Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
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A00650
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Pluto his trauailes, or, The Diuels pilgrimage to the Colledge of Iesuites. Lately discouered by an English gentleman
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Fennor, William.
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1612
(1612)
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STC 10785; ESTC S105565
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16,911
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32
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Pluto his Trauailes OR The Diuels Pilgrimage to the Colledge of Iesuites Lately discouered by an English Gentleman LONDON Printed by N. O. for Ioseph Hunt and are to be 〈…〉 To the High and Mighty Prince Prince Henry by the grace of God Prince of great Brittaine and Heire apparant to the Imperiall Diadems of England Scotland Fraunce and Ireland EXCELLENT and most vertuous Prince my blushing boldnesse asketh forgiuenesse for presuming the presentation of these ill tasting lines to the Princely view of your high excellency There are three especiall reasons that moued me to this rashnes The first in regard I haue writ to diuers Princes in Germany the Netherlands in a borrowed Language and haue tasted the fruites of their gratious fauours And therefore my hopes can be no lesse here in my natiue Countrey vsing my mother tongue Secondly I haue beene a Souldier and write the truth in a plaine simple stile which my owne eyes haue beene witnesse of and mybest courage shall affirme Thirdly to shewe some part of my duty to my Prince and Countrey whose loues may commaund the best imployment of my life for both their safeties I hope your most gratious acceptance of this simple trueth will rather incourage then discomfort him that had rather beare the rigor of his enemy then the discontent of his friend Thus mighty Prince with my best wishes of earthly ioyes and Heauenly felicity I continue your high borne Excellencies vnworthiest Souldier whilst I haue life WILLIAM FENNER To the Capable not Captious Readers health I Haue to thy eye courteous Reader set forth a direct course that is at this day vsed in their diuelish Pilgrimage I rest assured some will much distast me but for their dislikes I passe not in regard they are fauorites of this detested Society heere discouered Yet thus much I le speake for my selfe if the cunningest Equiuocator of them all should accuse me of vntruth in th◠least I stand ready to cram the lye downe their malitious throats for I protest I write no heeresaies or old wiues reports but that my selfe hath seene and proued to my griefe contrarywise my hopes are these First many reformed Christians here in England haue trauelled these parts and seene the most of what I haue reported and will reioyce at the discouery Secondly many that haue not seene them haue heard of many of them and I doubt not but will be ready to beleeue and allow of it And though herein be some particulars which carry a shew of immodesty yet chast eares beare with them I intreat you in regard of their trueth for indeed they were more vnciuilly acted then I haue to the worlds vulgar eare reported I doubt not but many will reape content from my labour and I hope the Learned will wink at small faults as for the obstinate and Ignorant I haue dispenst with their censures before-hand Thus expecting an vniuersall curtesie I leaue my labour to your loues cōmend my selfe to your well wishing thoughts Your Friend W. F. Pluto his Trauailes or the Diuels Pilgrimage to the Colledge of Iesuits BEFORE Wee shew the Iesuites bald Crowne or discouer his plottes it will fal necessary that we let you vnderstand this perilous Pilgrimage of the Diuell nay rather to the Diuell And for the better proceeding of the Writer and larger vnderstanding of the Reader I haue diuided this Iourney into fiue parts purposing to speake particularly of them in their seuerall places The points are these viz. The Pilgrimage secondly the Pilgrime thirdly the Saint whereto they trauell fourthly the things they offer fifthly and lastly the fruites of their Iourney The word Pilgrimage signifieth a iourney of penance or rather a kinde of banishment for a certaine space Indeed it is a fearefull banishment not for a certaine space but without repentance an euerlasting excluding of the Soule from grate And of this word there be thrée kinds spoken by a figure The first is the life of man vpon Earth or the time of his life compared to a Pilgrimage The second is a iourney into a farre country And the third is that of which we now spake a perseuering in blinde superstition by which we make with euery step that we tread a fearefull Pilgrimage towards the Diuell But vnderstand me it is not the vse of the word that makes it odious before God and good Christians But the vse and abuse of the matter meant by the word as for example The Conquerour of Sinne Death and Hell trauelled his Pilgrimage in meane estate he had not his Chariot drawn with foure or sixe Palfreys rarely trapped three or foure Lackies running by whilst he sate brisling in the company of beautifull Ladies in a Ueluet Seate to sport at the poore panting Boyes he was not attended with such obseruance in his Pilgrimage But contrary wise he trauelled on foote and the best Beast that euer he mounted was a silly Asse At this glorious last Supper he sate not alone feeding like a Churle whilst his twelue Apostles waited at the Table but like a kinde Lord and Maister caused them to keepe him company Me thinkes the vse of his humble Pilgrimage is of force sufficient to reprooue a number of our Epieures in this age that are so gréedy they will scarce keepe men to waile vpon them but where they trauell in their Pilgrimage they trouble the whole house with attending them and no Countrey in the world so vild for that as Italy and France England cannot altogether excuse her selfe of this culpable guilt the excéeding many vanities that are vsed in this superstitious Pilgrimage last spoke of were much labour to write and it would prooue tedious for you to reade therefore passing ouer many we will onely touch a few that are now in vse in Flaunders and Brabant our neighbour Countries as it were And I feare me too many here in England knew thē too well before they read them But to our purpose There are two great and especiall Pilgrimages in the Countrey of Brabant the one is to our Ladie of Seerpenhowell the other is to S. Sceruias at Mastrike which is a Cittie scituated vpon the famous Riuer the Mase and borders on the Land of Luke which Country is gouerned by a Bishop Their Pilgrimage to our Lady of Scerpenhowell is in this manner The place where the Chappell stands was a thicke wood where they affirme many robberies haue been done to the great indamaging of Passengers It Chaunced vpon a night about the yere of our Lord 1597. A flocke of Sheepe belonging to a Farmer of a little Towne not farre off were strayed from their accustomed walks to the place where now the Chappell stands the Sheepheard missing them told his Maister who presently tooke one way and the Shepheard the other to looke the strayed flocke but it was the Sheepheards chance to light on this place where all his Sheep sate round about a great Oake The Shepheard assayed to driue them
long iourney hath not wearied thee goe on a little further and thou shalt see my honest simple skill in vnmasking the Iesuits plots let thy heart be as free from enuy as my pen which shall put downe nothing but truth and what I haue seene and dare affirme by oath were it to their téethes Therefore I hope none will taxe mee of malice for I had rather be conuicted of simple plainenesse hauing truth on my side then commended for an artificiall writing where the truth is wronged by false suggestions But leauing all to thy kind considerations I am purposed to go forward with my vnlearned stile relating their learned approued practises Heere endeth the Diuels Pilgrimage and here beginneth the bare-headed Iesuits THere are diuers Orders in the Romish religion as namely the Benedicts the Dominictes the Franciscans the Augustines the Carthusians the Carmelites the Capucines and lastly the Iesuits of whom wee purpose to speake In Latine they are called societatis Iesu in Dutch Iesuiter which signifieth Iesus fellowes or at least the fellowship of Iesus This Sect is but of small continuance or but of yong growth yet neuer Sect in the world hath flourisht so for the time for in them the Diuell shewes himselfe to bee a true Politician and they as his faithfull instruments spread his pollicy through the greatest part of Europa In Louaine a Citty in Brabant eight leagues distant from Antwerpe is crected a Colledge at the King of Spaines charges for English Iesuits wherin at this present inhabits father Taubut which is the Superiour father Ioseph father Kempe father Anthony father Minister many more besides punies nouicies They haue their Colledge allowed them for these purposes First to reconcile or conuert any of their countrimen that happen into their hands Secondly to disguise themselues and like Gentlemen to come into England and pry into Court and Counsels to know the state of the land and Church to transport their news to the Pope their Spanish Lord. For these two purposes they are maintained but wee 'l come a little nearer If a Gentleman chance to goe ouer their cinque port descries him presently then with letters they inuite him thither where they so worke him that hee shall hardly escape the snares and baits are laid to entangle him when hee is caught they bring him to confession where they know his quantity of substance and quality of minde which beeing knowne they shriue and ease him of his substance if hee bee learned they accept of him in their society otherwise send him to the Carthusians in Mackelyn or else to Saint Omers in Flanders or to Rome to make him the fitter for their purpose This is their vsage to Gentlemen If a poore man come to them they accept him willingly and examine him concerning his conscience if they finde him not currant they admonish him shewing him bookes of instruction in the principles of religion if this catch him not they allure him with promises not onely of a heauenly crowne but of some earthly crownes the needy snake cannot chuse but nibble at this charitable baite and rather then faile they will then venture a crowne or two and with comfortable workes tell him that if he continue he shall not want and to the furthering of this comfort they giue him letters of attestation where and when he was conuerted from a loathed heriticke to a godly and blessed Catholique then dismissing him the house they tell him it is no shame to begge and bid him be bold Thus he that could liue in his owne country by his honest labour is conuerted or rather by them peruerted to an impudent and shamelesse beggar this is one of their priuy pollicies to shadow their detested couetousnesse for if they bestow an Angell of a beggar they begge a brace of hundreds from a gallant thus they buy and sell their conscience but they will be sure to gaine by the bargaine This abhominable sect is luld in the lap and snuggles in the breasts of the seuen deadly sinnes as they call them yet they haue artificiall maskes to shadow all from the vulgar eys of the world Their pride is couered with humility as appeares by their plaine habit and courteous speeches yet their hearts heape vp ambitious thoughts here may be a question asked how I know the heart I will resolue you I haue seene them in their Gentlemanlike suits swagger in more proud fashion then a Spaniard secondly I haue obserued pride in their speeches for they haue a kind of puryfied speech exceeding al mens in their owne thoughts Héere I must compare them to many of our hypocriticall professors in England which take more care of their words then their deedes I haue noted them to scorne all others that seemed any way to distaste their Sect and as I take it these are true notes of pride for rouetousnesse they couer it with a shew of pouerty for they alwaies professe themselues poore protesting if they had it no man should want it when as indeed they will haue it though all others should want it You shall hears the proofe of this hereafter when I speake of their banishment out of Venice their enuy is coloured with a shew of desire to make the world wise with their learning and indeed they do grudge that any wisedome or learning breathes out of their Colledges they hate all good workes that are not made by Iesuites they cloake wrath with méeknesse and in outward shew are very gentle and milde but their hearts more feirce then Lyons It is not vnknowne to many what Péeres and Princes their wrath hath brought to vntimely ends and yet these tyrants thirst in their soules for more royall bloud to quench their feirce wrath But he is aboue that preuents their desires and destroyes their daily plots Their sloath is hidden from the eye of any but God and themselues and I thinke in this sinne they haue least and most shew for as the old prouerbe is they are neither idle nor well occupied for they are euer busy but it is in the diuels seruice And for gluttony hee dwels in their kitchin but you shall neuer go thither to see him Last Lady letchery puts on this maske no woman of what degree soeuer may enter their second parts or inward dore but by your leaue the Iesuits enter priuately within their inward dores and doe the deeds of darkenesse with them when they please But this may be thought a slander therefore giue me leaue to free my selfe from this suspicion In Louaine there is an English Cloister of Gentlewomen and the Lady Abbesse much respected for her hidden vertues in which Cloyster their dwelleth a young man called Raph which loued a waiting Gentlewoman whose Lady often frequented the company of the Lady Abbesse by which meanes Raph and the maide had opportunity to conferre It chanced one of the English Iesuits a young man repaired thither often likewise and in short time