to the same end that many priests were in the campe to serue euery spiritual mans necessitie that their forces were garded with all Gods holy angels with Christ himselfe in the soueraigne sacrament and with the daily most holy oblation of Christs owne deere body and blood that the Spaniards being thus assisted with so many helpes though they had been neuer so few they could not loose and that her Maiestie and her assistants wanting these helpe although they were neuer so fierce neuer so proud neuer so many neuer so well appointed yet they could not preuaile feare you not say they to such as would take their part they cannot And thus farre out of their said Iesuiticall Admonition Now what say you reuerend priests and you deere catholikes of all estates to this pernitious booke wherein he
the suite of Daniell to send home his countrimen in peace and quiet or otherwise to harden his and Darius his hart to yeeld to no release but that for euer they should there condemned despised and dispersed remaine In this heroicall disputation the moderators wherein no doubt were full replete with no lesse Cherubinicall knowledge then Seraphical zeale the three great princes Michael Raphael and Vriel with the rest of the Regents and gouernors deputed to the Hebrues monarchie or twelue tribes of Israell taking part with the Iew and Daniell and the prince of the Persian kingdome who had resisted Daniell 21. daies together with all the Lords protectors guardians and gouernors of Mede of Perse of Chaldaea of Babylon and of all the Asiacke monarchie vsque vltra Garamantes and Indos taking the parts of the Gentiles and defending those people princes and nations ouer whom by Gods mercifull designment they had the protection gouernment and charge of patronage Thus began the plea. The guardians of the frontires of Palestine alledged how all that rich countrie à fructu frumenti vini olet multiplicata and abounding with milke and hony in former ages was now become desert wilde laide waste to sacke and spoile with robbers and theeues hauing no repâ—â—â—e of God nor good Saint no soule in that soile but nowe diâ— pâ—râ—sh Whereas before out of euery tribe there past yeerely sundry deuoâ—re soules thence into Abrahams bosome to be in a readines at th Mâ—ssâ—â— his returne into heauen Therefore was it necessarie that Z â—â—ch 〈◊〉 Esdras that Nehemias and others of the Iewes priestâ— Leuites prophetâ— and scribes with the whole multitude should be deliuered to replenish these prouinces with Gods people againe To this was answered by the Gentiles generals and captaines that forasmuch as Nabuchodonosor as Baltasar as Darius as Xerxes and other monarches by secret instinct and often good motions put into their harts by commission giuen vnto them from their heauens king had of their princely benignitie granted vnto the Iewes after triall made of their constancie and that their God fought for them in the cause of religion and sacrifice a free libertie of conscience to serue their Lord God agreeing to their Iewish rites and that euen Daniell who was so desirous to haue his people sent home was in as high authoritie grace and fauour with those Ethnicke princes as any noble of their owne sect in the court and countrie where they and he together liued therefore was that argument for the Palestian empire of no validitie seeing it is not the soile but the soule which God respecteth and whereof they all haue charge and thar no humane wight be he Iew Gentile or Proselite Christian Infidell or Catechumene but hath his good Angell appointed to protect him at his first entrance into the worlds vale of miseries and is bound to continue with him accompanying him where euer he goes so long as he or she remaines in this territorie of teares Then the guardian of Hierusalem and principall of Iudea S. Michaell as it seemed replied and said that though it were the men which liued in the world and not the world it selfe which they all had charge of in chiefe yet because man came of earth and in Salem citie was Adam our protoplast created therefore was the prerogatiue royall giuen to Iebus land to be called Terra sancta for euer after The language also which Adam first did speake and which after some two thousand yeeres continuance of that onely and no moe throughout the world remaining vncorrupted as destinated to the posteritie of Heber in the time of Phaleg amongst 72. distinct tongues cast amongst the Nimrodian rebels in the tower of Babell comming by lineall discent to be called Hebrew after the diuision made was the same which Moses which Samuell which Salomon which Dauid with all the Iewes legifers vsed in their scriptures codes law bookes prophecies and other writings and this tongue of all others is onely called Lingua sancta Moreouer the people of this nation Iewes borne and none but they are called Gens sancta populus electus regale sacerdotium by right of inheritance euen from Adam from Noe from Abraham from Israell from Dauid by lineall succession in a downe-right line And although their ancestors liued in bondage 400. yeeres space vnder the Aegyptian Pharaos during which time seuen mighty nations of sundry warlike people whereof the chiefe being Cananites gaue the name to the whole land inhabited ouer all yet did not that discontinuance any whit disable their rightful title and claime but that at time conuenient by Gods appointment to the number of 1300000. and aboue past ouer the red sea leauing not one Israelite behinde them in Aegypt and vnder the conduct of Moses and Duke Iosue victorious ouer thirty kings and kingdomes besides other states this sacred nation possessed this holy land the holy language still preserued amongst them So as euen to these countries kingdomes and prouinces hath God assigned his Angels protectors of his people therin and by consequent in rigor of his iustice the Iewes ought to returne into the kingdome of Iurie and Hierusalem againe With this answere was not the Angell of Perse contented but held on his plea on the Gentiles side affirming that as it was for their sins that God in his iustice had reiected Israells issue so although it pleased him to manifest his omnipotent power and Maiesty that man might say non in carneo brachio corroborabitur vir and that there was no God but the Lord God of Israell alone yet was not his mercy so tied to their sleeue as after so many signes tokens prodigious woonders and miracles shewed for their sakes in open sight of all their enemies as amongst the Aegyptians before named the Philistines the Tyrians the Moabites the Ammonites the Edomites and all other nations round about them he should still forgiue and forget to punish them agreeing to their demerits as hitherto he had but that the destinies of their daies drawing to an end the fatall web of their woes being at hand and the period of their time now approching there was no expectation to be had of their returne nor in rigor of iustice any motion to be made on that behalfe And euen Daniell Ezechiell Ieremie and the rest of the prophets doe know that the quadrupart monarchie began in Babylon vnder Nabuchodonosor which shall continue to the end by translation from the Chaldeis to the Medes and Persians as now it is and from them to the stout inuicted Macedonian Greeke from whom by reuolution af time it shall descend to the Romanes sacred Senate and whosoeuer be the monarchie vnder that prince power and potentate shall the Iewes captiues liue Therefore the holines of the land the sanctitie of the tongue the purity of the people the sacred vnction of the priest is not to be named when it comes to pleading of Gods iustice and mans deserts Heauen was euer
infection with Iesuiticall conspiracies euer heereafter when as such seditious rotten weedes should be rooted out which both indanger her royall person and present state and bring vs all her faithfull subiects to be suspected by their meanes And as for study learning and other catholike exercises let this good motiue deere catholikes be no waie heauily taken nor rashly censured as though there were no learning nor method of teaching nor any gouernment or vertuous exercise but where a Iesuite beares the stroke For know you this that as there are their betters in England and out of it that are no Iesuits euen of our owne nation this day in all things required in teachers masters and gouernors so before euer any Iesuits came or were in rerum natura the Vniuersities of Oxford and Cambridge florished amongst the most famous schooles in Christendome either for schoole method or positiue doctrine in Diuinitie Philosophie or any other studie And seeing it cannot be denied but that for all the Iesuits boast of their learning gouernment method of teaching and I can not tell what yet still haue the seculars Seminarie priests beene the chiefe Readers profoundest Clarks either in Diuinitie or philosophy that haue gone out of our Nation in these daies witnesse our Allans our Stapletons our Giffords our Hardings our Parkinsons our Elyes our Kellingsons with sundrie other Doctors schoolemen to omit those that are in England at this present togither with diuers religious Englishmen of S. Benedicts of S. Dominicks of S. Fraunces and of other religious orders al of them to be preferred before our new illuminates these vainglorious vanting men Besides we see that for al our Seminaries vnder the Iesuits yet the most famous men from time to time haue beene brought vp vnder the secular clergie or the Dominican preachrers and teachers in all nations Also it is well knowne that there is nothing wanting in our Vniuersities heere in England for making profound clarks and learned men in deede saue onely that sound catholike doctrine and schoole method which was vsed in Gabrell Beoll in Alexander of Hales and in Iohn Scots daies For otherwise neuer was there a finer breed of wits nor brauer Orators nor more pleasant Poets nor perfecter Grammarians nor more copious Linguists nor riper men in all studies of humanitie then are brought vp in our English Vniuersities Therefore seeing that which is wanting might be supplied by catholike doctors and teachers of our owne nation any Iesuits equals and that we see sundrie of the finest wits resort to our side daily notwithstanding all these either contentions betwixt vs and the Iesuits or yet the present affliction and danger we all do liue in of our common aduersaries then thinke deere catholiks as true it is that there can no question be made of it to the contrary but that where one commeth now vnto vs there would then come ten of all sorts by such carefull diligence and choise of tutors as vpon this so gracious a grant O happie who may liue to see it of her Maiestie might be vsed both in Oxford and Cambridge as that you might haue your children there inclined and trained vp with some such good conceits of the catholike faith and religion as nourished and cherished therein by you that are their friends in natural loue and affection and confirmed by vs that are priests as in christian charity and catholike dutie we are bound there would quickly follow a ioyfull forgetfulnes of the Iesuits exile as the perturbers of both the catholike church and Englands common-wealth and ruine of vs all if they remaine amongst vs. And thus hauing brought this long tedious intricate and most dangerous difficult and doubtfull Quodlibet of plots by statizing to an end in some sort though not halfe so much said heerein as both the waight of the matter it selfe doth require and also as willing I was and am to haue written thereof as well in respect of iustice as of charity both mouing me to speake were I not infringed vpon other considerations iustly compelling me to silence Therefore vnwilling to holde you any longer in this so discomfortable a party as necessarily the talke of these matters must needs be to many deuout soules which no doubt will be assaulted with variable cogitations in the peruse of this discourse wo be to them who haue occasioned such straite passages of our heauines I now end in harty praier vpon my knees that God may turne all to his glory as well for religion as state and so proceed to other matters in hand THE ARGVMENT OF THE NINTH GENERALL QVODLIBET HAuing said more in the last Quodlibet then I shall haue thanks for at the Iesuits hands but that I am Iohn Indifferent and a Wilfull Will that wil neuer force a friend nor feare a foe in an act of publike iustice as I hold it for such that a greater act both of iustice of chatity could not be then if my poore cōceits by pen expressed can do it to defend Gods cause quarrell my prince countries right the gaulelesse catholikes innocent harts and to firret these cony-catching Iesuits out of conceit from all English berries or warrens that carrie either oile of perfect charitie in their lampes or fire of true catholike zeale within their breastes or naturall affection to their prince their countrie their parents children flesh and blood their deerest friends Hereupon there doth occurre to my memorie two generall Quodlibets which make as much for our purpose as any we haue hitherto handled scil to make knowne to the world the surmised forme but in deede very weake foundation the Iesuits haue laied especially this most Atheall Polypragmon father Parsons to perfect the platforme of statizing mentioned in the last Quodlibet precedent for the ouerthrowe of all that are not as they And therefore shal the first of these two Quodlibets be of plots by succession the second of plots by presages The former then consisting of such deuises engins and baites as the Iesuits haue cast abroad into euery mundane puddle◠pond and poole of Christendome to fish for an absolute monarchie that as there is but one God and Sauiour Lord and king Iesus in heauen so but one sole regiment by Iesuits on earth the articles concerning that point are these 10. following THE NINTH GENERALL QVODLIBET OF PLOTS by succession THE I. ARTICLE WHether is the practise of the Iesuits agreeable to christian charitie and the dutie of true subiects to interprete euery thing that their Soueraigne and the state of the countrey doth in the woorst part to slaunder depraue and calumniate the king their Lord and his proceedings by libels and sundry sorts of chartals bookes and pamphlets of purpose both to make his highnes his gouernment and his whole kingdome as much as in them lieth offensiue to other princes now and odious heereafter to all posteritie or not THE ANSWERE THe Quodlibets of state and succession hauing such an affinity by
of causes it is not possible but the world shold make an end and a stay made of the planets course and heauens motion by reason that primum mobile in a tergiuersed violence of opposite race to the rest runs a course against the haire And of like sort by an argument of induction vel ab exemplo vel à comparatione it must needs follow that it is impossible for the Iesuits to hold out long running a most violent course in opposition against the whole Church of God and all the 3. estates ecclesiasticall temporall and Monasticall as will appeare at large by induction of particulars of their seditious and wrangling disposition faction and opposition against Popes Cardinals Bishops and other prelates and priests in the state ecclesiasticall against Kings Princes Peeres Nobles Gentles and all sorts of ciuill Magistrates in the State temporall against Canōs regular Monks Friers all other religious orders in the state Monastical that haue any liuelyhoods which they want for as a Capouchine once said his order liued quietest of any other with the Iesuits because the Iesuits would willingly haue all and the Capouchines would willingly haue nothing but euen to keepe soule and life together Thirdly when our Sauiour Christ imposed a necessitie to the coming of heresies he meant not onely to the end that hypocrites might thereby be deciphered and lewde seducers of others made knowne to the world for he knew them full well himselfe long beforehand but withall that thereby his spouse might appeare more beautifull sweet amiable and glorious For seeing none can be called properly an hereticke but such as first haue bene catholike either by birth of baptisme or after conuersion and education and none such draw any multitudes after their fall vnto them vnlesse during the time of their stand abode in Gods church they had gotten by a counterfeited holines an admiration of inconstant people to be had of them Therefore to the end that those who by their corrupt life and manners in the Church would not onely damne themselues but also draw many thousands by their externall shewes and pretences of pietie to hell with them should be stopped and preuented of their wretched course it hath euer pleased the Diuine goodnesse whose prouidence is neuer enough to be admired at nor his iustice trembled at nor his mercies magnified to let be cast a stumbling blocke in the way of reprobates whereby they might take an occasion to leape out of Gods church thereupon God shew his iust iudgements vpon them and all that leape out with them and his mercies vpon the remainder that after their impietie discouered would no longer be seduced by them And so in the rise and fal of euery one God is alwaies honored his church glorified and all Catholikes hearts greatly comforted and benefited Were it not the feare I haue to be too tedious I might here enlarge my selfe with a long discourse of all the principall heresies and Archheretickes that euer haue bene For had not Arius many worthy prelates all sound Catholikes at the first to take his part So had Donatus so had Nouatus so had Eutiches so had Dioscorus so had many hundreds of Arch-heretickes aswell as he yea and such stood on their side as before euer the contention was decided had glorified heauen with Saints beautified the earth with Martyrs reliques And yet we see it was neither an argument of their pietie because so many holy Ciprians and other blessed men and women sided on their side at the first neither yet a confirmation of their error at the last because one and he a Priest was of power to vexe trouble and torment the whole church of Affrick and another the Catholike church of Asia in his abortiue Primitiues after the whole christiā world infected with his heresies in many millions of his followers And howsoeuer it happen hereafter or whether the time be yet come of reuealing the full mistery of iniquity or that these contentions may minister occasion before all matters be decided of another sacred Apostolicall O Ecumenicall synode to be called or howsoeuer it may fall out hereupon to man vnknowne yet do I verily thinke it was Gods holy will and prouidence diuine that the Seminary Priestes should once come on the behalfe of the whole Church of God to buckle before Saint Peter with the Iesuits againe And they sooner then any other Ecclesiasticall Monasticall or temporall order society or company of none of all which they neede doubt at length but to haue a ioyfull furtherance comfort and assistance in their iust quarell because they of all other hauing merited most at the Iesuits hands as admitting of them to be readers in their Colledges receiuing them especially to be coadiutors with them in Christ his haruest yeelding to them nay seeking to subordinate themselues in a sort vnto them and that onely to win the peoples applause and a name fame and praise of them to passe aboue themselues notwithstanding they were not ignorant that they had farre their betters amongst them for euen a Sherwin Seminary Priest yeelded to tread a Iesuiticall path and yet he did farre surpasse a Campion Iesuit as all the world knew it and in few they were so obseruant or rather seruiceable vnto them in all things as what was there but a Iesuit might commaund in England euen if they would haue had a Priest his crowne to haue troden vpon there were then that would haue obeyed who now like angry sleeping dogs vnwillingly awaked by them will both barke bite and leape in their faces for a lesse audatious presumption And then on the other side considering the Iesuits great ingratitude insolency cruelty and inhumane tyrannie like storkes amongst frogges not contented with an vndeserued soueraignty vnlesse all were made their bondslaues to vse innocent harmelesse hearts as they haue vsed the Seminarie and secular Priests that possessed no earthly riches that had no worldly ioyes that sought no setled state in mundane mansions caducall that neuer dreamed of other dignities conquests or triumphes but ouer sinne schisme and heresie death hell and damnation how to make their vocation sure by seruing their Lord God with all feare and trembling in ministring of Sacraments to deuout soules This being their whole study and care ah here how can the sorrowfull sequels be remembred without Apostrophees of inconsolable griefes that now poore wormes they should be troden vnder foote in their owne corne-fields in the heate of their haruest and euen by those that they admitted to be their coadiutors and fellow-laborers and that in their owne natiue countrey hauing no other place certaine to relye vpon whereas the Iesuits haue their peculiar houses and Colledges in euery kingdome almost throughout the world And therfore of all other if to to greedy desire of soueraignty had not made them starke blind they would and might wel without their losse or hinderance haue permitted the Seminary other secular Priests
Generall at Rome of all the occurrents in these parts of the world which they dispatch to and fro by such secret ciphers as are to themselues best and commonly but onely to them knowne So as nothing is done in England but it is knowne in Rome within a moneth after at least and reply made backe as occasion is offered 5 Hauing thus established a Councell almost in euery Princes Court where the president or chiefe agent or intelligent must alwaies be a Iesuit in re or in spe and action to discouer propter bonum not Reipublicae but rei priuatae societatis without all scruple to them the secrets of their Soueraigns to their vttermost knowledge though with the consequent ouerthrowe of their own natiue Prince countrie and all as their prodigious and more then heathenish practises in France to haue lifted the Spaniard into that throne and kingdome to their perpetuall shame and reproch all Christendome ringing of those their vnnaturall treasons against their owne naturall Countrie doth make it manifest to omit or referre ouer to another place what and how spitefully traiterously and irreligiously they haue delt against England and our Soueraign Lady and Queene Then followeth another shift for managing of their actions which is that if as often it hath so hapned their treasons and trecheries be discouered either by intercepting of their letters and the mysteries therein vtcunque made knowne or apprehension of their messengers or some of their inferior intelligents then to calumniate deny and falsifie all the actions and proceedings of the Councel and State very iudicially publikely and apparantly against them they either pretend that the parties confessed such things by constraint of tortures or that it was a plot of the State to make all Catholikes odious whereas in deede they make vs odious by this meanes to the State and all as being all thought guiltie of their conspiracies because they know not how to put a distinction or difference in these tamperings amongst vs. This calumniation must be seconded for a shift with a like vnto it which they call a lawfull equiuocation and herein though there be no question to be made of it but that in some sense it may be lawfull as for example if a Iudge or other ciuill magistrate appointed to sit in Commission vpon a matter of fact should examine in matter of law not pertaining to that purpose or being of one and the selfe same kind in specie yet no way pertinent to the knowledge or true information of the matter there to be examined so as if the question be which is common whether such a one being a Catholike haue euer heard it preached or taught that it was lawfull for a subiect to lay violent hands vpon his Soueraigne or not and now the Iudge in examining this partie asketh him whether he know any Seminarie priest or were euer at Masse or confession By the euill taught lesson of equiuocation one M. Iames Standish a Iesuit priest abused his Holinesse when being aâ—ked whether the matter proponed by him for setting vp the new Hierarchie was done by all the rest of the Priests consents in England or not he answered but very falslâ— for scâ—â—ce one of the seâ—â—â—lâ—â— in England in respect of the whâ—le nuÌ„bâ—r knew of it that it was reseruing to himselfe as since poore ignorant mâ—n not considering what he did to lie to his Holinesse he hath confessed this part viz. as I presuppose or presume c. Iust like whereunto may be interpreted Card. Caietanes letters for estabshing M. Blackwel Archpresbiter who hauing by Parsons and Garnets cousinage got a long Catalogue of names out of England exhibited to his Grace for election of M Blackwell c. his Lordship affirmed in the said letter that it was by generall consent of most Priests in England being abused indeed with names taken here for one purpose and giuen vp there for another the parties altogether ignorant of what was intended and the Iesuits excusing the matter vpon the aforesaid equiuocate presupposition scil that all would like of it c. or no. To this he were no way bound to answer but might absolutely deny it because it is as a thing impertinent to his place and office at that time and maketh neither here nor there for comming to the knowledge of this article scil whether it be lawfull to kill an annointed Queene or no. But now if the case be proposed the examination made of such articles as may either directly or indirectly boult out and make known the truth of the matter intended then of due right to be examined then and therein equiuocation is but a meere deuice of periurie cogging and lying As for example what say you saith the Magistrate if the Pope come in with hostile hand to inuade this Realme thereby to set vp the Catholikes religion whose part will you take c and the Catholike answereth I will take the Queenes part meaning to himselfe if the Pope will commaund me so to do or for any thing further of my mind that you shall know This I say is wicked cogging and vnlawfull as being nothing else but a secret concealed treason It being sure that inuasion hostile power and force of armes do denotate a population of the whole land and no restoring but per accidens only of religion or the Catholike faith at all And therfore as euery Catholicke in England is bound in that respect to defend his Prince and countrie against all forreine inuasion of King Pope or whosoeuer else shall come in with hostile hand vnder what pretence soeuer as hereafter shall be proued so ought the partie examined to answere absolutely without al doubling or concealed intents for that matter it being a point directly tending to treason to her Maiesties person and the Crown and State Sixtly vpon this slie deuice of equiuocation whereby the Iesuits hold it dogmatizando that they may not only to our aduersaries but euen also to any Catholike Magistrate yea to the Pope himselfe answer one way and meane another so as impossible it is for any that is not a Iesuit to know a Iesuits heart here-hence they haue gotten or arrogated vnto themselues an immunitie of so ample priuiledge as go where they list neither Chancellor Bishop nor Archbishop may meddle with them when they do amisse stat pro ratione voluntas their owne pleasure are their guides and so strict a law imposed vpon all others where euer they liue as do they but only pretend a matter they may not be called in question nor once asked why they do it so as their arrogancie is grown to that height now as the whole Clergie vnlesse some few persons desirous to liue quiet let all run on wheels aswell secular as religious throughout Italy France and Spaine are brought almost to a non plus not knowing what course to take to reforme theÌ„ And as for the English seculars presently vpon the coming in of Fa.
ex illis and not a Raphael of another order c. And as the Chapter of Cannons chuse their Deane and not the Priests dispearsed in parishes the Deane Chapter and Priests of each Bishoprike their Bishop and not the inclused Monkes of that Dioces the Dominicans their Prior and not the Franciscans the Iesuits their prouincial and not the Benedictines the Aldermen and City of London their Maior not the Iustices c. and onely in hell amongst heretikes ordo negligitur ergo the Iesuits appointing vs a superior do imitate one of these 6 His letters to Rome against his brethreÌ„ egor defence of the Iesuits coÌ„uince him to be vnus ex vel subditus illis ergo coÌ„tra ius imponitur nobis c. 7 He publickly professeth partiality as in his bitter letters to maister Benson to maister More and to sundry others and that he maintaines them in all things ergo vt iniquus iniustus iudex deponendus 8 His authority was vnhonestly procured because we were neuer made acquainted therewith hauing è contrario formerly imparted our minds vnto them c. vnlawfully confirmed because by the Cardinal at Parsons suite both our enemies and vniustly executed because by Iudges of their owne cause and therefore all three Cardinall Parsons and Blackwell intrusers into our haruest vsurpers of his Holinesse authority and tyrants ouer vs and our countrey 9 That it was directly a plot cast of Parsons by and for the Iesuits to expell or bring all Priests vnder them patet ex bulla qua instituitur praecipue vt pacem habeant cum Iesuitis ergo ad interitum omnium aliorum c. 10 That it was foisted in by Parsons procurement only vpon a point of extremity to colour his impiety and to stop the discouery of his treacherous mind towards his countrey appeareth For it came iumpe at that time when both in Spaine Italy the Low-countries his dealings began to be odious for his tyrannie against all Priests and lay persons that consented not to his Iaponian kingdome and in England his bookes and all his and their dealings being by Catholikes generally disliked and by secular Priests condemned and reiected as full of ambition bloudshed infamy and ruine intended to our whole countrey it was time to set vp such an Archiprate or else had the Iesuits faction bene quite pulled downe for euer which though he haue but a blind name of authority yet it serueth to hold tacke till by inuasion or otherwise the Iesuits may worke their feate for inhauncing of kingdomes c ergo vtterly by all English to be deiected 11 That setting M. Black priuate life aside which now I omit he is vnfit if such authority were lawfully graÌ„ted to be chosen for a head ouer so great a multitude of fine wits many more graue ancient and learned then himselfe especially in times of so many dangers and full of diuersities and differences in al things besides religion learning and this is most plaine for that he is wel knowne to be a man of no reach only he hath read studied sundry positiue authors whereby he can speake or write sentences euill couched together God wot out of others But of himselfe he neuer knew what discourse writing to great persons or of matters of weight or what ciuill conuersation or gouernment meant For hauing a charge onely of a widow Gentlewoman with whom he liued he neuer conuersed with any to learne either wit knowledge or experience in any thing or how to behaue himselfe in company discourse or otherwise to sift out any matter or yet to know how to do iustice in his office further then his booke told him which often causeth error through want of practise and experience to know the custome of times and places c. which may alter quite his book cases as applyed by a correspondencie to another purpose Which grosse ignorance a man shall find almost in euery letter he writes wresting this and that sentence Canon author and authoritie quite contrarie to another act matter sence and meaning then euer thereby was intended which I should rather thinke came of his simplicitie then of wilfull error were it not that he is become so proud peremptorie and scoffing contemptuous in his exorbitant letters words and all his other actions since this immerited authority came vpon him ergo by Parsons rule of deposing or chusing gouernors M. Blackwell is vnfittest of an hundred and consequently to be deposed for his insufficiencie though otherwise he had absolute authoritie 12 That M. Blackwels simplicitie and vnaptnesse to gouerne sheweth plaine the great mischiefe and ruine of our countrie intended by chusing of him is manifest For who in pollicie would attempt that which the Iesuites go about by any but such as wanting wit to enter into their drift should thinke euery word to be an oracle or else to be the Gospell that they speak and then vpon this ground Catholikes hauing tender consciences must thinke it a sinne irremissible to resist c. 13 That the Iesuits pollicie was maruellous dexterous in choosing one by profession a secular Priest and not a knowne Iesuite and consequently none fitter then M. Blackwell vz. First otherwise they had opened their own ambition to all the world Secondly they could not in honestie and with any face haue spoken for themsâ—lues as others may do for them Thirdly they may hereby colour all their trecherie for if it fadge not well the head is a Seminarie or secular Priest if it hap to their wish he is by them set vp ergo at their appointment Fourthly they may as they do more stoutly defend him then themselues 14 That a greater persecution is and must ensue by M. Blackwels Archpresbitery then euer came to Catholikes by the ciuill magistrates vz. First for that it opens the way to all rebellion freeing euery one to speake or do what they list or can against any except Iesuits all vnder pretence of zeale in taking forsooth the Popes part by defending M. Blackwels authority and esteeming of all that resist it to be Schismaticks or worse Secondly wheras before som few were infamed by priuat oppositions against the Iesuits now all that obey not M. Blackwell are so persecuted by these Parsonians railing and slaundering toungs as none can liue free Thirdly it breeds that contempt as euery boy and girle are in manner of esteeme of priesthood become Haywoodists Wisemanists and I could tell you what worse perdee to put no difference but all secular as well laitie as clergie c. Fourthly it makes vent for inuasion both of England and Scotland the Archpriests twelue assistants being dispersed in euery corner with the laity to worke by North and by South perswading it to be for the Scots good to ioyne with Spaine ergo mightily he is to be resisted 15 That the plot was laid long ago for the Archpriest videl by their olim dicebamur and other forgeries of theirs First
ecclesiae as all doe grant it and experience of all ages hath approoued it true the latter not for that surceasing excepts against heretikes in such proceedings who by authoritie of holy writ may iustly be constrained with force of the temporall sword to receiue the faith of Christ and his catholike Romane Church wherein they were baptized and out of which they are now most pernitiously fallen to their damnation To this the former againe makes reply that that is in a case of lawe and strategeme of warres when the plaintif as a soueraigne hauing right on his side may haue strength and power at hand sufficient to defend his iust quarrell and Gods cause but where and when the poore afflicted catholikes are the weaker part and in subiection vnder their natiue prince they must not tempt God with miracles sed in patientia possidebunt animas suas expecting the time that God hath appointed either to ease the afflicted of their heauie persecution by calling them to his mercie or else to mooue the aduersarie as here he did king Cyrus c. Here againe the latter doth vrge very vehemently against the former that it is their fault if they be not of strength ynough For if all would side one way run one course ioyne together of one part they were able to match their aduersaries at all assaies but bicause they fauor heretikes and their titles more then catholikes as some the Scots king others the house of Derbie others that of Huntington others of Hartford and others the Lady Arbella c. therefore is Gods cause weakened and the catholiks quarrell quailed But to this yet againe the former makes reioinder professing that if they had millions on their side for thousands on her maiesties yet they hold it were not lawfull for them by force of armes to gaine the garland that they run for as afterward it shall appeere and vtterly denying that they fauor any heretike as an heretike or their titles vnder that pretence but as remembring how diuers princes and great monarches haue been conuerted to the catholike Christian faith and withall considering that neither the king of Scots nor yet any of the rest were euer any speciall persecutors of vs or our religion but rather fauorable to many catholikes as is well knowne not forgetting this besides that it were an act of iniustice in vs especially being priuate persons either to manage a false title as the Spaniard hath none other or impugne a knowne right as all the world knoweth it rests confined within the Albion I le But admit it were reuealed to any priuate man that the Spanyard or any other forraigne prince should preuaile and cary away our English crowne out of the land so as we should neuer haue king regnant ouer vs hereafter as some old prophecies many say haue foreshewed that our deere countrimen brothers sisters and friends the flower of Englands youth the beautie of our Ladies Widowes Wiues Virgins of all degrees should be prostituted prophaned rauished and led captiue into strange lands the sore persecution of Gods seruants the blasphemies heresies execrable schismes of this age and our owne sinnes in generall vrging Gods wrath against our whole Nation to take so sharpe yet ordinary reuenge for such offences as some say also hath bene spoken of long agone to come to passe in this our vnfortunate age or that we should haue such a change of state gouernment common wealth and all as the chiefe soueraigntie should be in an alien prince Spanyard or Burgundian Netherlandian or the like and the Lords spirituall and temporall gouerning ouer vs for the time to be of that foraigne prince his Nation and the Iesuits or fathers as they terme themselues of the societie to be their Interpretors for our English Welsh Irish and Stots nation as both letters and witnesses besides inuincible probats otherwise are extant to shew that Master Parsons and his confederates goe about such a matter and a sermon himselfe once made at Rome insinuates no lesse but that by tyrannicall subiecting the Seminary there to be vnder his societie he expounded the prophecie he there spoke of in his intent and meaning to be directly vnderstood of himselfe and his company that they should be those long gownes which should raigne and gouerne the whole Isle of great Britaine Of which societie there being some of all or the most part of all Christian Nations hauing once this land giuen them by and vnder the Spaniard as they hope for to make it a Iapponian Island of Iesuits but stay they haue not yet Iapponia in their handes then should we haue as many languages in this Isle and the auncient Inhabitants dispersed into as many countries as there should be prouincialls of that societie for it were no policie to let vs all liue here together nor yet leade all captiue into one prouince or kingdome Yet let God worke his will in these things be it true or false that any such heauines be reuealed what then Shall I therefore be the bloodie instrument to worke it of mine owne head without Gods speciall designement so to doe Shall I shew my selfe so vnnaturall inhumane and cruell harted as to write bookes to perswade to vse all possible meanes to bring my natiue country into bondage and slauerie Shall I of a grudge or desire of reuenge vpon some particular person or persons or for some priuate gaine to my selfe or my owne peculiar company banish from my hard nay stonie nay flintie nay adamantine hart all pittie compassion charitie remorse and naturall affection to that which next to my maker and his spouse I am by all lawes in chieefe to esteeme of the bond of loue loyaltie and dutie being greater to my prince and countrie then to my parents or deerest friends And whereas euen tyrants in such like cases haue been mooued to lenitie shall I haue no conceit of the wringing of hands of the sighes and teares of the weepings and wailings of the skrikes and cries of so many sweete yoong and tender babes of both sexes Shall I haue no feeling of so many mothers bleeding harts of so many noble ladies and other yoong maides of generous birth gentle blood and free education for all rare parts indowments and abilities of nature and fortune fit to be princes peeres now to be left desolate or bestowed on euery base fellow not woorthy to be their seruant Shall I take vpon me to be an actor an orator or a broker in laboring to bring that old blinde prophesie to effect which saith When the blacke fleete of Norway is come and gone then lords shall wed ladies and bring them home Shall I be the efficient instrumentall cause or causa sine qua non of so many great worshipfull honorable and princely heires to be disinherited of so many vpstart squibs of forraigne nations to start vp in their places of so many false textes forged glosses fained lawes of God of nature and of man to disprooue all
neuer come to good effect The old beaten pathes haue euer proued to be the best readiest and surest waies to walke in for the due performance of those designements And the ancient manner of planting the catholike faith hath bene by preaching praier and sacrifice priuate instructions hearing confessions giuing absolutions and exercising of other priestly functions and that done then to commit the rest to God To yeelde all temporall duties and seruices to the Prince vnder whom they liue yea though aliens by birth and strangers to his Nation people and naturall subiects much more then if borne vnder his natiue allegiance And so shall he neither cast of the care and dutifull seruice to his prince and country neither shall nor ought the care feare or respect had thereof discharge him of his duty to God and our holy mother the catholike church and to wish to his neighbour as to himselfe therein Alwaies obseruing the Apostolicall course in conuerting of others to the catholike faith Such a course as Saint Peter tooke first in Hierusalem then at Antioch then at Rome c. As Saint Paule tooke at Damasco at Corinth at Crete at Athens and at and in all countries prouinces and places where he came As Saint Iames the iust called our Lords brother tooke in the kingdome Iuda and Hierusalem and throughout the prouinces of Israell As Saint Iohn tooke at Ephesus and throughout all the churches of Asia vnder him As Saint Philip tooke at Hierapolis in Phrygia and throughout all Scythia As Saint Iames the sonne of Zebedee and brother to Saint Iohn tooke in Spaine As Saint Bartbolomew tooke in India and the great Armenia As Saint Matthew tooke in Aethiope As Saint Simon Zelotes tooke in Mesopotamia As Saint Iude or Thaddaeus tooke in Aegypt As Saint Andrew elder brother to Saint Peter tooke in Scythia of Europe and as Saint Thomas tooke amongst the Parthes Medes Persians Brachmans Hyrcans and Bactrians And in few as Saint Denis tooke among the French Fugatius and Damianus among the old Albion Britaines and Saint Augustine amongst the English Saxons of whom we all came These courses then that these glorious martyrs and blessed Saints tooke for conuersion of countries are for all catholike priests to imitate and to leaue these Iesuiticall seditious rebellious barbarous and preposterous courses to sathan and those infernall spirits from whence they came euer confessing as true sincere and religious catholikes should that innouations are euer daungerous that new fanglenesse in the least point of faith and religion is most pernitious and that nouelties and fine deuises of busie and vnquiet heads are but as May flowers that are gone in Iune carying a faire shew but neuer continue long Therefore let euery catholike priest seeke in the name of Iesus the conuersion of our country but not as the Iesuiticall faction hath sought Let them seeke it by priestly conuersation not by popular deuastation Let them study to teache obedience not rebellion to fill mens harts with inward ioy and peace not feede their eares with outward hopes of inuasions and treacheries to possesse their soules with laments in Apostrophees of compassion with good Saint Gregory who sighed sore for our forefathers being strangers vnto him to see so many soules perish in our Nation euery howre and not puffe vp their harts with preposterous cogitations of moone shine of the water THE V. ARTICLE VVHether doe the Iesuites in this point of Statizacion agree either amongst themselues or with any other priests or lay persons THE ANSWERE TTo this I answere First that it is manifest by the matter it selfe now in question that the secular priests and they doe quite disagree herein Secondly it is to be noted that their agreement amongst themselues concerning state meddles may be taken three manner of waies one way as it concerneth our country in particular and therein questionlesse there is no Iesuite in Christendome but he is of one and the selfe same mind that his fellowes are of scil that they all could wish to haue England Scotland and Ireland vnder them Note by this discourse here following that if the Iesuits had got England we should haue had a gouernment deposition and a Presbyter Iohn penes quem imperium to make these Northerne Iles all one Iesuiticall Monarchy to infeoffe themselues by hooke or by crooke in the whole imperiall dominions of great Britania with the remainder ouer to their corporation or puny fathers succeeding them as heires special in their societie by a state of perpetuity putting all the whole blood roiall of England to the formedowne as but heires general in one predicament together That this is so and that their wish their hope their intents in proceeding their labour in performing their endeuour in perfecting this plot and platforme are equally agreeing to all of them a like though the meanes and manner how to effect be different agreeing to their different natures dispositions qualities and abilities as some to be aulicall others martiall others rurall and againe of those some to be actors others prompters others inuentors or plotcasters c. It is cleere by many generall circumstances As that for one of maintaining the Archpriests authority as all the English Iesuits doe most eagerly whose institutiue iurisdiction is directly proued to extend to this point and practise for their aduancement to the monarchie Then for the Scots Iesuites a man would thinke that if any of that society were against Parsons proceedings they should be the most resolute But notwithstanding this omitting al the rest cōniuing and some most earnestly pursuing auerring imbracing the said Parsons opinion as their speeches to my selfe declared when they were afraid I should haue published my booke in answere to his Doleman for the succession c. Yet euen father Cryton who onely the Scots king did hope well of is proued by Master Cicills booke against him to be as forward as the other on the Spaniards behalfe and most egregiously to mocke flatter dissemble and collogue with his natiue Soueraigne And as for the Iesuites of other Nations it may appeere by the state booke of reformation for England drawne out by Parsons and the generall of the Iesuites in cuius virtute caeteri operantur that they all aime at one marke and one course and conceiue one and the same generall hope to haue England a Iapponian Monarchie as once one tearmed it or an apish Iland of Iesuites An other way their statizing may be taken for their priuate opinions cōcerning the next successor viz. whom this and that Iesuite would gladliest haue their vmpier patron champion to fight the field on their behalfe in bringing the whole realme vnder their subiection And herein bicause arrogancie pride and ambition hath set them all so high on horseback as looke what Prince or Noble can goe away with the English crowne that same they hope to be the aduancer of him most who most did further their pretence and was the greatest
England were Catholicks and those of the bloud royall so in esse with all yet were her title as good as the best saith he and by consequent concludes with this bobbe giuen to all our nation that the gift of the crowne of England was in the oldking Catholiks hands who perhaps quoth this patch Parsons may be perswaded as also his sonne the now king may be to the like set to giue ouer his claime and surrender vp his whole interest and right thereunto to his daughter Clara Eugenia Isabella yeelding her aide for atchieuing of the same to her and some such chatholicks Noble as his Maiestie shall thinke fit for a husband to a Lady of so high parentage Who being now the Archduke Albert late Cardinall c. if followeth that he is the Peere must be our Prince by Coruester Parsons designements And seeing he there insinuates as much and that the foresaid Cardinall Allan had dealt with the king of Spaine as he would make the world beleeue to that intent and purpose the case then and therein is cleere that this same booke here mentioned and that Appendix were both of Parsons owne doing as birds of one nest feather and wing hatched by the vnnaturall heate of his ambitious hart Secondly I obserue both heere there that there was great difficultie and doubts put in perswading the king of Spaine to this exploit for the conquest of England and that there was much adoo to draw him vnto it had not the parties mentioned importuned him to our countries ouerthrow Thirdly they account the intended massacre of her Maiestie and of so many thousands of her good subiects as must haue died if the Spaniard had preuailed as before I prooued it vnto you by the words of the Duke of Medina and other testimonies to that purpose a holy and glorious acte and to haue beene vndertaken of an vnspeakeable zeale and pietie c. Loe Nobles and Gentiles you deere catholikes of both sexes and all degrees Medina vowes he will spare none be he or she Catholicke Protestant or whosoeuer this booke affirmes the massacre intended is an acte of zeale what case are you now in if your Soueraigne forsake you also and who shal can or will defend you if she giue you ouer to the persecutor what haue you to say in your owne defence to saue your liues if her highnes draw the sword of iustice and lay it vpon you Truely nothing at all but so many of you as are loyall subiects your religious catholicke consciences reserued being as innocent as ignorant of those practises whereof I dare boldly speake it in the worde of a priest many thousands in England neuer heard of before the publishing of these Quodlibets might iustly haue fed your dying soules with hope of Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter iustitiam quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum But for other hopes you could haue none Fourthly the false harted Cateline inuolueth all the catholicks that were then beyond the seas in that his most Turkish Iesuitish Puritanian and barbarous designements Fiftly he intangleth such as receiued so great fauors at her Maiesties hands and the state heere as that where by the lawes they might all haue beene put to death they were onely banished Yet notwithstanding he forceth them to become intercessors both for the destruction of her Highnesse and of her kingdome Sixtly what iust cause is heere giuen to her Maiestie and the state of seuere proceeding against all such catholicks as were then beyond the seas when they should come home in that they all sought and thirsted after the blood of their countrey vos iudicate But I hope and in part I know it that the false bastard Iesuits pen when he writ those words did but expresse the traitorous harts of himselfe and some fewe of his consorts and that he hath most egregiously belied many For of the Lord Dacres and sundrie others as well of the cleargie as laitie it is well knowne they were euer most opposite to those traitorous practises and therefore most mightily persecuted by Parsons and his confederates notwithstanding they still helde and do holde out as loyall English subiects vsque ad sanguinem as obedient catholicke children vsque ad aras and as seruiceable in hart to both God and man Pope Prince and to the catholicke Romish church and the English common wealth as soule and body in one person can affoord or faith fealtie religion and loyaltie diuine loue and naturall affection can expect or demaund at their hands And for the rest if any were so sotted and bewitched with Iesuitisme or infected with the Spaniards as I doubt too many were I wish for my owne part euen from the bottome of my poore but resolued catholicke loyall hart so many of them as remaine obstinate with Parsons in that vnnaturall combination faire and well buried in their graues Thus hauing made the first part of the Interrogatory most apparant and manifest I wil now prosecute the answere to the second in as briefe and plaine a method as I may Say then for the present which yet is more then I would willingly put to mainteine the time and our afflicted state considered that his Holinesse and the king of Spaine might lawfully haue taken armes against her Maiestie and this her kingdome our natiue land yet it was shamefull part of father Parsons his companions to be the contriuers or instigators of it as it is to be prooued by many memorable examples agreeing to this purpose scil First out of holy writ it is manifest and apparant that the Iebusites and other inhabitants of the land of behest were permitted there to liue euen after the Israelites had obteined the land as their owne ancient inheritance ergo a forreine people of a natiue broode are not to be by Gods lawes subiected in their natiue soyle by strangers of an alien land Secondly Gregorius magnus when he might haue ridde the parts and coasts of Italy from the tyranny of the Gothes and other sauage peo-people if he would haue intermedled in matters of blood refused so to do accounting it to be a course not fitte for a man of his calling to deale in Thirdly by the lawes customes and practise of all kingdomes such persons as shall machinate and deuise to execute such outragious designements against their prince and countrey haue euer beene iustly condemned and detested of all honest men and good subiects yea and euen of those same princes inuadors or vsurpers that comming to sway the scepter royall of a kingdome by such meanes neuer suffred such traitors to passe vnpunished nor without the iust guerdon of treason deducere canes ad inferos as by sundry examples in the Antiperistasis to Parsons Doleman I haue prooued it true Fourthly it had beene Parsons dutie and so also the dutie of all other priests Iesuits and religious persons to haue praied for her Maiestie and their countrey and by preaching to haue sought the reformation
thing against any prince or king vnder what pretence soeuer yet necessitie will alwaies excuse their subiects for not obeying his holines buls in temporall duties and for performing their said duties and seruices vnto their soueraignes The Schoolemen doe make sundry kindes of necessities as necessitas adesse suppliciter adesse secundum quid ad bene esse c. which I will not trouble you withall You shall see the very point it selfe set downe in expresse termes concerning the catholikes of England that liue at this day vnder her Maiestie The faithfull of England and Saxonie saith Bannes are to be excused qui se non eximant à potestate superiorum nec bellum contra illos gerunt quoniam communiter non habent facultatem ad haec bella gerenda contra principes imminent illis grauia pericula who doe not exempt themselues from the power of their superiors nor beare armes against them bicause generally they haue no abilitie to wage such wars against their princes and great danger doth hang ouer their heads if they should attempt it And a little before he saith that subiects are not bound to warre against their soueraigne or to exempt themselues from their subiection cum periculo mortis amissione bonorum with the danger of their liues and losse of their goods and so endeth his resolution with an caetera as if he should haue said there are also many other such like exceptions to be allowed of And G. de Valencia agreeth with Bannes For saith he when the Popes holines doth absolue subiects from their othes of allegiance that they may not be bound to performe their duties to their Lords that are excommunicated and doe forbid them likewise so to doe they are thus to be vnderstood scil that they are not otherwise bound to obey them in those cases but si nimirum negare obsequium dominis suis possint absque notabili suo detrimento ita enim hoc est intelligendum sicut recte notauit Bannes that is When they may refuse to obey their Lords and masters without any notable hurt or losse to themselues for so these kindes of absolutions and forbiddings are to be vnderstood as Bannes hath well obserued And Master Parsons of his goodnes striketh this matter dead For in his said Admonition he is pleased to tell the catholikes of England and all other her Maiesties subiects in these words following that in cases of euident danger the censures of the Church so farre as they concerne onely temporall matters by the meaning of him that gaue the sentence doe not binde Now it might peraduenture prooue a very probable position as the world standeth at a gaze whether it may easily be conceiued by a man of a dull conceit that any king will be euer so negligent or carelesse of his owne estate or if he should whether any counsellors of any kingdome will euer be so improuident for the safetie of their soueraignes authoritie kingdome and life as that it shall not alwaies be dangerous for their subiects to rebell and take armes against them And then euery man may see what followeth that as Saint Paule said Multa mihi licita sunt quae tamen non expediunt so questionles I am of that minde that it will not be expedient for the Popes holines to intermeddle with the excommunicating of princes in these daies For assuredly it wil seldome fall out if euer that subiects without danger shall be able by rebellion to put such a sentence in execution besides the incertainties before specified that it cannot well be imagined how they should in these dangerous times take sufficient notice of it when so great and generall a iealousie on the one side is had of all princes and so manifest signes of intollerable abuses falshood and malepertnes on the other side in the Iesuiticall faction to procure whatsoeuer may serue their owne turnes for the time without all or any respect had of God or man Pope or prince church or common wealth catholike or heretike And sure it cannot be but that all princes as well spirituall as temporall will more narrowly looke into the Iesuits doings then heretofore they haue when they shall duly consider what daunger they all do stand in yea euen those that now fauour these seditious busie headed bodies most if these factious companions may procure excommunications at their pleasure and prouoke his holines to strike with ecclesiasticall censure whatsoeuer offendeth any of them nay whosoeuer doth not please and content them in all things nay more whosoeuer hath that which they haue a minde to and that they cannot otherwise haue their wish and vnlawful desire out goeth a slaunder that he or she are of lewd demeanour not established in the grace of God and in few are reprobates of God forsaken and then straightwaies must his holines strike them with excommunication c. or else shall he also be holden for a Lutheran or fautor of wicked persons and heretikes In confirmation of the premises here it offereth it selfe fitly to this purpose what father Criton the great Scots statist said to an honorable person in talke of these matters concerning the excommunication of his Maiestie king Iames. This noble Lord hauing heard some speeches against the Scots king blowne abroad by fa. Parsons his vnder Agents at Bruxels such be like as that base fellow Verstegen who hauing no more gentlemans blood in his body then in a coupers son nor scant so much of such a breed may the couper be yet tooke vpon him to cotize our English nobles and gentles there affirming that there were not past three or fower in those coastes of all our nation that were of any noble or generous blood coate armour and ancestrie scil the Earle of Westmerland the Lord Dacres and as I remember the next was himselfe or sir William Stanley I know not whether but either sir knight or sir knaue was in the third place Whereupon followed a fowle adoe in the Flemmish court for a while sundry of noble and generous blood being mightily disgraced by this base companions information giuen to the prince in derogation to our English gentrie And this vntriall gentleman was one of that nobleman father Parsons spies intelligencers and blazoners of what infamies as were to be conueyed thence abroad into Italie Spaine Fraunce and other countries adioyning Amongst other things that might be thought to indanger his royall person most one passage was this that father Parsons with others of the zealous illuminates and more resolute wise religious learned and graue fathers and other catholikes had dealt very seriously with the Popes holines about excommunicating of the said king which was expected euery hower to come foorth and to be promulgated against his highnes c. Whereof the foresaid Lord being desirous to knowe of father Criton whether any such thing were or not and withall whether his owne subiects or others that wished well vnto him might lawfully defend his
it and wish either it had been vndone or in this or that manner otherwise then it was denounced and executed That which hitherto I haue said of the first point of this article doth in some sort confirme my assertion concerning the second For if the excommunication of kings be inconuenient then what shal we thinke of those men being subiects in times so dangerous as neuer any were more then we now liue in that did seeke either to procure the said excōmunication against her Maiestie or to renew it As touching the first procurers of it were it D. Harding D. Stapleton D. Morton D. Webbe all or any of them they were yet by their leaues with reuerend regard to their priesthood and doctorship be it spoken but simple men out of their positiue diuinitie and did mightily ouershoote themselues in it diuers waies First there being a rash affection or zeale if you will haue it so called in some of the catholike Bishops when her Maiestie began to raigne to haue imitated Saint Ambrose by excommunicating her highnes and diuers others yet as Master Saunders noteth prudentiores Episcopi vel certe mansuetiores The wiser sort of thē or surely the milder were of another opinion and preuailed Indeede he further saith that they altogether thought it meete to referre the consideration of that matter to the Popes wisedome to doe therein as he thought conuenient but it appeereth not that they did afterwards sollicite his holines thereunto But the contrarie will easily be prooued by some that are aliue who can testifie that they were farre from that minde especially afterwards when they had better considered what was likely to ensue if any such excommunication should be procured And it will likewise be iustified sufficiently that Bishop Watson was exceedingly grieued when he heard that Pius quintus had been drawne to that course as in his wisedome seeing the great inconuenience of it Secondly the same reasons ought to haue hindered the said Parsons and any other from solliciting the Pope to that censure which mooued those catholike Bishops to forbeare it themselues They considered saith M. Saunders that they were the Queenes subiects and that such a fact might peraduenture haue procured some tumult and scandall and trouble of the whole Ecclesiasticall state and order and also might probably haue stirred vp some persecution Thirdly if it were true that some Iesuites haue lately written but with great Machiuillian sleights to curry fauor for the better furtherance of sundry their intended mischieuous designements that her Maiesty was in effect cōstrained to take the course for the alteration of religion that she did when she came first to the crowne then dealt they therein contrarie to the reasonable construction of sundry canons of the Church and consequently very rashly and vniustly Fourthly it may be gathered as I suppose out of Saint Ambrose by his dutie to the emperour otherwise signified that it was farre from his hart to thinke of the deposing of him from the empire or of absoluing his subiects from their obedience if the emperor had withstood him But these men were of another humor they knew that their sute to Pius Quintus did tend to her highnes deposition from the crowne so far as the Bull would reach and to the raising vp of such a garboyle in the kingdome as any true catholike hart may iustly quake to thinke of it Fiftly S. Augustine as S. Thomas obserueth would not praecipitare sententiam whether is woorse a catholike of an euill life or an heretike against whose conuersation no iust exception may be taken Now it is well knowne to all the world and acknowledged in Spaine what manner of person a certaine king was that once bare a great sway there and with how many most notorious and hainous enormities he might truly haue beene charged but yet the Spanish Iesuits and catholikes were farre from the violent humor of our men they did neuer presume or once indeuor to seeke or sue to haue their soueraigne excommunicated Whose example of forbearance therein doth argue the inconsiderate rashnes of our said Iesuited catholiks and Iesuits that haue dealt in such sort as all the world seeth with her Maiestie Sixtly whereas diuers kings and absolute princes haue reiected the authoritie of the See Apostolike as well as her highnes and doe still so perseuere yet we finde not that any hitherto of their subiects priests Iesuits or what other soeuer haue sought their ouerthrow deposition and destruction as our English Iesuits by profession and some other priests in affection and faction Iesuited haue sought for It is true that in Fraunce there are publike monuments of Iesuiticall tyrannie For first they procured Henry the third to be excommunicated and then by degrees they murthered him The like course they also held for a long time with the king now regnant sauing that to their intollerable greefe the blowe which they procured to be giuen him prooued not mortall though still their malice and hatred towards him appeereth manifestly to be as extreme as euer it was and therefore their good wils to be considered of accordingly For all which and many moe most traiterous practises the Iesuits are at this day an odious and detestable generation in that kingdome and with great prouidence and iudgement are banished thence for euer Whereby we may see what all such persons doe deserue who haue amongst vs prosecuted her highnes with little lesse malice and treason in seeking to haue her Maiestie excommunicated which is made by such miscreants but an entrance to all further disloyaltie crueltie and mischiefe Seuenthly it is apparant by the iudgement of S. Augustine that when excommunication cannot be denounced against any but with the inconueniences that are in the point before touched and are therefore in such cases to be forborne those counsellors that shall notwithstanding sollicite and labor for to procure any such excommunications are to be vtterly reiected and condemned as being persons whose counsels are inania pernitiosa atque sacrilega quia impia superba sunt plus turbant infirmos bonos quam corrigunt animosos malos vaine pernitious and sacrilegious bicause being wicked and proud counsels they bring greater trouble to weake good men then amendment to those that are euill and stoute For in such cases he saith that those things must be borne with patiently that cannot be reformed without the said inconueniences and that it is the dutie of good men in the meane while cum dilectione with loue and charitie to mourne and lament and not to take such desperate and wicked courses against all dutie faith and allegiance as these men we speake of did and our Machiuillian Iesuits doe still pursue and indeuour Eightly wheras excōmunication is termed by the learned sort of catholikes medicina a medicine that is such a censure as tendeth to reforme the party censured this their traiterous indeuour for I can terme it no better aimed at nothing but
church c. And at Millane at Antioch at Constantinople and elsewhere were sometimes offers and often graunts made to catholikes to haue their churches chappels to themselues apart from the Arrians and other infest enimies of the catholikes suffering them the saide clergie on both sides to do it by dispitions amongst themselues neuer persecuting any catholike for that cause vnlesse some speciall grudge or occasion of high displeasure taken by the emperors against some particular person which for the most part proceeded on the Arrians behalfe and suggestion made by them had mooued them to the contrary Which being so and that the princely disposition and royall hart of our Soueraigne is behinde none of the woorthiest emperors that euer sat enthronized with imperiall crowne for a flexible milde free nature and sweete incline to mercy bountie pittie grace pardon fauour and compassion taken of her subiects be as they be may in different affections of religion aliened from her together with her magnificencie liberalitie and maiestie equalling if not before them either great Alexander or Iulius the woorthy Caesar Of which two although it were said of the former in Greece and of the latter in Rome that Alexander the Conquerour in vsing liberalitie and Iulius Caesar in pardoning of iniuries none euer equald or at least went before them yet was it spoken and so it is vnderstood of precedent ages not of future heroeces we no way yeelding in our heauiest thoughts of hart burning griefes sustained to heare our noble Elizabeth prince peregall paramount and paragon the so admired at Saba of Europes England as all the world hath woondred at her more then ordinary indowments of princely nature otherwise accounted of then as a Sance-pere giuing place to none of former present or future times persons or ages for and in all points attending at the gates of royall honor or throne of regall Maiestie That then notwithstanding all this her Highnesse worne out subiects suppliants poore afflicted catholiks in her prisons in durance dangers and distresse euery where should haue so hard a happe as not onely to be depriued of all ecclesiasticall and temporall dignities offices preferments any manner of way which yet were more tollerable as a thing they nothing lesse expect wish for or desire it being so that both clergie and laitie of the catholikes take it as a sweete chasticement and fatherly scourge sent them from God to be humbled with so heauie a downefall but also which doth grieue them most to liue in sorrow heauines and suspition had of their vnattainted loyalties in generall for some priuate offences in speciall that they of al other should feele the force of these vnaccustomed frownes which pearce those harts the deepest whose faithfull seruices haue beene deerest to their Soueraignes in their owne and their forefathers daies That not one noble will speake for them that no solace should be left them no comfort euer affoorded them no hope at all this long time giuen them of euer receiuing a glympse or glance of those accustomed gracious smyles which ordinarily do flowe in pearld streames from lions hart of truest golde gushing out at siluer lymbecks of egles eies all royall in their rarenes That this should be all catholikes heauie case her highnes a prince and second to none in maiestie mercy and magnificencie her catholike subiects seconded with as fewe for seruice submission and loyaltie and yet that they should be put from time to time to such sore trials and indure so many calamities is a sutable cause with the rest of admiration and woonder Fiftly they sometimes cast their eies aside to Turkes to Persians to all Pagan prouinces to see if they can espie any one sect profession or professors of religion tossed turmoilde and tormented as the English are and throughout all this vaste Macrocosme they finde not one patterne sampler nor example left to posteritie to bee recorded like to ours The Sophy indeede hath a long time had great and mortall wars with the Ottomane race family and successors in the Turkish tribe so hath great Mogor great Cam of Catay Presbyter Iohn and other monarches adioyning and affronting him but yet omitting the generall contention amongst the Mahumetans about the heires of Ella and the body of Mahomet there is a libertie graunted for religion to all men in a sort more tollerable then in England is to be heard of for catholiks to enioy The very Turke who hath the straitest lawes forbiddeth indeed all talke disputation or controuersie to be about religion but yet he permitteth either Christians or any other to liue quiet vnder him vsing their owne rites seruice and ceremonies for paying a certaine yeerely tribute which is not much more then catholikes pay in England euen to their naturall Prince and Soueraigne and yet cannot haue the like securitie safetie and quiet from inferior officers but still in one place or other within her Maiesties dominions they are pild and pold to the vttermost So as when all is quiet at London then are they aloft in Yorkshire and throughout the North when quiet there then vp in Wales and the marches that way And thus persecution running per circulum the lande neuer wholly at rest and quiet these things manie learned men and others haue woondred at not knowing what were the causes Sixtly sometimes those graue and reuerend prelats cast backe their eies to these our latter ages and present times wherein now we liue and to the bordering kingdomes and princes round about vs to see whether any like to these our English miseries and catholike distresses can be found And in Germany howsoeuer there be some slacknes and dislikes at their Diets and election of their Caesar yet in ciuil conuersation one with another and for life gouernment and order the emperour though a catholike findeth as great seruice and concord amongst his subiects and they againe vse and enioy all their immunities freedomes and liberties with as great content and quiet liuing in one Prouince in one citie in one towne in one streete yea and in one house sometimes together of diffrent as if they were all of one minde faith and religion In Fraunce we see what libertie of conscience wrought Did it not as well animate the Hugonites to ioyne with king Henry of the house of Valois then a catholike in shewe howsoeuer the Iesuits censure of his hart as it did of like sort the catholikes to ioyne with the now most Christian and catholike king Henry the 4. then a Protestant yea did they not sticke as sure fast to his christian Maiestie as if he had been of their owne catholike religion profession that with as great alacritie of minde in regard of his present right to that crowne and their future hopes of his conuersion to their church and faith as afterward it hapned God sweetly so disposing that he who could not by rough handling be made flexible by experience of his subiects loyaltie is
others or else deny it so you shal see in time that although our worshipfull Archpriest hath done nothing but by fahaer Garnets direction yet when his ridiculous vniust vncharitable dâ—ttyrannous proceedings shall come to the scanning father Garnet will doe the best he can to pull his necke out of the coller and master Blackwell shall be the Asse that must beare all the burden So father Parsons that holy man by his practise doth giue father Garnet a pregnant example In the most of those seditious bookes which he the said father Parsons hath published he hath either concealed his name or giuen them such names as it hath pleased him to deuise And one of his said bookes being set out by him vnder the name of master Dolman now that many exceptions are taken vnto it he good man was not the author of it his name is not Dolman and gladly he would shift and wash his hands of it but all the water betwixt this and Rome will not serue his turne so to do although by the common principle of the Iesuits he may by lying and equiuocating make a faire shew But of this enough is said before As concerning the second point I will now make it plaine vnto you that the Iesuits being charged as in the former question is set downe are not therein slaundered any way vniustly For First it is plaine that father Parsons and his company diuide it amongst them how they list haue laide a plot as being most consonant and fitting to their other designments that the common lawes of the Realme of England must be forsooth either abolished vtterly or else beare no greater sway in the Realme then now the ciuill lawe doth And the chiefe reason is for that the state of the crowne and kingdome by the common lawes is so strongly setled as whilest they continue the Iesuits see not how they can worke their wils And on the other side in the ciuill lawes they thinke they haue some shreds whereby they may patch a cloake together to couer a bloodly shew of their treasons for the present from the eies of the vulgar sort And certainly I could not choose but smile when I read this point in father Parsons booke to see how prettily this fine fingred figgeboy conueigheth his matter how the common lawyers must waite vpon the Ciuilians to beare their bookes after them and how they are to applaud to all that the doctors will auerre to be lawe vpon their bare words vnto them Secondly the said good father deeming of all men it seemeth by himselfe hath set downe a course how euery man may shake off all authoritie at their pleasures as if he woulde become a newe Anabaptist or king Iohn of Leyden to draw all the world into a mutinie rebellion or combustion And this stratageme is how the common people may be inueigled and seduced to conceit to themselues such a libertie and prerogatiue as that it may be lawfull for them when they thinke meete to place and displace kings and princes as men may doe their tenants at will hirelings or ordinarie seruants Which Anabaptisticall and abhominable doctrine proceeding from a turbulent tribe of traiterous Puritanes other heretikes this treacherous Iesuite would now foist into the catholike church as a ground of his corrupt diuinitie And sure it is strange to consider how the caitiffe handleth this point giuing aduantage thereby to all nations to reuolt from the See apostolike if any catholike prince would take holde or build vpon this absurd fellowes word or authoritie For that amongst other arguments he insisteth vpon certaine rebellious most traiterous examples how some kings in this Island haue beene dealt with As if a man should take vpon him to prooue murther lawfull bicause many examples of murther may be produced or as if this were a good argument England Scotland Ireland Denmarke Swethia many states in Germany many men in France and else where haue reiected the authoritie of the Pope his holines the See of Rome therefore Italy France Spaine other catholike countries may do the like Fourthly the said good fathers with their ringleader and muster-master father Parsons do take vpon them in the saide booke and in other treatises to deale with matters of succession and titles of the crowne as if their bare words were of higher authoritie then either Court Parliamentall Prince or Pope and bicause as it seemeth their said ringleader is a bastard himselfe it is woonderfull to see what very small account he maketh of succession by inheritance title of descent birthright or bloud Now tell me in this case A gentleman or substantiall yeoman hauing one heire and many seruants dieth were he not an asse that would affirme that the right of the saide heire should depend vpon the pleasure of his fathers seruants If they thought meet he should haue his fathers lands or otherwise they would bestow them as they thought good I am sure you would account it vniust vnnaturall indecent and ridiculous And all that this traitorous Iesuite writeth of this point is grounded vpon the like folly whilest he laboureth so giantlike in opposing himselfe against succession by inheritance to fight most impudently with all lawes nay with nature and with God himselfe Hereunto it also appertaineth how after he hath contriued the meanes as he thinketh how to depriue kings and heires from their inheritance he then taketh vpon him to appoint how others may and are to succeede in their roomes and possesse their ancient right And he proceedeth herein as grauely and substantially as he hath done in the premisses For except this may carrie a shew of a good argument fiue hundred or a thousand yeeres since the ancestors of the king of Spaine the king of Fraunce and of diuers other kings had no interest to the kingdomes which now they enioy therefore some others must be found out to be preferred to those kingdomes the good father saith nothing There is one who hath written a booke of the Bathes in England and as I remember for it is long since I saw the booke the author of it the rather to extol the first finder out of the said Bathes that therby he might prooue him to be an ancient gentleman doth set downe his petigree and neuer leaueth it I assure you vntill he come to these words which was the sonne of Seth which was the sonne of Adam It were not amisse in my poore opinion that Master Parsons should carefully seeke out for this maÌ„s kinred It is not vnlikely but that by his skil he might intitle them to very many kingdomes distributing this to one and that to another as in his omnipotentencie he should hold it most conuenient The man if he liue long will prooue mad in the end without question except you can imagine that these and such like vanities are sober conceits And yet that which he saith against the blood royall of England to aduance a pretended interest to the Infanta
our powers should take vpon vs to giue it vnto another were he neuer so good a Catholike that had no right thereto Iustinus Martyr speaking of the duety of Christians to the ciuill Magistrate in those times of Infidels and persecutors affirmeth that they prayed not onely for the Emperors themselues but also for their sonnes that they might succeede them in the Empire quod aequissimum est which saith he is most agreeable to iustice and equitie were they like to prooue as euill as their fathers there is no exceptions of it The which I rather obserue to shew my dislike of Fa. Parsons in this point who is accustomed vpon euery occasion when he is in his best moode to affirme that he careth not who it is from whence he commeth or what right he hath to the crowne of this kingdome that when the time commeth shall be able to catch it so he be a Catholike But concerning both this point and the former least it should be said that whilest I would seeme to giue a reason of that which I haue in hand I do onely shew my opinion and illustrate the same with similitudes that are of as great vncertainty as that which I propound I will confirme my opinion with the iudgement of a principall man to whom there will no great exception be taken and then that which I haue said will prooue to be an argument ab authoritate Thus he writeth Soloiure naturali diuino non priuatur aliquis Dominio in subditos propter peccatum Apostasiae in fide c. If you goe no further then to the law of nature or to the law of God no king is depriued from his soueraigntie ouer his subiects though it be for the sin of Apostacie from faith And he giueth a very sound reason for this his assertion nam fundamentum dominij non est fides c. For faith is not the ground of dominion but some other politike title hauing force by the lawe of nations of succession by inheritance or of election or of iust acquisition by iust warre Qui tituli possunt etiam manere sine fide neque vnquam extat ius aliquod diuinum quo eiusmodi tituli eneruantur propter defectionem a side which titles may remaine without faith neither is there any lawe of God whereby such titles are impeached for defection from faith 8. I know that iure ecclesiastico by the authoritie sentence of the Popes holines much more may be done then here I will speake of But yet I thinke it wil prooue in the end the best course for men not to do so much as they may Many things be lawfull which are not expedient And this Iesuiticall course of downe with princes when they offend them may peraduenture so prouoke them as they will say as fast downe with priests and of a certainty we shall haue the woorse When they finde that the titles of their kingdomes cannot be touched either by the lawe of nature or by the lawe of God do what they list it may giue them occasion to oppose themselues with greater seueritie against the See Apostolike in that the same should make such extreme lawes voluntarily against them as should tend to the thrusting of them out of their kingdomes And out of question it will be subiect if once they take this course to great iangling whether such lawes as should touch the deposing of a king are not rather to be accounted lawes ciuill and temporall then any matter or subiect fit for ecclesiasticall men or lawes to worke vpon We see already that some kings do take vpon them to deale and make lawes in causes ecclesiasticall denying his holines authority therein within their kingdomes And will it not seeme a thing much more plausible probable if other kings shall stand vpon it and say that his holines hath no interest to make any ciuill or temporall lawes that may touch their freeholds Nay if things should come to this rifling I feare they would in their heat goe further and tell his holines that for ought they finde kings haue as great authority to depose priests as priests haue to depose kings Besides it must be cōfessed that all priests Iesuits and euery other sort of clergie men the Popes holines excepted are borne subiects of kings and princes and it will be an odious assertion to say that the taking of priesthood vpon them should giue them warrant to bristle and make head against their soueraignes Furthermore it cannot be denied shift the Iesuits with all their cunning neuer so prettily but the immunities which priests haue from the temporall lawes of kings doe proceede as Saint Thomas acknowledgeth from their meere fauour and godly zeale towards them Also it is most manifest that as the kings of England haue beene most bountifull to the church and churchmen here within their dominions in so much as all the reuenewes and temporalties with many singular priuiledges which in this realme our forefathers haue enioyed haue proceeded from their most princely liberality and authority so standeth the case of the clergy in all other kingdomes which two points would be duly considered of in time For if princes should by the same meanes seeke to spoyle the church and take from it all her said immunities priuiledges and temporall possessions it will little auaile to bring in our distinctions how parliaments may giue what they list to the church and churchmen but they can take nothing either from them or from the church What the power of a parliament is in England we haue had too great experience and I suppose the states in other kingdomes haue the like And therefore in all pollicie kings and soueraigne princes are not to be ruffled with in this Iesuiticall maner That which they may pretend how in these their discourses they ayme but at some one or two doth indeed touch all kings if they incurre the displeasure of his holines Surely though I humbly acknowledge my selfe to be minimus fratrum meorum and neither arrogate to my selfe to be of such mature iudgement as many are nor will presume to take vpon me so peremptorily on the one side as Father Parsons doth on the other though vnlearnedly God wot yet I finde many great dangers that may happen to the Catholike Roman church if these violent spirits be not in time suppressed Such furious insulting ouer princes will neuer doe good They may be drawen many waies by gentle and milde proceedings with them rather then by such indiscreete and desperate courses whereby they grow to greater resistance For if the Popes holines in times past dealt so sharpely as it seemeth with Baldemarus king of Denmarke that he writ in this sort to the supreme Pastor Notum tibi facimus vitam nos habere à Deo nobilitatem à parentibus regnum à subditis fidem ab ecclesia Romana quam si nobis inuides remittimus per presentes Be it knowen vnto thee that we haue our
affliction and calamity then any of these their young maisters euer yet tasted of And last of all the fire bursting out there first though first enkindled at Rome as earst I sayd then began the like of fresh at Rome againe where it burst out into so furious and mercilesse a consuming flame for fire and water haue no mercy as sundry reuerend Priests burnt therewith haue deepely protested they would rather chuse if it were in their choise to liue captiues vnder the Turke for security of their soules then vnder the Iesuits gouernement or rather indeede captiuity the temptations suggested by them are so many dangerous intricate and difficult which way to ouercome them And so by succeeding turnes Spaine Fraunce Flanders and all England became infected with these Iesuiticall contentions and garboyles the grounds originals causes and continuance whereof were onely wholly and absolutely the Iesuits ambitious aspires fallen downe now vpon their heads to their owne destruction that were the first plotcasters of their innocent brethrens ruines THE II. ARTICLE VVHether the Seminarie Priests or the Iesuits haue giuen greater scandale by publishing of matters abroad in proiects to the worlds theater concerning these contentions before in secret at the first vnknowne to the Catholike Laity and much lesse to any Protestant or other of a contrary Religion and which side part or faction was the first beginners of spreading abroad infamous letters and libels against the opposits to their designments THE ANSWERE THe Iesuits were both the beginners of the contentions as before is shewed the fewell cariers to the seditious fire-feedings and the first brokers breathers and brochers of them abroad both to Catholikes Protestants Cleargy Laity men women children home-borne and foreyners as by sundry of their letters libels and other infamous seditious and inuectiue writings is yet extant to be seene aswell in printed bookes as in many manuscripts of maister Blackwell father Parsons Creswell Currie Gerard Martin Array Baldwin Lyster and sundry others whose false malitious and most exorbitant dealings to detect defame and vtterly exterminate the name fame and memory of the Seminarie Priests and Cleargy aswell in generall as in speciall will be brought out in deposition against them when competent iudges may be had and the cause iustly tried Nay when did euer any Priest write and much lesse commit to the impression of a pamphlet any one word against them The most part euen of those that had suffered most longest and greatest disconsolation and wrongs put vp at their hands accounted that the touch of any Catholike Priests good name was tangere pupillam oculi sui so dainty nice and precise a conscience had they to detract defame or speake euill of any man or woman yea though the reports were true And vntill all was in an vprore all Priests that sided not with the Iesuits in all things were brought into obloquie contempt and disgrace all shunned auoided and such slanderous speeches raised by the Iesuits faction against them as they knew not possibly how to liue quiet or to liue in truth at all by them Vntill then I say they winkt kept silence and let passe all their letters libels and iniurious slanders vnanswered They sayd little or nothing to those erronious and yet to the Iesuits most plausible bookes of choise of ghostly fathers They let passe that erronious speech in the Wardword to Sir Francis Hastings watchword making Iesuits Christ his equals in a way of absurd comparison and insinuating Seminarie Priests and other Catholikes to be but the Churches refuse They friendly admonished the Author of the 3. farewels of the soule giuing to the Iesuits that which no religious order would accept of or durst desire to cease from publishing such grosse errours which otherwise had gone to the presse and print as extolling the Iesuits therein to the skies aboue all possible humane deserts vnder the title of religious persons distinguished thereby from meere secular Priests as they tearme the rest but neuer did they publish anything against it They suffered with patience that long lowd lye to passe vnrecalled wherein the Cardinals and by Cardinall Caietane the Popes Holinesse was informed that the cause of sending to the Sea Apostolique to haue superiours appointed ouer the English Priests was grounded vpon great and dangerous contentions risen vp betwixt the Seminary Priests and the Catholike laity in that nation knowing in their owne conscience there was no contention mouing thereunto but betwixt the Seminarie Priests and themselues and those of their and the Spanish faction They sought not to controule that seditious false infamous booke intituled Against the factions in the Church applied directly by the Archpriest to the secular Priests and those that sided with them on the Catholike Church and their natiue countries behalfe They labored not to call in question those stained records with all falshood impiety and arrogancy on the Iesuits behalfe of the memorable acts done by their society forsooth here in England viz. how that they onely were persecuted and not the Seminary Priests how such and such and in generall all that opposed themselues against their proceedings had suffered disgrace and shame and came to miserable ends notwithstanding and they cannot deny it neither are they ignorant thereof that there be a whole browne dozen twice ouertold of glorious Martyrs all Seminary Priests all defamed by them all noted for malecontents as opposits to their proceedings These indignities calmuniations iniuries lies and irreligeous vanities with many the like vnchristian practises did they let passe and neither did neither euer would haue set hand to paper to write of these contentions betwixt them vntill their long silence condemned them all as guiltie and the Iesuits preuailed and did what they list by backbiting and writing most opprobriously against them THE III. ARTICLE WHether the Seminarie Priestes gaue any scandale or committed any sinne or incurred any danger of falling into schisme by resisting the Archpriest after the first sight or hearing of the Cardinals letters and now of late since the generall admittance of him vpon sight of the Popes Holinesse his Briâ—fe whether they incurred the like offence by writing Apologies in their owne defences or was or is it no sin scandale nor offence at all in them so to do THE ANSWERE IT neither was nor is any more sin schisme scandale nor offence in the one or the other they being in iustice charitie loyaltie and obedience for defence of Christs church and their countrie bound to both then for a guiltlesse man condemned to say you do me wrong or for an appellant against a knowne Rebell in act word or thought conuinced by demonstration vel à priori vel à posteriori i. either of the cause or of the effect to haue intent to say thou art a traitor For who of common sense would not haue bene touched with scruple if but hearing of a plaine simple man vnexperienced either in the Church or his countries affaires as liuing
priuate euer since he came Priest into England and thereby vnacquainted how to manage a matter of such importance as his authoritie in shew extended vnto and that throughout a whole nation nay throughout two mightie kingdomes yea and ouer a gallant troupe of as graue sages and as fine a breed of wits as the world this day enioyes to be aduanced vpon the sudden to a higher authoritie then euer was granted to any within this Isle without all desert as no way eminent but obscure vnlesse it were for libelling against his brethren without all notice giuen or knowledge taken of any such man matter or manner of proceeding vnlesse it were perchaunce suggested by one sole man Maister Standish by name a Iesuits broker factor and follower without all markes signes and tokens of iudiciall Canonicall or sincere dealing without all relation insinuation or least shew of and to the intent of those to whom the election onely absolutely and of due right belonged without all cognisance hierogliphie or ensigne of Catholike institution christianitie or humanitie the whole summe of his authoritie consisting in very deed of no materiall point but additions of affliction to affliction in ordaining an ignorant man to be flagellum Dei ouer his brethren castigando flagellando like blind Longius that pierced our Sauiors side by others appointment directing his hand to that tender tersacred and euer blessed heart and yet he knew it not who I say hearing of such an extrauagant irregulate exorbitant and absurd authoritie to tyrannize ouer the alreadie tormented and that by their suggestion procurement and foisting in perforce who had discouered themselues a little before to be the rockes of scandale to Priesthood and shelues of sinke-downe to all princely regalitie as hereafter shall be proued ayming at no lower marke then the highest dignities on earth who would not haue suspected resisted yea and more readily roughly and roundly then hitherto the secular Priests did haue deciphered both the Iesuits and their Archpriest for how should we call him ours we hauing no part in him vnlesse a tast and touch of his headie indiscreet and euill packt-vp sententious censures by their designements flung out against vs vpon the first blast of his authority wafted ouer the sea and ere euer the poore silly man had warmed himselfe in his vaine glorie bay And againe although they knew his authoritie was gotten to be confirmed vtcunque from his Holinesse by many false suggestions shamelesse cogs and impious forgeries yet putting vp all matters letting by pasts passe for bypasts aswell for their maruellous audacious and passing all euer before heard of impudencie insolencie and banded out boldnesse in threats slaunders and exclamations for not present acceptance of their new found out authoritie vpon the bare sight of the Cardinals letters euen with as ful affiance and repose put in them as if Oracles had come downe from heauen as also for the manifest wrong offered to our brethren two reuerend learned and auncient Seminarie Priests Doctor Bishop and Maister Charnocke Batcheler in Diuinitie cast into prison dispoiled or fitlier said most cruelly vnnaturally and inhumanely robbed of all they had that could by malice of man be taken from them of purpose to stop their passage to his Holinesse and to terrifie all others from euer daring to make towards the Mother citie to complaine of their tyrannie though know they this and if their faces will not blush yet let their eares burne to heare it that accesse and audience we will haue maugre the diuels deceits and their slie deuises or it shall cost vs all our liues one after another notwithstanding all the premises with a full halfe score of reasons besides added by me in another place to proue that the Priests might haue chosen whether euer they wold haue admitted of such a violent intruded authoritie or not yet they in all humble dutifull and obedient wise with filiall submission embracing the Breue from his Holinesse when it came which was many moneths after the first cogge of that dye for the cast at all our ouerthrowes and vtter subuersion of our countrey if then and thereupon all libels had surceased for yet was nothing written against them on our part but either a sad silence or a charitable intreatie to cease of their detraction and their tampering in State affaires lien dead nay if the secular Priests could but haue liued quietly by them they would neuer haue set hand to paper against them as in the former article is declared But the forepast iniuries and still of fresh inculcated ignominies calumniations and slaunders raised vrged and laid on by them being so grieuous many and importable to flesh and bloud without Gods speciall grace as earth would burst and cloudes would breake and seas would toare in cries out against them if men kept silence our present age will and all posterity may account it to be one of the worlds wonders that the Iesuits being men holden of all but especially in their owne ouer-weend conceit to be sance peres of the Christian globe for pregnancie of wit pollicie in gouernment and pietie in intention how euer they should so farre haue ouershot themselues that bestriding the horse and hauing the bridle reines and all in their owne hand to leade the Priests and all other Catholikes which way they list they should be throwne downe from their loftie mount out of saddle seate and all by casting out libels of schisme against sounder Catholikes more learned Diuines and deuouter Priests if externall signes were iudges then any punie Father amongst them which will breed their bane ere all be ended But it was no doubt Gods iust iudgements so to haue it thereby to stirre vp the secular and Seminarie Priests to write Apologies in their iust defence yea and by occasion therof to take in hand the defence of the Catholike church and their natiue countrey nay of all ecclesiastical and temporall States against them And therefore to proue it was but a Seians iade they rode vpon for such is the nature of ambition in greedy affectation of Soueraigntie as it both makes wise men fooles in their drunken conceits and strikes them dead with their owne weapon but not Achilles his launce to hurt and heale at a stroke as most infortunate when they thinke they are most secure it were expresly against the law of God of nature and of man for the Priests not to breake off silence and send foorth Apologies Pamphlets and all kind of Quodlibets in defence of the premises otherwise all the world would condemne them as guiltie And therefore of necessitie honour credit fame and report being as deare as life and he holden for worse then an infidell by diuine Oracle that is carelesse of his neighbours much more of his owne good name the secular Priests were bound to do all that they haue done and no sinne vnlesse their too too long silence which set the Iesuites on cockehorse at vnawares to