some places as in theyr County of Tâ—roll effected But in Austria it selfe not so wherein the number of Protestants exceeds and is fearefull to theyr opposites though the exercise of the Reformed religion is there no where allowed and in some chiefe Cities as Uienna wholly restrained But the most part of the Country-people are of it so are halfe the Nobilitie The Duke of Cleves a third Prince affected the same way hath shewed himselfe a little more moderate than some other so advised by neighbourhood The Free-Cities which are of very great number and strength haue all saue some very few enfreed them selues from the Pope eyther in whole or in theyr greater part And thus stands the State of the Empire for that poinâ—t conteyning in it a very huge Circuit of Territorie full of mightie Princes and well-fortified Cities that if it were more strictly united under one Monarch and not so rent into factions with diversitie of Religions breeding endlesse jealousies hartburnings and hatreds it needed no other help to affront the great-Turke and to repulse all his forces â—â— the securitie of Christendome But â—…s so unaequall proportion of adhaerents to the Papacie two things there are which giue them hope of better if prosperous successe shall second theyr well contrived projects The one is the creating of the Emperours alwayes of theyr partie whereof they assure them selues by these considerations First there is no House in Germanie at this day of such greatnesse as is requisit to with-stand the Turke in his encroachments the House of Austria set aside who by their alliance or rather meere entirenesse with Spain and by sundry electiue Kingdomes which runne necessarily upon them shall be alwayes able to make head against any power in the world and by their owne state confining so immediatly with the Turks shal be necessarily enforced laying other thoughts aside to employ the utmost drop of their bloud to keepe off Next whensoever the matter groweth to election of a new Emperour they shall alwayes haue the casting Voyce with them or rather in them having entangled the States of Bohemia in such bonds and promises besides there is no other to make good choise of that they accompt of this Kingdome as of a State halfe haereditarie And lastly theyr late policie now strengthened by usage of declaring a King of Romans in the Emperours life-life-time whilst his presence and power may govern the action assures them that it shall always passe with them roundly and quietly The other ground of theyr hope is the division of the Protestants into theyr factions of Lutherans and Calvinists as they stile them wherein the Ministers on each side haue so bestirred themselues that the cole which a wise man with a little moisture of his mouth would soone haue quenched they with the wind of theyrs haue contrariwise so enflamed that it threatneth a great ruine and calamitie to both sides And though the Princes and heads of the weaker side in those parts both Paltsgraue and Lantsgraue haue with great judgement and wisedome to asslake those flames imposed silence in that poinct to the Ministers of theyr partie hoping the charitie and discretion of the other sort would haue done the like yet falls it out otherwise both the Lutheran Preachers rage as bitterly against them in theyr Pulpits as euer theyr Princes and people haue them in as great detestation not forbearing to professe openly they will returne to the Papacie rather than ever admit that Sacramentarie and Predestionarie pestilence for these two poincts are the ground of the quarrell and the latter more scandalous at this day than the former And some one of theyr Princes namely the Administratour of Sâ—xonie is strongly miâ—doubted to practise with the Emperour for the joyning the Catholike and Lutheran forces in one and by warre to roote out and extinguish the Calvinists the plausiblest motion to the Emperour that ever could happen Neither is there any great doubt but if any stay or agreement could bee taken with the Turke all Germany were in daunger to bee in uprore within it selfe by intestine dissention Howbeit all the Lutherans are not earied with this sterne humour but they onely which are called the Lutherani rigidi the greater part perhaps which are the molles Lutherani are quiet enough neyther accompt otherwise of Calvinists than of erâ—ing brethren whom the Râ—gâ—di haue as is said partly threaten to excommunicate as Schismatikes and Haeretikes To this lamentable extremitie hath the headinesse of theyr Ministers on both sides brought it while in the peremptorinesse of theyr poore learning they cannot endure any supposed error in their brethren whereof themselues even the best of them perhaps if they were sifted would bee found to bee full enough such take I to be the condition of all men in this world and in theyr ignorance of all actions saue of theyr Schooles and Bookes make more accompâ— of some emptie ill-shaped â—yllogisme than of the peace of the Church and happinesse of the world the â—nd whereof will bee that theyr enemies shall laugh when themselues shall haue cause to weepe unlesse the graciousnesse of God stirre up some worthy Pâ—inces of renowâ—e and reputation with both the sides to inâ—erpose theyr wâ—sdome industrie and authoritie for the uniting these factions or at leastwise for reconciling and composing those differences in some tollerable sort a worke of immortall fame and desert and worthy of â—one but them of whom this wicked base world is not worthy But hereof I shall haue occasion to speake in his due place For this place it sufficeth that these iâ—trincicall quarrels are that which maketh theyr common enemies hold up tâ—eyr heads which quickneth theyr hopes to see the blades of these Reformers drawne one against another that them selues beeing called in to the beating downe of the one part may afterward in good time assaile also the other in the meane season planting in all places theyr Colleges of Iesuites as the onely corrosiue medicine to fret out theyr adversaries Now on the other partie the hopes are also not few besides theyr over-topping them so much in multitude and power First the Germane bearing a naturall stiffe hate to the Italian for his winding and subtill wit which despiseth and would raâ—sacke him but that hee opposeth a proud stoutnesse and intractible obstinacie which serueth alwayes as a wall of defence to simplicitie will hardly what tempering soever the Princes make be brought ever in heart to re-affect the Papacie whose sleights and devises they are thoroughly acquainted with and haue in more detestation than any Nation whatsoever And for theyr owne inward dissâ—…ions it is to bee hoped that though no course were taken to compound them yet never will they bee so mad as to decide them by a generall open warre on both sides having Turke Pope and Emperour to joyne them in friendship For although the contentions of brethren bee â—itterâ—st yet a common strong enemie alwayes makes them friends
veines of their owne bodies And that no man may deceine himselfe with that errour that in these professours of peace there is no humor of war that minds wholly possest with sweet contemplation can embrace no thoughts of so bloudie resolution let him view but a little into the late French troubles hee shall find that the militarie Companies of the Leaguers were often times euen stuffed with Priests and Fryers tall men and resolute Hee shall find that of these people there haue served what in Field what in Garrison at one time suffcient to haue made a great Armie of themselues onely Hee shall finde that at Orleans a Capuchine being expresly sent to that purpose by his Prior went up and down the streets with a great wooden Crosse crying Comeforth good Christian destroy the enemies of the Crosse of thy Saviour and therewith put to the Sword at sundry times six-score of the Religion till hee left none remaining Lastly he may understand if hee please that very lately in Paris some of them in their Sermons haue incited not obscurely to a new Massacre complaining that the bodie of this Realme is sorely diseased beeing over-charged with corrupt humours as not having bene let bloud these fiue and twentie yeeres as it ought To conclude I conceiue this force of Friers to bee so great what in regard of their very multitude what by reason of their deadly rage against their opposites that it would be hard for any State to bring in the Reformed Religion without discharging it selfe first of this difficultie and burthen In Germanie the first reformers of Religion in this age were Friers them selues who being men of great mark and reckoning amongst theyr owne drew theyr Convents and other troups of theyr orders with them and thereby set the rest in such an amazement and stand that the Pope grew in a general great jealousie of them all as doubting their universall revolt from his obedience In England they were with great policie and practise dissolved before any innovation in Religion was mentioned whereas to haue done both together had bene perhaps impossible but first cleane preventing them of pretence of Religion and after finding their religion cleane stripped of that succour both they were quietly ruined and of this more quietly reformed In Fraunce this King upon that out rage against his person smoked the Iesuits out of theyr nests in most parts of his Kingdome If hee had done the like also at the same time to the Dominicans a most potent and flourishing order in Spaine aboue all other in revenge of the murther of the King his predecssour or if hee would and could do it now to them and to the Capuchins who at this day next the Iesuites are of greatest renowme in punishment of these last practises so fortunatly discovered and so chastise the schooles also when he tooke theyr schollars in so enormous faults there were great hope for the Reformed Religion in time to prevaile which is now so prejudiced and persecuted by these Friers that hardly can it keep foot on the ground it hath Thus much of the strength which these religious Orders doe yield to the Papacie Whereto I must add the like invention of Spirituall fraternities and Companies perhaps equalling yea exceeding in number the orders of Friers in which under the protection and in honour of some Sainct or of any other holy name or religious mysterie and often times annexing them selues to some of the orders of Friers the lay people of all sorts both men and women both single and maried do enroll them selues into one or more of these Societies approaching so much neerer to the state of the Clergie unto which sundry of them are no other than meere appurtenances Whereby as they tie themselues to the Orders of them consisting in certeine extrordinarie devotions and processions bearing also at certeine times some badge of theyr Company so are they made partakers of all such spirituall praerogatiues whether partnership in the Churches meritts or interest in sundry Indulgences some halfe plenarie some whole some for the time past some before-hand for sundry yeeres to come and chiefly the avoyding or speedy dispatch out of Purgatorie as the Pope and his antecessours for the encouragement and comfort of Christian people in theyr devotion haue thought good in theyr Charitie to graunt unto them These Fraternities are not yet growne into any great request in other places Howbeit in Italy they haue so multiplied that few especially of the vulgar and middle sort of men who either are or affect any reputation of devotion but haue entred into some one of them and sundry into many The assurance of whom to the Papacie must needs be doubled sith loue groweth according to the proportion of hope Now come I to the last ranke of Romane Policies arraigned against their professed and feared Enemies by vertue whereof they both seeke to re-enter where they haue in this latter Age beene disseised and practise as well for the wasting away of their opposites where they are as for the shutting of them and their doctrine out where yet they haue not beene I will not heere enlarge uppon things manifest and ordinarie being high wayes so plaine that a guide were needlesse Their persecutions their confiscations their tortures their burnings their secret murthers their generall massacres theyr exciting of inward sedition and outward hostilitie against theyr adversaries theyr oppressing and abasing them where them selues are the stronger are things whereof they were none of the inventours though perhaps the commendation of exact refining them of straining them to their highest note of sedulitie and perseverance in putting them in execution may bee more due and proper unto them than any other Neither yet will I meddle greatly with theyr art of sclaundering theyr opposites of disgracing theyr persons misreporting theyr actions falsifying theyr doctrine and positions things wherewith theyr Pulpits doe daily sound and theyr writings swell againe But they are not the first neyther that haue runne this blacke course no more than the former red other haue done it before them yea the buying of mens consciences by proposing reward to such as shall relinquish the Protestants Religion and turne to theyrs as in Auspurgh where they say there is a knowne price for it of ten Florens a yeare in Fraunce where the Clergie haue made contributions for the mainteinance of renegate Ministers past and to come is a devise also not fresh and of casie conceipt I will rather insist upon theyr inventions lesse triviall and more worthie to bee marked A wonderfull thing it is to consider the great diversitie of humours or tempers of mind shall I terme them which this age hath produced in this one poinct wee speake of touching the meanes of growing onward upon the adversarie part A sort of men there liues in the world at this day whose leaders whether upon extremitie of hatred of the Church of Rome or partly also upon some spice of
the end be constrained to cast himselfe into their armes and to remaine at their devotion acknowledging him thenceforth for his good Lord and Patron whom heretofore he hath governed and comman ded as his sonne A poinct which as some of the ministers of Spaine in the huffe of their pride haue not bene able to hold in but haue braved the assembly of Cardinals to their beards that they hoped ere long to see the day that their M r. should tender halfe a douzen to the Pope to bee made Cardinalls at once whereof he should not dare to refuse any one and that the Cardinalls them selues should as little dare to choose any other Pope than whom he named so their importunat pressing of the Popes in these latter times to serue all their ambitious and raging turnes and the long praejudicing of the libertie of the Conclaue in their elections hath given them good assurance that they speake as they meane that their braggs are hopes and these threats are purposes But howsoever the great jealousie and feare whereof as being not now to learne the Spanish hautinesse and insolence who in the pride of their Monarchie are growne also to sweare by the life of their King haue extremely perplexed some of the later Popes and driven them to very extraordinary and desperate resolutions which they haue paid for dearly and in generall haue made it enacted for a rule in that sea not so much to seeke the repairing of their forrein spirituall authoritie if it cannot be done but by meanes of so huge inconvenience as to strengthen and make themselues great in their temporall estate at home Yet now seeing France beyond all hope of man reuinited in it selfe and likely to flourish as in its former prosperitie whereby they shall be able so to balance these Monarchs as to make that part the heavier to which they shall propend an auncient rule and continuail practise of that sea I should not greatly doubt but that they will bee content againe henceforward so long as matters stand in termes they do to enterteine that good correspondence with the House of Austria as to serue them with their Excommunications that they may bee served by them with their Executions The sweetnesse whereof as the Spaniard hath long since tasted in effect having seized on Navarre by that onely pretence and of later times in high conceipt and hope trusting to haue embraced both France and England by the same meanes so doubt â— not but that other braunch of the House of Austria in Germanie which hath engrossed and in a manner entailed to their house so many electiue States the Empire the Kingdomes of Bohemia with his dependances and of Hungarie and are likely also to draw in the Princedome of Transilvania whensoever they should attaine quiet and securitie from the Turke which hath no great unlikelihood to bee compassed in short time would take the same course against the Protestants of Germanie having so many Praelates and other there to assist them who by rooting out the Protestants out of all their States haue prepared a good ground for such a future exploit Howsoever the Pope himselfe doe yet forbeare his thunders having learned by his losse elsewhere that it argueth in these actions more courage than wit to make a noise ere the blow be ready Now as these are the hopes of the House of Austria for the enlarging of their estate and molesting of their neighbours so for the enterteining of perpetuall unitie and loue amongst themselues they use the graund praeservatiue and helpe of marriage the onely sure bond of amitie in the world in so much that by continuall intermarying among themselues they remaine still as brethren all of one family and as armes of the selfe-same body These take I to be the meanes whereby the Papacie hath assured so many of the greatest unto it To descend from which to those that are next them in degree the Nobilitie and other persons of worth and qualitie the Papacie is not disprovided of his instruments to worke upon these also it hath his baits to allure them his hookes to retaine them I will not stand much upon the benifit which their Confession doth herein yield them whereby purging into the hearts and consciences of all men they attaine knowledge of the secrets they â—ound the dispositions they discover the humours of all the most respectiue and able persons of what Conâ—try or calling place or qualitie soever A matter of singular consideration in the menaging of affaires of principall importance for the well-guiding of Counells the ignorance thereof being cause of error in the wisest deliberations and of uneerâ—eine successe in the most grounded resolutions To omit the great wealth which they heape thereby perswading their penitents especially in that only houre of agony and extremitie to ransome their sinnes committed against God by consecrating their Goods unto the Church of God whereby they haue prevailed in all places so farre the Iesuits aboue all other who are noted and envied by other order of Friers for engrossing the commoditie of being rich mens Confessours where good is to be done with whom their pranks in that kind haue beene so rare and memorable that most states at this day haue bene forced by publike order to limit the proportion of that kind of purchase For in that case they can easily extenuate those other helps of Indulgences and of Requiems at their priviledged Altars and yet without touch of the Popes Omnipotencie They compt them but simple folke that cannot use their severall devises without crossing one the other how contrarie soever They can tell them that it may be for want of contrition in themselues those soveraigne pardons wanted a fit subject to worke on and so for the other after helpe the want of intention in the Priest may frustrate the Masse of that praeâ—ogatiue of vertue whereby their soules may perhaps fry in Purgatory when their friends shall imagine they shine in glorie That the onely sure way of having good is by doing good and what good to be done at death but the bestowing well of his goods and where better bestowing them than upon him that gaue them and to God they are given when they are given to his Ministers Neither yet will I other than mention onely the help which the choise of their Cardinals doth yield herein whom choosing in great part out of the most noble and potent families that either voluntarily desire it or can be induced to accept it they both giue good satisfaction to all forrein Nations but especially hold Italy to them in deepe devotion and strengthen them selues with the favour and support of those mens kinreds whom they haue placed in the next step to the top of their glorie Yea and often times by means of these Cardinalls their assured instruments they insinuate them selues into the swaying of the government of those States wherein eyther by their Nobilitie or other worth they beare authoritie A policie of
the other which also will begin to disclose them selues dayly those things beeing now settled in reasonable good sort which haue hitherto beene but in motion Secondly they are not all Papists that hold with the Masse But the Catholikes are here divided into as different opinions and in as principall matters of theyr Religion as they esteeme them as the Protestants in any place that ever I heard of although theyr discretion and moderation is such as not to interrupt the common Concord with private opinionatiuenesse The ground of which disagreement in opinion as I take it is the auncient diversitie betweene the Romane Church and the Gallicane which as in many of theyr Ceremonies it differs much from the Romane as to omit sundry other in the Priests Lotions at Masse and in theyr walking hymns at solemne Matins and Uespers and in some of them rather runs with the usage of the Greeke Church as in theyr Holy-bread on Sondayes for them that doe not communicate so also in the very head-poinct of theyr Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie it holdeth the Generall Councell to bee aboue the Pope which opinion is at this day very current and strong even among such Catholikes as favour the Papacie Which I reckon for the first difference touching the State of theyr Church which calleth into question in whom the very soveraigntie and supremacie thereof is placed An other sort are there which hold theyr Church for the true Church although they acknowledge sundry errours and abuses of lesse importance both in doctrine and practise but for the Pope they hold resolutely that hee is that Antichrist which sitting in the Temple that is in the true Church of God for even by his very being Antichrist some proue they are the true Church doth advance himselfe aboue God as they thinke apparent by dispensing with the Law of God by merchandizing of soules in his purgatory pardons releasing them in an other world whom divine sentence hath bound as also by his indulgences for sinnes in this world and not least of all by his arrogating the not possibilitie of erring being a sacred propertie peculiar unto God and not communicated but onely at times to his extraordinarie Prophets as all Churches in the world besides the Romane acknowledge This sect spreads farre and as them selues will say of the learned sort three parts of â—oure consent in this opinion And they which are most devoted to the Pope and in that respect doe hate this crew aboue all other confesse that the Lawyers are greatly infected with it in which regard they also tearme these as in way of disgrace the Parliament Catholikes These opinions thus prevayling amongst the Catholikes of Fraunce it is not to bee merveiled that the Realme was so ready upon the Popes refusall to reblesse the King upon his sodain reconversion to withdraw them selues utterly from the obedience of his sea and to erect a new Patriarch over all the French Church the now Archbishop of Burges who was ready to accept it and but that the Pope in feare thereof upon a second deliberation did hasten his Benediction it had beene effected to his utter disgrace and decay as the very proffer and probabilitie of it will always hold him in awe and in good temper of cariage towards this wavering Kingdom and content to beare indifferent sway with them in any thing As on the contrarie side his great doubt of the French unsoundnesse to him at the heart will cause him the lesse to favor any of their footings in Italy Now these men though they dislike also of the Reformed Religion as having brought in an extreame innovation of all things in steed of a moderate reformation of what was justly blameable yet will carrie them selues alwayes of likelyhood in an indifferent neutralitie rather than by extinguishing the one extreame to over-strengthen the other A third part of this side wee may make the Royalists who asmuch as they dislike the attempts of the Protestants in alteration of Religion so much and more doe they hate those mischievous courses taken against them by theyr adversaries which haue threatned so neere a ruine to the whole state of the Kingdome that it may seeme halfe a miracle that it hath ever recovered being so long a time at the very poinct either of shivering in pieces as hath happ'ned heretofore to other Countries in like case or of rendring it selfe into the seruitude of the hatefull name of theyr neighbours This part having by experience learned the wisdome to know that the quarrell of Religion is but the cloke of ambition for the great ones at this day that many traiterous intents passe under Catholike pretences that the Protestant will be alwayes a sure enemie to the Spaniard and to all his Favorites partizans and pensionaries that whilst he may be suffered to enjoy libertie of Conscience without any disabling or disgrace in the State he will be in all occasions ready to serue the King to his utmost and forward by deserts to maintein his favour that it is no so easie a matter to extirpate them as some think having taken so deepe root in the Realme as they haue besides the favour of great Princes their neighbours abroad who are engaged and embarked in the very same cause and that although it were to be wished for the happinesse of the Kingdome which during this diversitie and dissention in Religion shall breed greater securitie to their neighbours than to themselues that if it were possible some course were taken for a finall reuniting of all in one profession yet this being not to be hoped for in this exasperation of minds on both sides must be commended to time which works out many things to occasion which effects even wonders on a sodaine and finally to some generall good way to be undertaken by the joynt consent of wise and worthy Princes for effecting like unitie over all Christendome if it may be In these considerations this part which with his appurtenances is now the greatest will never advise the King to become head of a partie againe so long as hee may be absolute commaunder of the whole having found that siding course in such strength of both parts to be a false ground and ruinous to them that take it To these may be annexed those morall men as they call them who thinke not these diversities of opinions of any such moment as that they ought to dis-joyne them who in the loue of God in the beliefe of the fundamentall Articles of Christian Faith in integritie of life and honestie of conversation which are the greatest bonds remaine united much lesse that they ought to enrage mens minds so farre as to cause them to take armes to decide the quarrell which are not those instruments wherwith either error should be razed or truth proved or Religion planted And finally to this partie may be added all those who affect a quiet world and peace aboue glorious troubles which is the desire of those lightly who in