assured them by him, whom they call the only Lord of all the world, the only vice God, the only emperor, the only king, the most holy Pope, They thought it was much better to make but one skip from the cart to Jacob's ladder, and so to mount directly up to Heaven, than to be condemned with an ignominious load of truth, and penitent confessions of the facts they committed, to the whips and scourges of a tedious purgatory; else it would seem strange to the world, that in the midst of those solemn protestations which they made to that God, to whom their souls were taking such a speedy flight, as they pretended, should so boldly deny what so many grand seigniors of jesuitism have so stiffly maintained to all the world. Nor did this leash and brace of their disciples, shew themselves such mild receders from their principles, who durst so confidently adventure to beard the laws and statutes of a sovereign prince, within his own dominions; ipso facto; malefactors and rebels to his majesty, when they first set foot upon his shore. As for their renouncing all equivocations and mental reservations, which is the ground upon which they all tread, that will signify nothing, when we consider the nature and quality of a true Jesuit, which is, tenaciously to hold and adhere to the dictates and positions of their superiors, as believing what they teach to be all inspiration. Now their heavenly doctrine is no more than this; that it is lawful for them, not only to deny and conceal the truth, but also piously and religiously to afirm, to swear by, and invoke God and their salvation to attest those things which they know to be assuredly untrue. Thus Toletus, both a Jesuit and Cardinal, 1. 4, of his instructions to the priests, c. 21. If it be a secret crime concerning which any one is examined, he may make use of equivocation. As for example, if I be asked whether I did such a thing or no? I may answer, No: with this reservation to myself; I did not now do it. not see him at Venice, &c. Many more examples might be brought out of the same, and several other printed authors; neither are the equivocations of Tresham, Garnet, and others unknown to ourselves, as those of Richcome are in France, who affirmed, That he never heard the last deceased Henry, called tyrant by any of his subjects, though he had heard Henry Valois, the last murdered king often so reviled. So that it may be well said to be the Jesuits motto, Jura, perjura, secretum prodere noli. Thus while they pretend to renounce and detest equivocation, mental reservations, and dispensatious; reason itself must needs persuade us that men principled and educated by such instructors, are guarded with a good Salvo, for those very equivocations which they seemed to abjure. No less, if not more apparent is the fallacy of their disowning and disavowing that dismal doctrine, of killing kings and princes. To which purpose Gawen fell short in affirming, that only Mariana the Spaniard was the upholder of that dreadful opinion: witness the wrings and approbations of Stapleton and Garnet; and the apology of Jacob Clements, in some part recited in the oration to the king of France, against the readmission of the Jesuits into that kingdom. Commolet and Guignardus, by whom that bloody act of Jacob Clements, who murdered Henry the 3rd of France, was called the gift of the Holy Ghost, as is averr'd in the forementioned oration to Henry the 4th. And who so wicked among us, saith the same oration, as not to see, that if Jacob Clements had not deeply drank of the Jesuits poison, he would ever have thought of killing his lord and master. The warlike prowess and renown of Henry the 4th, could not defend him from the treachery of a bejesuited enthu siast, who confessed that he had sucked all his Gregory de Valentia asserts the same: If the question, saith he, be not fit to be answer-king-killing malice from their diabolical oratory. ed, though you be upon your oath, yet shall no perjury be committed, though the party swear contrary to the intent of the judge; such a one does neither lie, nor take the name of God in vain, when it is for his own preserva tion. Andreas Eudemon Johannes is another of the same stamp. Martin Azpilcueta, of Navarre, proves equivocation to be lawful, from the example of St. Francis, who being asked by certain oflicers, whether such a murderer did not run such a way? Put his hands into his sleeves, and cried, he did not pass this way: meaning, that he did not fly through his sleeves. The fore-mentioned cardinal Toletus also affirms, That if a priest be asked by the magistrate, whether he saw such a one at any time? He may answer, No, for he did not see him that he should tell the magistrate; or he did not see him in a beatifical vision, or I did And so far was Mariana from being the sole supporter of this doctrine, that Francis de Verone wrote in the defence of Chastell, who had stabbed Henry the 4th, and John Guret and John Hay were both banished out of France, for publicly teaching their disciples the vicious precepts of early treason. Nor is there any thing more horrid among all the butcheries of the heathen sacrificers, than the ceremony, which the Jesuits use, at the consecration of the person and the dagger, which they design for a royal massacre. For the intended executioner is brought into a private room, where the dagger, carefully wrapt up in a fair linnen cloth, and sheathed in an ivory sheath enamel'd with several strange characters, with an Agnus Dei appendant, is at liberty to dazzle the murderer's eyes. Then the weapon being drawn, is sprinkled with holy water, adorned with a rosary of coral beads, and so delivered with these words. Chosen son of God receive the sword of Jeptha, the sword of Sampson, the sword of David with which he cut off Goliah's head, &c. go and be prudently courageous. Then falling on their knees, they mumble forth this dismal exorcism; Cherubims and seraphims, ye thrones and powers, ye holy angels all descend, and fill this blessed vessel with perpetual glory; daily offer to him the crown of the blessed virgin Mary, the holy Patriarchs and Martyrs; For he is now your own, and no longer belongs to us. Then they bring him to the altar, and shewing him the picture of Jacob Clements, Strengthen, O Lord, they cry, this thy arm the instrument of thy revenge. Let all the saints arise and give place to him. An invention of men worse than devils, enough to amaze heaven itself; which shews that the words of dying men are not always oracles, when they go about to palliate embodyed villany. Nor was Mariana's book exploded, as Gawen avers; but it is true that care was taken by the Jesuits to suppress both Mariana and others, for he was not alone, meerly out of necessity, and to divert the storm that threatened them from the court of France. And thus the world may see the folly of that vain compliment; That a whole order should suffer for the rashness of one man. of Bohemia, for being common disturbers of the public peace; out of Moravia and Hungaria for the same cause; out of Transylvania, for being almost the ruin of that country; and out of the Low Countries for their continual misdemeanors; and lastly, this may be also added, that Ferdinand king of Sweden was expelled his kingdom, for endeavouring to obtain their readmission after they had been ejected by his subjects. As for father Harcourt, let it not seem strange, for I find they were all alike in haste to reach heaven before sun-set, that he should pretend so much ignorance of the plot. For the reason is plain; he was resolved to visit St. Peter in the Jesuits livery, and to let them see he was true blue: while his own letter under his own hand, written into the country to give notice of sir Edmundbury Godfrey's death, three hours after his murder; and publicly to be seen, puts a most cruel slur upon his late protested batred of mental reservation and equivocation, Now as for their prayers for their judges, and the discoverers of their treason, in my judgment they might have spared them. For why should they be so zealous to pray for them, when they would not so much as beg one tear As little cause there is for us to believe, That from those that were not of their own profes the whole catholic world should be the Jesuits ad- sion? They were no prayers of charity, but ra vocate. At least the whole catholic world has ther the curses of their malice, while they lataken a very ill cause in hand, to defend an boured to scandal the justice of such most order that has so ill behaved itself as to be ex-eminent judges, the impartiality of so sound a pelled out of France for murder; out of Eng-jury, and the fidelity of such witnesses, who havland for high treason; from Venice, almost in ing so highly merited of the whole nation, have the sight of Rome itself, for their insufferable rendered the sufferers more remarkable in their ambition, and designs of bloody revenge; out ends than in all the progress of their lives before. An ANSWER to the Reflections on the Five Jesuits Speeches; or, General Rules of Christian Charity. Together with the Speech of Henry IV. King of France in behalf of the Jesuits. For purposes best known to the divine wisdom, God has been pleased to suffer amongst men, some who never had inclination to goodness, generosity, or any the least moral virtue: such true children of him who was a liar from the beginning, cannot endure any other man should be esteemed pious, just, or true; of such our blessed Saviour speaks Matt. 11. 18. These diabolical natures combat religion as their most mortal enemy, in what shape soever they meet it: if it appear in severe mortified devotion, then it is called by them madness, as of St. John Baptist, Behold a man that has a devil; if it comes drest in the charming shape of love and sociable conversation: then, as the blessed Jesus, beheld a drunkard and a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners; such children of perdition, full of envy, malice and all ungodliness, are ever busy and taking more pains to serve the kingdom of darkness, and compleating their full measure of wickedness, than the best of saints do to arrive at those blessed mansions prepared by their loving redeemer in the kingdom of the God of love: of this sort of spirit must he certainly be, who was author of the preamble and postscript printed with the Jesuits speeches: for were it likely that men should be so infatuated by the principles of any religion, as to die with expectation of reward from him they call the God of truth, when they invoked him with their last breath as witness to a lie, could it be possible, I say, that men should arrive at such madness. Yet ought poor limited and undiscerning men leave them to the judgment of the great, wise, just and all-seeing God to punish them as they deserve: but nothing is more certain than this truth, that the God of truth hates falsehood above all things; and therefore when provoked both by that, and the utmost contempt of his divine majesty, by being invoked to be a witness to a lie, he will above all crimes punish such contempts with his utmost vengeance: and is it possible, but that all men of all religions, who believe at all I do not undertake to vindicate the religion these men died in, much less the opinions or extravagancies of some doctors of it, the laws forbidding the one; and the Romish Church itself the other; I will therefore only say it is no more just to tax the whole society with the heterodox opinion of two or three men, than it would be to accuse Protestant Religion with king-killing principles, from the practices of some called so in the murder of K. Charles the first; and from the multitude of sermons and other discourses printed in commendation and vindication of that detestable villany: but because our author refers much to the oration made to Henry the fourth of France, I will only by way of reply, insert that great king's answer to it, mentioned by Mr. Gavan, which was in these words: the immortality of the soul, should also believe produce some authority from popish doctors, this truth as certainly as they must believe there that should not only allow equivocation lawful is a divinity, which gave their souls that immor- but dying in a lye meritorious: for as for his tality. Yet dares this uncharitable author, as calling them in the close of that paragraph ipso if he were the great Searcher of Hearts, accuse functo rebels and malefactors when they first five persons, pretending, as he says, to dig- arrived, that can be no proof against them, nified orders of religion and sanctity, together since the same argument holds against christiwith the perfectious of noble learning, which anity itself propagated by the apostles and their usually betters men, to break through all the followers contrary to the laws of nations then in impalements of divinity and morality, and with force: and to which all persons pretending to a terrible lie to take their ultimate farewells, make converts may readily reply in the words merely for the vanity of imposing a belief of of the Apostle forbid by the Jews to preach any martyrdom, and to insinuate their heresy into more in the name of Jesus, Whether it be betthe credulous and unstable: Oh! most ridicu-ter to obey God or man, judge ye. lous conception, unlikely indeed to bear so great sway with the living as the last words would do of the most notorious malefactors, much less theirs who by a continued series of good life and modest behaviour had spent their time, (as they thought,) in their service of God, living some of them to a great age, without being accused of any crime against human society, until this the worst of crimes which was sworn against them, but that single one of designing the murder of God's Vicegerent their anointed king, if true, was enough to make black a continued life of virtue, longer than Methusalem; but they with their last breaths deny their guilt, and others upon the bible swear it, these are but four, and they were but five, those were persons who had dedicated themselves wholly to the service of God in the way they, at least, believed true; three of these are men by their own confessions guilty of many foul and notorious crimes, not yet giving the least testimony to the world of their conversions by a good life, all of them of indigent and desperate fortunes, which they have well amended by their pretended discoveries; which true or false, it concerns them as to their well being here to make good; the others can have no benefit by their attestation, (but if false) the eternal damnation of their souls; a bribe no man would be fond of. Now if this be seriously considered on both sides, will it not be enough to sway with the most partial standers by, at least to suspend his opinion of the truth until it shall be revealed either in this world or the next by the Almighty God, to whom they have on both sides appealed, and who alone sees truth through all disguises. But not to suffer all the dirt to stick, the malicious pen of this author has thrown on their (at worst but doubtful) memories, we will slightly consider the strength of his arguments, avoiding all offences to the magistrate and the laws we live under, by whom supposing this (scarce probable) evidence against them true, they were most unjustly condemned. His preamble and first paragraph of his Postscript, tends only to persuade us that these 5 dying men did hope by their damnable lyes to escape purgatory and leave it on their left hand and at once skip from the cart to Jacob's ladder mount directly up to heaven; which no man in his right wits can believe, except their accusers will swear they told them so, or that he would The SPEECH of HENRY IV. King of France in behalf of the JESUITS. 1. "The care you shew of me and my kingdom is grateful to me; albeit you seem not to have thoroughly weighed the things you demand, nor are you, as yet, so well acquainted with my thoughts, as I am with yours. 2. You deem the weal of my kingdom to consist in the proposition you have made; and you tell me it is a matter that deserves to be most carefully deliberated. And I tell you, you have said nothing which I have not most carefully weighed and most diligently examined by myself these eight or nine years. 3. You take yourselves for men of great understanding and experience in the common wealth. But believe me, I know as well as you all that hath been in controversy in this matter. 4. First of all you object to the Fathers of the society, the assembly of Poissy;* but-without cause. For if there had been at that place others like many of them, the Catholic Cause would have had a more happy success. There fore that which you turn to their dispraise, any just umpire will attribute to their virtue. But that which I most wonder at your judgments for, is, that so preposterously you condemn the society of ambition, whereas the Fathers of the society, with a constant submission, have ever refused all honour and preferment, as well ec *The Clergy held an assembly at Poissy anno 1561, in which the society was allowed of, and admitted, though not fully. clesiastical as political: and which is more, they bind themselves by vow not only not to aspire to honours, but even to refuse the same when they are freely offered unto them. Consider their whole course of life, and you shall find that all their ambition is to labour for to help all, and that without any pretence of interest or gain. They value not the expences of their own pains, so they may profit many. 5. But you call to question the very name of the Society of Jesus, and for that you tax them. But see with what reason, for if they must be blamed for that holy name, what shall we say for those religious persons who take their name from the most blessed Trinity? and your daughters here at Paris; what will you think of them that call themselves Daughters of God? Finally how will you censure my knights, who are called of the Holy Ghost? Truly I do not more dislike them that take their name from Christ, than any other. 6. You object the divines of Sorbon condemned the Jesuits. I do not deny it. But they condemned them being innocent, unknown, and unheard. For this I call to witness, those very divines themselves, who now admit them, whom their predecessors banished, and honour them whom they contemued; nay they praise now and extoll those that were condemned, and stick not to take them for their directors, and masters, in all kind of learning. 7. You tell me Jesuits have hitherto remained in France only by connivance. Here I acknowledge, and reverence the divine providence, that hath reserved this honour for me, not yet achieved by others, that I should es tablish in this realm the Society of Jesus, which hitherto hath had no settled abode in France. My predecessors have received the society, I will patronize and preserve them. 8. Peradventure you will turn to the Jesuits discredit, that for which you ought to praise and honour them: the University of Paris earnestly and openly opposed them. And what, I pray, was the cause of this opposition? All was, that the Fathers did not only equal others in learning and industry, but also went far beyond them. A clear testimony of this is the great number of youths that frequented the Fathers Schools, where (together with learning) they learnt virtue. But to stop this opposition, I will make a decree that the universities of Paris shall no more oppose them. And this you will be glad of. 9. I will tell me, that the ablest of great numbers frequented the Fathers. Yea many departed the realm, and forsook their country to study in the Society's Schools; nor could your decrees or threats stop them. 10. You say the Fathers joined themselves to the League, that is not to be imputed to their fault, but to the iniquity of the tines. But this I persuade myself, upon the assurance I have of the integrity of their consciences, that they will become such towards me, as it behoveth them, who, mindful of benefits, desire to shew themselves most grateful. 11. Now some of you impose on the Fathers a new crime, and peradventure as yet unheard of, saying, that they draw to their order young men of the most forwardness and best dispositions. An unpardonable crime; yet I praise. them and esteem them particularly for this that you condemn. Do not we, though in a dif ferent matter, do the selfsame? A captain that is to raise soldiers, does he not cull out the choicest, and leave the meanest and least hopeful? In your parliament, when you choose a new court, or fill up an old, do you prefer the unlearnedest, and least apt for business? If the Jesuits put unlearned masters in their schools, or in their churches ignorant preachers, would you not with reason blame them? What offence is it that the Jesuits should provide the fittest they can, both for church and schools. 12. That slander which concerns the Jesuits treasure, is as false as common. Go visit all the colleges in France, search all their treasures, sum altogether, and you will scarce find twelve, or at most 15,000 crowns. I know well how poor and slender furniture and provision was both at Lyons and Bourges. Nevertheless 30 or 40 persons were to be fed in each of those colleges; whereas their yearly revenues was scarcely sufficient for eight masters. 13. The vow of obedience with which they tie themselves to the pope doth not oblige them to be more faithful to externes, than to us. Neither is there in that vow any thing contrary to the oath which they will swear unto me. They will attempt nothing (I am sure) against their prince. That vow to the pope, bindeth them to go to barbarous and savage nations that they may reduce them to the Catholic church. The whole world testifieth that the remotest regions of the Indies, together with infinite heretics, have been by their pains and learned endeavours brought to Christ's fold. I remember I have often said, that if the labour of the Spanish Father be so profitable for Spain, Jment got not their learning of the why should not France with reason expect the your this I will not much gainsay. For the ablest of you, as they excel in learning so they exceed in years. These got their learning in foreign nations, before the society set foot in France. Others did not so, and so I am certain they think and speak otherwise. And what need they speak? the matter itself, speaks. We ourselves saw how at the departure of the society out of France, all the muses seemed to depart. Our University was desert and mourned: those came seldom at it, who before in same? Is that kingdom more fortunate and flourishing than this? Spain is loved by the Spaniards, and why should the French hate their native soil? 14. But as you are wont to say, those men seek to be admitted into provinces and kingdoms what way soever they can. Pray you is this an offence? It is the custom of all that follow the instinct of nature. I myself, by what means I could, sought to get my crown. Howsoever we cannot admire the Fathers con stant patience whereby they go through so great and hard matters, and bear so many and so heavy crosses. 15. Neither do I esteem them the worse, for that they be so observant of their rules and constitutions. This is that whereby the society doth increase, flourish and better itself every day more and more. For this reason I thought not good to change any of their constitutions or rules, though I have made some change in others, which was not approved of all. But that is no matter. 16. The Fathers of the society hath many back friends, among some that seem holy and religious persons, who speak ill of them. This no wise man will wonder at. Our age is not come to that sanctity, that ignorance should cease to hate learning, or corruption of manners leave to envy integrity of life. It was so in times past, and so it is still. These moths always gnawing on learned works. No prosperity so circumspect, that can escape the tooth of malice, hatred and envy, always attended the highest things. I observed, when it was consulted about the recalling of the Jesuits into France, that two sorts of men did specially oppose themselves, heretics, and loose living church-men: the one was moved thereunto by their bad faith, the other by their bad life. But I am so far from being hereby moved to alter my intended purpose, that I am more confirmed in my resolution. 17. The Fathers of the society speak and think honourable of the pope, so they should, and so do I; I join with them, since I am certain that in averring and defending the pope's authority, they differ not from other Catholic divines. 18. Neither did their doctrine ever give occasion to clergymen to deny me tribute. Now is there any to be found whom these Fathers words or books animated to killing of kings. Whatsoever some have patched together to bring them to discredit, is all a fiction and mere fable. Thirty years and more are passed since the Fathers began to instruct the youth of France both in virtue and learning. Of these some have gone through with all their studies in their schools. Others have broke off, and applied themselves to physic or law. Tell me whether any of these ever learnt of their masters to lay hands upon kings, and to kill them? I tell you the Fathers are so clear, that they are content to appeal even to their enemies judgment, There are some pulpit-men, among the heretics, who were trained up in the Fathers schools: ask these men their judgment concerning the Jesuits lives and doctrine: but whose cause is so good as to desire to be tried by enemies? Yet I am sure in their case this has been done, the ministers bave been asked their judgments of the Jesuits and they have given no other answer, but, that the Jesuits lives cannot be reprehended, and for their doctrine, that it is in too clear a sun for to be questioned. Surely few can be found that will dare to stand to their enemies judgment, their security of conscience must needs be great, that fears not any versaries verdict. 19. The confession of Barriere, who attempted against my person, doth not infringe that which I bave said. For so far was any Jesuit from that fact (which you nevertheless affirm) that one of these Fathers of good credit advised me of it in time, and another of them dehorted and deterred Barriere from his attempt, proposing to him God's heavy judgments due to such malefactors. 20. As for Catel, all imaginable torments were not able to wrest the least word against Varadius or any one Father of the society. If this be not so, why spared you the guilty? Why let you them go when you had them fast? Why punished you them not according to your | laws and court? 21. But to grant you that that never was; suppose some one of the society had attempted against my person. Will you condemn all the apostles for one Judas? shall the punishment light on my head, for whatsoever any of the soldiers shall trespass in military license? I acknowledge the hand of God, whose will it was to have me pressed and humbled at that time; the same hand raised me, and set me safe again. God's goodness and providence be thanked. I have learnt to forget and forgive injuries for God's sake, as I willingly do for that king who is greater thau myself. And now I will be so far from remembering injuries done unto me, or revenging the same, that I will daily offer up prayers for my enemies. All of us have need of God's mercy, which is no ways better to be obtained, then by promptly and readily pardoning those who have offended us." Now it is plain by this discourse, that this great and wise prince had well considered what he spoke of; and had he found their doctrine to be such as is pretended, he would have been too nearly concerned to have become their advocate and protector. As for the pretended horrid ceremony for consecrating a person and dagger, designed for a royal massacre. I will only speak of it in the author's own words; that it is an invention of men worse than devils, a lie indeed of so impudent a nature, that it is enough to amaze heaven itself, to see how devils incarnate can out-do in malice the spirits of everlasting darkness. Let any impartial eye observe the countries our author sums up to banish the Jesuits; and besides that, he will find false causes assigned in most, if not all the examples; he does in his last overthrow all that he has said, for if Ferdinando king of Sweden was expelled his kingdom for endeavouring the re-admission of the Jesuits, then it is as plain that he did not believe they held tenets destructive to kings, as it is that these did who destroyed him, as much as in them lay by expelling him his kingdom for defending the Jesuits. Thus malice makes men blind : but above all, who can believe him, when he says Father Harcourt's letter about sir Edmondbury Godfrey's murder writ ten three hours after it was done is so publicly |