Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A55165
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The plot in a dream, or, The discoverer in masquerade in a succinct discourse and narrative of the late and present designs of the papists against the King and government : illustrated with copper plates / by Philopatris.
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Philopatris.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing P2598; ESTC R7519
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110,309
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297
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THE PLOT in a DREAM OR THE DISCOVERER IN Masquerade IN A Succinct Discourse and Narrative of the late and present Designs of the Papists against the King and Government Illustrated with Copper Plates By PHILOPATRIS Fictae Religioni ficta decent LONDON Printed by T. Snowden for John Hancock and Enoch Prosser and are to be sold at their Shops at the Three Bibles next Popes-Head Alley over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil and at the Rose and Crown in Swethings Alley at the East end of the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1681. THE BOOKSELLER TO THE READER Courteous Reader THe ingenious Author wants neither Wit nor Eloquence to recommend this delightful Mirror of the Popish Plot to thy acceptance but his great humility restrains him from doing that Justice to himself and kindness to me Yet rather then so fair a Birth should perish in the bringing forth so curious a Work lie by for want of a few good words I resolved to say somewhat my self and not onely for the Authors praise but a little for my own profit I know what hath been said in some Prefaces of the bottomless deserts of some Writings to deceive the Credulous World And it is easie to say more in a Page than you shall find true in a volume But my design is not to swell this Book or thine expectation by a prolix and undeserved Encomium My purpose is only to bespeak thy Faith as the Author I doubt not hath pleased nor a damnable black and bloudy Plot against our King Laws Lives and Religion more fully discovered and fairly represented than you do in this Vision To conclude If thine eyes be shut this Vision will open them if open it will delight them What thou seest in it or by it intended but defeated designed but discovered let it excite thy praises to that God whose All-seeing eye beholds and whose infinite power and wisdom bounds the Rage and baffles the Counsels of these wicked Achitophels Neither do thou cease to pray that the same Jehovah would evermore mightily defend our Gracious Sovereign this great and populous City the whole Kingdom and all the Churches of God both at home and abroad from Hells Rage and Romes Religion till Christ shall come in glory to judge that Scarlet Whore and give us and all his Saints a clearer Vision of that Mystery of Iniquity than the World ever had or shall have till that day Farewel To the Ingenious Dreamer T Is well when others with their waking Wit Won't see a Plot that Dreams discover it When our grave Narratives grow out of date You lend brisk Faâ—sie to perpetuate Its Memory Pray take the other Nap And dream who would our Phileroy intrap What yet I saw is but the midnight Theam But hope ere long to see a Morning Dream That will reveal not onely what is past But what conclusion they 'l come to at last Servile Applauses to no man I owe Yet on your Dream my Verdict I le bestow More Truth nor better Sense no Dreamer spake But Sir you dream as if you were awake Your unknown Friend T. D Ad Authorem Epigramma Heu quam grande nefas haec dira insomnia narrant Ni fallor verè somniat hic vigilans T. D. THE PLOT in a DREAM OR The Discoverer in Masquerade CHAP. I. The Author in a Vision travelling over the Petropolitan Countries arrives at Strombolo the supposed place of Purgatory in company with some Petropolitan Travellers There they met with an Apparition talking to it self about the present Plot A pleasant passage of the fright the Petropolitans were put into by the Apparition and their flight upon it The Apparition proves to be Phileroy the Discoverer of the Plot and an acquaintance of the Author's upon renewing their acquaintance Phileroy discourses with him concerning the Plot and of his end in coming thither which was to attend a Consult there holden by the Great Bishop and his Emissaries about carrying on their Designs against Albonia Their arrival at the place of the Consult A description of the place The Author placed on Phileroy's Apartment where incognito he takes his Observations BEing naturally delighted in reading of Forein Peregrinations and Observations of the different Manners and Customs of strange Countries I was one night musing upon such Subjects till sleep the Ape of Reason had dispossest me of my considering faculty and turn'd it wholly into Imagination and Fancy by the force of which on the sudden I was carried into the Hysperian Countries where having staid a small time to remarque some most noted Observables of that Catholick Region me-thoughts I approacht towards the Sea-coast and finding a Vessel ready did having agreed for hire therein imbarque my self for Italy the principal of the Petropolitan Countries and thence to return again to Christendom having past the Fretum Gaditanum and entred into the Levant we were by force of Winds carried to the utmost parts of Italy amongst the burning Islands the chiefest of which is Strombolo commonly affirmed by the Petropolitans of those Countries to be the Jaws of Hell and that therein the damned souls are tormented here notwithstanding the frightfulness of such Reports we were forced to put in for a Refuge against the Storm and having landed our selves at the foot of that burning Mountain I and some of our Company had a mind to ascend it to see the curiosities of that feigned Incendium We had by leisurely and winding Ascents arrived to near three parts of the way when in a solitary by-way amongst a queach of bushes we discovered something in the shape of a black man softly moving before us I and my company were I must confess somewhat startled and surprized to see any thing like humane in that desolate and uninhabited Region and therefore concluded it must be some Devil or other that was sent out as a Scout to surprize such unwary passengers as our selves or else some poor Purgatory Soul that by the power of Masses had got leave to cool himself in the open Air My Company were at the point of turning back again in a fright but I persuaded them against it telling them if it were the Devil it were more safe to resist him than to fly whereupon they all besides my self being Petropolitans began to cross themselves a main to rattle their Beads and to mutter over their Ave Maries at such a rate that for my part though I could not forbear smiling at their folly yet I was more afraid of such their ridiculous incantations than of the supposed Devil The best on 't was all this while his back was towards us and his posture rather standing than progressive taking his steps so leisurely as if some weighty notions in his head had retarded the motion of his heels By this means we hop'd to avoid his sight of us and proceeded forward when on the sudden we heard him who had hitherto kept silence break out into these expressions which he utter'd with
love to hide them from our sight Ravencus Wolves in 〈◊〉 cloathing a pack of knaves whose Religion is made up of Hypocrisie and Apostacy Faction and Treachery their piae fraudâ—s are by those Indulgences and Diâ—â—â—sations warranted so that by vertue of these they may assume the pretences of the highest Zeal for the Worship of the Albonian Church to joyn in Communion with them and partake with them in the most solemn Mysteries of their Religion yea they had a Liberty given them upon occasion and to avoid suspicion to write and rail against the Petropolitans and the grand Viccar himself and yet they were at the same time covertly to act for them and by their sly and subtle insinuations to amuse the thoughtless people into a Disbelief of any Plot or Designs acting against them Amongst this herd I observed one that methoughts lookt very Strange-lee he was an elderly person with a Pen in his Ear and a Broom under his Arm. I was very desirous to know of Phileroy who this person should be and the meaning of his humour but he smiling told me he would forbear informing me at present but that I should know more of him hereafter But as for the Broom he told me it was a necessary Utensil used by him and others of his party for the sweeping away of the durt and filth from the Petropolitans Doors and laying it at the Doors of the Christians A pretty Artifice indeed of Rome To skim their Pot and throw on us the Skum Well at the tail of these rutted anotheâ— sort of Animals different in their habit but so close joyned to them that the seemed to be all of one herd their Garb and Gesture was as strange and uncouth as any I had yet observed amongst them I believe Africk or Nile never produced such variety of Monsters as were spawned at this Assembly Their under Garments were contrary to the others exactly of the Albonian cut and fashion over which they wore a full Garment patched up of Wolves and Foxes skins promiscuously interwoven which hung so loose about them that they could readily throw them off or put them on at their pleasure as I perceived upon what account I know not except it were to represent the humour of their Design they sometimes did waggishly snatching off their Cloaks and throwing them upon others backs whom they then laughed at while they themselves skipped up and down the room in querpo These Ridiculoso's Phileroy informed me were properly called Sham-Plotters a name that very properly agreed with their Office and Designs For said he their business is having contrived some â—â—acherous Design if they should happen to be discovered or but suspected of it presently to sham it off themselves and throw it as they do their Cloaks upon others namely the Christians especially the Dissenters and such of them as are men of Power and Estates whose names they shall get into Lists and present to the Government as persons designed to subvert the same by an open Rebellion And thus these coupled Mates in Masquerade By different ways drive on their hellish trade The one for his Knavery gets a Cloak the other His knavish One casts on his honest Brother I had enough of this Pageant and therefore what they did at the board or what was said to them I minded not I perceived they staid not long there before they retired and so this Scene being likewise withdrawn I perceived the Court began to be in a great bussle as if they were breaking up a time that I heartily longed for being quite tired with their fopperies but the Coast being somewhat clear I perceived a company of fellows all Albonians bussling up in great haste towards the Table who by their Instruments and badges of their Trade that they carried with them appeared to be Printers Sulphur and Print both Jesuits Inventions To blast the World with Ruine and Contentions One of them amongst the rest carried before him a Tablet wherein was figured the Great Bishop's Keys as I supposed them being two gilded Keys a crost which perhaps might be a badge of His Viccarship's favour I saw they addrest themselves to the Secretary and their Errand was to desire a Faculty or Licence from the Great Bishop to serve him in their Mystery by printing such Pamphlets as should be contrived by the Maâ—queraders or other their friends for the furtherance of the present Design Thâ— request of theirs was no sooner askt buâ— granted The Secretary presently drawing up a Licence or Instrument which thâ— Grand Viccar signed and delivered to them bidding them not spare for Ink or Paper in his Service they should be well enough rewarded for their pains ay said I to my self if you do not I hope the Devil himself will pay them their Wages for I know not any sort of men upon Earth that do him better service than those sort of fellows do Well having got what they came for after some formal Observance made to the Court they turned back again very well pleased as I perceived for they began to be frolick with one another One of them smearing some of his Printing Ink upon his finger smutted his next companion upon the face with it saying O Sir you are a Phanatick I 'le mark you No says the other you are mis-Tooke I am an abhorrer of them and all their actions By this said Phileroy who observed the passage as well as I you may see the humors of these fellows who to please a party that they are sure to be no losers by will not spare to blacken or bespaâ—ter any one that comes in their way by fastening on them all the vilâ—iâ—ing terms they can think of to make them odious to the Vulgar well let them go they will be made look as black as their own Ink by that time they are known to the World a little better This was but a kind of an Interruption the Court as I said beginning to bussle towards a breaking up in order to which the Grand Viccar again rising up from his Chair told the Board and the Company that they had now no more to do but to take their leaves one of another and from that place to disperse themselves unto the several places and Countries where their business was ordered for the carrying on of this present Design there they were to Govern themselves according to the Instruction now given them which as they were the results of the grave and mature Debates of this great Consult were to be regarded accordingly with all Care and strictness and for the better ordering their business they were from time to time upon all Emergencies to have recourse to their Provincials and Superiors who were in all cases of difficulty to direct them in their proceedings and by whom he expected himself to receive frequent accounts of them He thanked and commended them for their Zeal and Readiness to his and the Churches Service assuring them that as soon as