Orders of Monks and Friers like so many bulwarkes or strong forts to oppose all batteries and assaults whatsoeuer her Aduersaries shall plant or set against her As the Benedictins Carthusians Ieromites Bernardins Augustins Carmelites Dominicans Franciscans Capuchins Recollects Iesuites Theotines Oraterians Fullians Barnabists and an hundred more of these bald pates Also Nunnes Beghins close Nunnes loose Nunnes Sisters Canonesses And Hermites as those of the Orders which they attribute to Saint Anthony Hilary Macarius S. Theon S. Frontinian S. Paul the Heremite S. Apollonius and many more Now hath the Popes added to these the holy Gildes or Confraternities of Saint Roch Saint Hubricht S. Sebastian S. Coronna who are clad in blew Saint Anthony in blacke Saint Martin in white Saint Dominicke in blacke Of the Iesuites and Capuchins c. Yea moreouer holy Orders of Knights as those of the Rhodes or Malta Teutonickes or Dutch Knights Templers Knights of Saint Iames Our Ladies Knights Knights of Ierusalem Knights of the Order of Calatraua and many more whom for breuitie sake I omit for truly I had need of six hundred tongues and two hundred pens yea a mouth of steele with a brazen voice if I should declare all the diuersities of Orders and Religions which the holy Popes haue set vp not only without but also against the holy Scripture And yet I name not the Popes themselues their Cardinals Prelates Patriarkes and such like beasts whereof neither the Apostles or Prophets euer heard of nay I dare boldly say that if the Apostles or Prophets had but once seene or heard the hundreth part of these new Religious Orders named they would haue beene afraid of them For seeing that Saint Paul could not suffer that among the Corinthians some should call themselues the disciples of Peter others of Paul and others of Apollo how would he haue been then afraid and out of quiet to haue seene and heard of such an innumerable company of new and diuers names Professions Religions and Rules of perfection some clad in black some in white some in gray greene blew some in red and some in furres c. And euery one to esteeme his owne Order and Rules for the best and most worthy to be regarded he would surely haue thought himselfe to be in a new world Therefore the holy Father the Pope and his Monks and Friers yea all his Clergie men will not haue men to found themselues or depend only vpon that which the Prophets and Apostles haue written and taught for say they the world is now altered and the Popes haue found out and established new Religions new Commandements and new Articles of Faith whereof the Apostles neuer heard or knew of For otherwise beleeue me if nothing else were esteemed but the bare Scriptures and writings of the Prophets and Apostles then should the Decrees Decretals and Ordinances of the Church of Rome and all the Councells which haue beene kept and holden by the Order and Commandements of the Popes yea all the before specified Orders and Religions of Monks Friers Nunnes Heremites Gildes and Knight-hoods be vtterly ouerthrowne yea all their pretended Merits and Supererogations Prayers to Saints Purgatory and such like trumperies would not be worth a rotten Apple If men I say would begin to esteeme the holy Scripture alone for a true and sufficient rule and direction to attaine to saluation then should Luther be commended and praised for causing the Decrees and Decretalls of the Pope to be burned in Germany when his bookes were burned at Rome Now because there are many Monks Friers and Iesuites sent and transported into England out of the English Seminaries Colleges and Cloisters that are in forraigne parts as trading Factors for the Pope and the King of Spaine to extoll the sanctitie of the one and the power of the other I haue according to my bounden duty to my natiue Country and out of the zeale and reuerence I beare to Gods Church and true Religion vndertaken to write this ensuing Discourse my purpose being to discouer the beginning and in some manner the proceedings and present estate drifts and impostures of all Monks Friers and Iesuites in generall and of our English in particular and as well to instruct all those my louing Country men that are not as yet thorowly acquainted with their Impostures Hypocrisies Fornications Murders Idolatries Blasphemies many other abominable Impieties and inaccessible Mysteries as also to informe those that are carried away with the blind loue of these busie Hornets that they will not be perswaded that they are such wicked Hypocrites and impious Traitors as they are indeed to the end that the truth being knowne it may appeare in the face of the world what they are who in stead of the wholsome milke of the Word of God doe feed them who are committed to their charge with the poison of detestable Blasphemies and humane Traditions applying vnto the Virgin Mary and others their Saints many passages of holy Scriptures which are only proper vnto the Diuinity with their impious and abhorred doctrine of killing and murdering of Kings and Princes that are excommunicated by the Pope and Church of Rome We reade that many religious men heretofore contemning the world and all the pompe pride and vanity thereof withdrew themselues into Wildernesses and desart places in Syria Egypt and other Countries to the end they might the better being not troubled with worldly cares and incumbrances bestow their time in reading and studying the holy Scriptures fasting praying meditating and such diuine exercises Whereof Paul surnamed the first Heremite Anthony Hilarion Basil and Ierome were the first and chiefest among the Christians who for their sanctity of life were in those daies had in great honour for then this kinde of life was simple and free and not bound or tied to such vnlawfull Vowes and ridiculous Ceremonies as our moderne Monkes and Friers now adaies pretend to obserue and keepe Their Habit was then homely and yet decent as euery man best pleased to weare Neither were they bound to abide or remaine in any one particular place or Couent nor tied to one kind of life by vow but free to stay there where they liked best or to goe vnto any other City or Country where they would at their owne pleasure if that at any time it repented any of them to haue vndertaken or entred into that kind of life it was in his owne proper power to recant and withall to returne to his former vocation or calling againe without any note or signe of inconstancy or scandall which kind of life if the Monks of our time would imitate we should hold them farre more holy than we doe or to say the truth than they are indeed They sought out the most desart places they could find that is in the Wildernesse and therefore were called Heremites quasi eremum colentes inhabiting in the Wildernesse which the Grecians call Anchorites because they liued alone without any company and therefore
who liued among them many yeeres vpon whom the Emperour Charles the fifth bestowed the Arch-bishoppricke of Brundusium the which he refused to accept of chusing rather to leade his life among those religious men in praying fasting and contemplation than to trouble himselfe with any worldly promotion Within a short time after three other famous men in those daies ioyned with this Carrafa viz. Caietanus a Gentleman borne at Vicentia who was Protonotarius Apostolicus Bonifacius a Gentleman borne in Piemont and a noble man of Rome whose name was Paulus These foure men considering how the Roman Clergy men did then erre and go astray yea so absurdly degenerate from their ancient and primate sincerity and purity to the great detriment and scandal of the Christian Religion consulted together how they might preuent the future danger that houered ouer the Church and how they might restore the dignity of the Clergy to its ancient splendor and credit and afterwards keepe and preserue it and therefore they gaue and put all the wealth that they had to be spent in common among them as euery one of their society should haue need or occasion to vse the same with a full resolution hauing cast away all worldly cares to spend the residue of their liues in the seruice of God by fasting praying meditating singing of Psalmes and diuine Hymnes to the praise of God imagining that to be the best way to restore all things to their ancient purity and integrity and therefore they were called Presbyteri Regulares But because that this Carrafa had reiected that Arch-bishoppricke and vndertaken such a course of life to the great admiration and wonderfull amazement of all men they were called in the Italian tongue Theotini This Carrafa with his dignity and authority gaue them their first institution and did greatly increase this Society Afterwards this good man was created a Cardinall by Pope Paul the third which great dignity this great despiser of worldly wealth and refuser of Bishoppricks most willingly and gladly accepted and comming to Rome receiued the selfe same Arch-bishopprick which he had formerly refused And so this Fox refusing meane promotions because vnder colour or pretence of holinesse and austerity of Religion he aimed at greater first was created Senator of Rome and within a short time after Pope and called by the name of Paul the fourth Panauinus This egregious fellow of the Society of the Diuine Loue this contemner and despiser of the world and restorer of the splendor of the ancient order of the Clergy studied all the rest of his life no other thing but to hoord vp gold and siluer all his cares and meditations were how to extirpate and root out all peace and concord out of the world to moue wars betweene Christian Kings and Princes and to set all Christendome in a combustion To be briefe these Theatines doe differ very little in Habit from the Iesuits for their shirt bands are scarce to be seene so are the Iesuites and likewise in all the rest of their Habit they concurre one with another They are very rich for they heare Confessions as the Iesuites doe and thereby delude the people to giue them money and all things else that they want and yet they begge neuer or seldome publikely but haue all things necessary for prouision brought vnto their Couents Neuerthelesse this Order or Sect is as yet very obscure and not knowne in no other Country than in Italy for ought that euer I saw or heard of and therefore I will speake so much the lesse of them Of the Friers that are called the Fathers of the Congregation of the Oratory THese irregular Priests that call themselues Fathers of the congregation of the Oratory sprang vp of late yeeres and liued likewise very obscure vntill about some six or seuen yeeres agoe that they beganne to flourish in France In their Habit they differ but a little from the Iesuits and Theatins and in some townes where the Iesuits haue no College these Oratorians doe teach young children Their congregation doth for the most part consist of rich Rectors or Pastors of parish Churches vnlesse it be those that are the Lay-brethren yea I haue knowne some Bishops of this Congregation But most of their Priests haue Benefices They haue a maruellous great house in Paris not farre from the Kings Palace which did heretofore belong vnto one of the Peeres of France whither the King Queene and many Princes and Lords doe often repaire to heare Masse and Sermons in so much that they are very rich and in great reputation thorowout all France And therefore the Iesuites doe haâ—e them the more and not without a cause for since that they beganne to be so gracious with the King Prince and commons the Iesuits beganne to lose a great part of their former credit and reputation To conclude they are as superstitious and as idolatrous as any other Friers whatsoeuer yea they maintaine the selfe same position for murdering of Kings and Princes as the Iesuits doe and therefore no lesse dangerous than they are But howsoeuer vnder colour of humility sincerity and sanctity of life they deceiue the world cram their purses and enrich themselues There are both English Scots and Irish of this Order Of the Barnabists THese Barnabists or rather Barrabists are a company of poore Priests that wanting meanes gathered themselues together and called themselues Fathers of the congregation of Saint Barnabie they are as yet very obscure but in time I make no question but they will be as famous as the Iesuits or Oratorians But I wonder why they call not themselues Paulists of Saint Paul as well as Barnabists of Saint Barnabas seeing Paul was the great Saint in my opinion But the truth is all popish Priests loue not Saint Paul because his Doctrine is quite repugnant to theirs otherwise they had erected an Order of Friers vnder his name and patronage long agoe Their Habit differs little or nothing from the Oratorians Theatines and Iesuits and they keepe Schooles in some Townes as well as the Iesuits The vulgar people beginne already to dote vpon them for as I told you before euery new Sect of Friers or Nuns is at the first in great request Ouid lib. 3. de Ponto Est quoque cunctarum nouitas gratissima rerum This Sect is not yet often yeeres standing neither is their Order as yet confirmed Of the Fullians Friers THese Friers are called by the name of Friers of our blessed Lady of the Fullians They weare a course Habit of white cloth This Congregation beganne about that time that King Henry the third of France was murdered by Iacques Clement a Dominican Frier which was about the yeere 1587. they are of the Order of the Cistercensis whereof I formerly spake They liued very obscure vntill such time that King Henry the fourth of France was likewise murdered by Francis Rauillac in the yeere 1610. since which time they built them sumptuous Monasteries and
euery man to his owne Classe and there stay till the bell rings againe and then againe at the first toll they and the Schollers come out for they must not breake the Orders and Rules of the Schoole In the morning after they haue been at Schoole an houre and a halfe or thereabout the same bell rings and then they goe to Church to heare Masse which endures halfe an houre and then they returne to their Classes againe But in some Countries when the daies are long after Masse they goe home to breake-fast and within halfe an houre after they come to schoole againe Euery day or euery other day they haue disputations in the three lowermost Classes where the boies doe challenge and prouoke one another in the declining of Nounes Pronounes Verbs or Participles or in coniugating of Verbs either in Latine or Greeke And this they doe for to get one anothers place which breeds such emulations among them that it makes them of their owne accord study both night and day some to maintaine their places seats and dignities and others of meere schoole ambition to aspire and ascend higher But none must as I haue heard challenge or prouoke the Emperour or the Senators but those that are next in dignity vnto them so that those of the Plebeyans cannot ascend to the Senate or any other place or dignity but by degree When two of them haue done disputing the Master giues his iudgement and then other boies start vp and craue leaue of the Master to challenge their aduersary to the combat who permits those two whom he pleaseth to enter into the List and thereupon these two companions stand vp and crosse themselues first before they beginne to oppose one another The Iesuits haue another pretty tricke how to make their Schollers study and bring in profit for themselues that is They will sometimes giue vnto their Schollers both a priuate or a publike Premium a reward which doth not onely animate and incourage the boies to study but also oblige and enduce their parents to recompence the Schoole-master But vnto great men or rich mens sonnes they doe vse to giue the best Premia or rewards because they doe expect in counter-exchange a great recompence to the poorer sort they giue little Pictures of Saint Ignatius their Patron of the blessed Virgin Mary or of some Saint that they most affect But on the richer sort they bestow Beads and Bookes or some costlier Pictures Euery Saturday in the afternoone all the Schollers of their seuerall Classes doe meet together in a great spacious roome to be catechized by one of the Iesuites who is appointed to expound Canisius Catechisme and to strike or infuse into their tender capacitie such damnable points of doctrine as they please as that it is a meritorious deed to murder Kings and Princes being excommunicated by the Pope To equiuocate cog lye cheat and that a Roman Catholike is not bound or tied to keepe faith with Heretikes meaning Protestants And a thousand more of their Iesuiticall positions which I for breuitie sake doe forbeare to treat of Into this catechizing Schoole none are permitted to enter but onely their owne Schollers for it seemes they are ashamed to let men of vnderstanding know what good instructions they giue vnto their Pupils But howsoeuer those points of doctrine they strike into their capacity in their tender age the same very seldome weareth away but rather increaseth with their yeeres as daily experience teacheth vs. I would to God that the Church of England which professeth the true Orthodoxall Religion would be as carefull to haue her children instructed in their nonage in the truth of the Gospell of our Sauiour Christ Iesus which leadeth them to saluation as that false Mountebanke Synagogue of Rome the Chaire of Antichrist and the sonne of perdition doth to hurle them headlong to hell and damnation And therefore I would wish all religious and painfull Schoole-masters to take a course that those Infants which are committed to their tutelage bee before all things well instructed and taught the Christian Doctrine and the Principles or grounds of the true Religion Moreouer the Iesuites Schollers must not reueale vnto any man those points of Doctrine that are taught them in their catechizing Schooles for if they doe they must confesse it to their ghostly Father who is a Iesuite and most commonly the Prefect of the Schooles when he comes to be shrift which is once euery moneth and then he is sure to haue some extraordinary penance inflicted vpon him and euer after to be branded and noted for a Tell-tale out of the Schooles But such as will swallow downe this golden poisoned bait and proue a good Proficient oh he is a good boy and shall not want his Premium for indeed this day is the ordinary time that they bestow their best Premia or Rewards vpon their Schollers Oh the subtilties and trumperies of these Loyolists to seduce these simple youths to their diabolicall and Antichristian doctrine And whereas they take vpon them to instruct and teach children freely and without any reward I dare boldly speake it they get six times more than if they would keepe a mercenary Schoole for it is but a poore Schoole that brings them not in yeerely aboue fiue or six hundred pound sterling But their Schooles in great Cities and Vniuersities are worth a great deale more for it is an ordinary thing to see seuen or eight hundred Schollers in their fiue inferiour Classes and therefore in those Colleges where they teach all the Arts and where there are twelue Classes and euery Classe a Master there are not most commonly lesse than a thousand or fifteene hundred Schollers who are still soliciting their parents and friends to be bountifull to their Masters the Iesuites and they themselues when they come to inherit their Lands Patrimony or Portions will likely be beneficiall to them and still fauour and protect their society and faction to the vttermost of their power Yea the poorest of them all that are not able to bestow any gratuity vpon them when they are young and their Schollers when they are come to age and preferment will not be vngratefull to them of whom they had their learning and education And againe the Iesuites doe speake to their Schollers whose Parents are rich if they dwell in the same Towne or City to perswade them to frequent their Churches to heare Masses and to come to them to Confession and withall to be of their sodality to the end they might the better diue into their secrets and participate of their wealth which is the maine matter they aime at And whereas all other Monks and Nuns make three Vowes that is to say Chastity Pouerty and Obedience the Iesuites to the end to giue a push beyond all other religious Orders adde one more which is that they shall at all times be ready to runne and trudge from one Country to another like poore Rogues to what part soeuer
Sepulchritae seu fratres Dominici Sepulchri 19 Fratres Vallischolariorum whereof some are as yet extant and some Orders quite dissolued and abolished 20 Victoriani 21 Gilbertini 22 Eremitae S. Pauli quos alij Augustinensibus annumerant 23 Fratres de Poenitentia 24 Coronati 25 Hospitalarij 26 Milites diut Iacobi de Spata And many more who doe differ both in Habit and Exercises as also in Rules and Precepts of life as Alfonsus Aluaris de Gueuarra one of their Writers witnesseth Of the Monks called Praemonstratenses THese Monks descended downe from Heauen as they themselues brag in the Bishoprick of Laudan at a place which they call Praemonstratum The Author of this Order was one Northbertus a Priest borne in Lorrain who patched vp an Order or Rule for his new begotten Monks out of Saint Augustines Rule which was afterwards approued and confirmed by Pope Calistus the second Bruschius Polydor. They weare a long white cloth Coat open before and a linnen Surplice ouer and ouer that a long white cloth Cloke a corner Cap or a Hat when they goe abroad of the same colour and vnderneath all Doublets Breeches linnen Shirts Shooes and white Stockins These Monks haue lands and reuenues to maintaine themselues and are rich wheresoeuer they liue This Sect began about the yeere 1170. and had Abbies likewise in England but at this instant I am perswaded there is not one English man of that Sect. Of the Cruciferi or Crucigeri or the Cruched Friers THis Order of Friers is more ancient than all the former Orders if ye will beleeue them For they say that Clitus Saint Peters Disciple and the third Bishop of Rome after him was warned by an Angell to build for them a house to entertaine all those that fled thither for the Christian Religion sake which he with all speed performed so that in a short time many godly men repaired thither and were entertained who for many yeeres afterwards bare a Crosse in their hands in memoriall of the death and passion of our Sauiour A thing vnlike to be true that Clytus should bee warned by an Angell to build a house for a company of lazie Friers to entertaine all those that fled to Rome for the Christian Religion sake whereas the very name of Monks or Friers was not then or many hundred yeeres after either knowne or heard of in the Church of God And withall the persecution was then so great in Rome that the Saints themselues were constrained to forsake the City and therefore it is not credible that other Christians should repaire thither for reliefe and succour in their distresse and persecution There are others of opinion that one Cyriacus Patriarch of Ierusalem and he whom they report to haue shewed S. Helen Constantine the Great 's Mother where the Crosse was whereon our blessed Sauiour was crucified was the first that instituted this order in memoriall of the inuention of the Crosse and that hee gaue order that these Monks should euer afterwards carry a Crosse in their hands And that this Cyriacus was afterwards martyred by Iulian the Apostata and therefore their Order became almost extinguished But Pope Innocentius the third about the yeere 1215. did reuiue it againe and euer since it hath flourished And Pope Pius the second commanded them to weare a skie colour Habit. But now this Order of Friers weare a Crosse of red cloth or Scarlet fixed to their Habit on their brest and weare blacke Matth. Westmonast Balaeus These Friers doe likewise liue by their Lands and Reuenues They had a Monastery heretofore at Tower-hill where you may see the ruines of it and that place is called by their names to this day Their first comming into England was in the yeere 1244. and their first Cloister was at Colchester Of the Trinitarian Friers Sabellicus Enne 9. l. 4. Polydor. l. 7. c. 4. IN the time of the same Pope Innocentius the third the Friers who are called Trinitarians began to shew themselues to the world One Iohannes Matta and one Felix Anchorita who liued a solitary life in France were warned in their sleepe as they report to repaire to Rome to the Pope to seeke for a place of him to build them a Cloister Is not this fine Iugling And this good Pope forsooth in the meane time was warned in a vision to entertaine them which he did and ordained that they should weare a white Habit with a red and a skie colour Crosse wrought on their brests in the same Their charge was to goe and gather Money to redeeme Christians that were Captiues vnder the tyranny of the Turks and Infidels and therefore they were called Monachi de redemptione captiuorum that is Monks of the redemption of Captiues But these good men so good forsooth were they they aimed at another kinde of redemption for they haue and still doe purchase Lands with the Money that they haue gathered and as for the poore Christian Captiues if they doe suffer for Christs sake they shall haue reward but let them expect no redemption from them These holy Friers scorne to haue any Saint for their Patron for they say that the blessed Trinity gaue them their Rule and Order as is to bee seene by these Verses which they write or paint in great capitall Letters in all their Couents Hic est ordo ordinatus Non à Sanctis fabricatus Sed à solo summo Deo That is Our Order was instituted By th' Eternall Lord of Host And not by Saints or mortall men As other Friers boast The first comming of these Friers into England was in the yeere of our Lord 1357. Of the Friers of the Order of our blessed Lady which they call in Spaine Los frayles de nuestra Señora de Merced ABout the yeere 1285. Martin the fourth being Pope one Philippus Tuscius a Florentine borne and a Professor of Physicke did erect this Order of Friers Pope Benedict the eleuenth and many other Popes after him did approue it and gaue them many Pardons Indulgences and Priuileges They haue many Couents in Italy and Spaine and are very rich but in France or any other Countries I thinke they haue few or none at all They weare a white Habit and are maruellously well deuoted to the blessed Virgin and haue many reuelations from her as they themselues report but all is but meere hypocrisie Sabellious saith That this Order increased so fast that within some few yeeres after their first institution they had in Italy 48. Cloisters wherein were more than 1500. Monks and Nuns Of the Order of Saint Briget SAint Briget a noble Princesse of Swethland being a widow did institute an Order of Friers and Nuns and comming her selfe to Rome obtained of Pope Vrban the fifth a confirmation of the same Order or institution that is that both Sex should liue together in one Cloister hauing a wall betweene them and that the Nuns should lie in the vppermost chambers and the Friers
is to bee corrected in religious Orders because that very many of them are become so deformed in life and behauiour that they are a great scandall to the secular people and doe much hurt by their lewd and ill examples and therefore we thinke it meet that all conuentuall Orders be quite abolished and supprest not that we would haue any of them iniured but to prohibit them to admit any new men into their Orders so that by this meanes they may be all soone suppressed And wee thinke it fit that all boies who are not as yet professed Friers be expulsed out of their Monasteries And againe Alius abusus turbat Christianum Populum in Monialibus quae sunt sub cura fratrum conuentualium vbi in plerisque Monasterijs fiunt publica Sacrilegia cum maximo omnium scandalo auferat ergo S. V. omnem curam à conuentualibus eamque det ordinarijs aut alijs prout melius videbitur Another abuse doth trouble the Christian common wealth and that is in the Nuns who are vnder the custody and charge of the Conuentuall Friers who in most of their Monasteries doe commit publike Sacrilege to the great scandall of all men Let your Holinesse therefore take away this charge from the Conuentuall Friers and giue it to the Ordinaries or some others as you shall see best Now the names of these great personages that presented that Booke to the Councell of Trent and the Pope were these Gasper Cardinalis Contarenus Iohannes Petrus Card. Theatinus who was afterwards Pope Paul the fourth Iacobus Card. Sadoletus Reignaldus Card. Auglicus otherwise called Cardinall Poole Fredericus Arch. Salernitanus Hieronymus Arch. Brundusinus Ioh. Matthaeus Episcopus Veronensis Gregorius Abbas Sancti Georgij Venet. F. Thomas Magister Sacri Palatij Now you poore abused Romish Recusants vnmaske pull away the veile which the Monks Friers Iesuits and other Seminary Priests haue put before your eyes turne away your eares from their crafty illusions breake the bonds wherewith they haue captiuated you and purge your braines with some good Antidote against their charmes and then not till then shall you perceiue in what darknesse in what error and in what captiuity you haue beene so long detained whilest these cursed Hispaniolized Bald pates haue gouerned you then you your selues shall bee Iudges how much you haue lost of your beauty of your authority of your wisdome and of your lands reuenues and riches yea of your honour and estimation in the common wealth so that if you would I say looke backe vpon your selues you should see that your visages are so changed that you could not know your selues nay you would be afraid to behold your owne faces and withall your neighbours who were wont to pity your folly doe now hisse at you pointing with their fingers and mocking at your desperate rage and miserable stupidity which hath made you more sauage than Medea against your owne innocent children whom you most cruelly and without any humanity banish and transport ouer into forraigne Countries thereto be mewed vp like so many Hawkes in Colleges and Cloisters and withall wasting and consuming your lands and riches to maintaine these Impostors and cheating Copesmates who delude and deceiue you with their charmes and feed you with hope of the restauration or at least a toleration of the Romish Religion the which you haue long wished and expected for but I hope that you are as neere now to obtaine it as you and your fore-fathers were in Queene Elizabeths raigne Take patience a while and hearken vnto one that wisheth your welfare in the Lord and one who hath nor will relate vnto you any thing which shall be vnreasonable but wholly to your aduantage and profit Imitate therefore that vertuous Prince Antigonus who freely hearkned vnto a plaine country man whom he met with by chance reprehending the vices wherewith he was attached and albeit he felt himselfe pricked to the quicke yet he tooke all in so good part that it turned greatly to his profit correcting afterwards that which the good man had noted to be vicious in him and being returned home to his Court he said vnto his Minions that he had learned that of a Peasant which he neuer knew before namely the truth which his flatterers had kept hidden and disguised In like manner poore deceiued Country-men depart but a while from these fraudulous and traiterous Monks Friers Iesuits and Seminary Priests to learne not of your domesticall flatterers and deluders but of a stranger that is desirous for your owne good and safety to make you know the sincere verity which this long time you haue not heard of for that you would neuer giue eare to any discourse but those of your deceiuers who continually entertaine you with faire words and great hopes and all not worth a rotten Figge The King of Spaine seeing himselfe inriched with the spoiles of other Kings and Princes not contenting himselfe with the prey imagineth that it should serue him but as a Ladder to mount to the top of an absolute Monarchy And being as it were drunke with the greatnesse of his happy successe he beganne to plot higher attempts in his spirit as ambition neuer wants matter proposing England for the marke of his other enterprises but knowing well that hee might not attempt openly vpon it and that herein force of armes might turne rather to his damage than profit as it did in the yeere 1588. and likewise in the latter end of Queene Elizabeths raigne when he sent forces into Ireland to ioyne with the Rebell Tyrone he resolued to follow the aduice of Lisander namely Where the Lions skin is not strong enough to patch it with a peece of the Foxes But then he imagined that nothing could more securely and more soone eleuate him to the top of this greatnesse than a forcible Ladder of gold vnderpropped with a more than Punick subtilty and masked with a false semblance of integrity and religion First of all he had a recourse vnto a company of cunning Magicians who had beene ingendred here in England and other places of our Kings Maiesties Dominions but brought vp trained and instructed in the proud and Magnificent Palace of Rome at the foot of the sonne of Perdition or in some other of his Seminary Colleges or Cloisters whom hauing furnished in abundance with all that was requisite for for their affaires recommending vnto them all his designes but with this prouiso that they should especially keep themselues disguised and lurke vnder the maske of the Catholike Religion then he presently sends them into England And these are those mischieuous and traiterous brood which you call the holy Fathers the Iesuites a name truly fatall and pernicious to euery well ordered Monarchy and Common-wealth These Sorcerers together with a whole regiment of Monks Friers and Seminary Priests as their Coadiutors and fellow-helpers were presently receiued and entertained with great applause of you and all others the Partakers and Pentioners of