A defence of the Catholyke cause contayning a treatise in confutation of sundry vntruthes and slanders, published by the heretykes, as wel in infamous lybels as otherwyse, against all english Catholyks in general, & some in particular, not only concerning matter of state, but also matter of religion: by occasion whereof diuers poynts of the Catholyke faith now in controuersy, are debated and discussed. VVritten by T.F. With an apology, or defence, of his innocency in a fayned conspiracy against her Maiesties person, for the which one Edward Squyre was wrongfully condemned and executed in Nouember ... 1598. wherewith the author and other Catholykes were also falsly charged. Written by him the yeare folowing, and not published vntil now, for the reasons declared in the preface of this treatyse.

OF CERTAINE IMPERTI∣NENT and foolish glosses of the Author of the pamphlet, and first concerning the moderation and lenitie which he sayth is vsed in causes of Religion where it is not mixt with matter of state. CHAP. XXII. (Book 22)

IN the third page yow appeale Sir Pamphleter to the knowledge of your frend in Padua for the distinction & moderation of the proceeding in England in ecclesia∣stical causes with what lenitie and gentlenes it hath beene caryed, except where it was mixed with matter of state, for such are your owne wordes.

Hereto I answere that by your restriction & exception of state matters yow ouerthrow your general proposition of clemency, and proue that ther is no moderation lenitie nor gentlenes vsed at all, for where is not matter of state mixed with religion now a dayes in England, are not so many essential poynts of Catholyke religion made treason as no man can do the duetie of a Catholyke, but he is ipso

facto a traytour, seing no man can be so much as absolued of his sinnes, nor receyue any Sacrament of Gods Churche by the only true ministers thereof (I meane Priestes) but he committeth treason? besydes the other captious lawes about the Supremacie, the exacting of the oth, and the vrging of Catholykes to come to haeretical seruice, & com∣munion, vnder colour of temporal obediēce to the Prince, is not in all this, state mixt with religion, yea and to no other end then to persecute vs vnder co••our of treason and matter of state, while ye persecute religion, and for re∣ligion.

Was not this the very practise of Iulian the Apostata who to couer his persecution of Christians sometymes caused his picture to be set with Iupiter or other fais Gods and sometymes made himselfe to be paynted with their enseignes and resemblance, therby to make such mixture of religion,* 1.1 and matter of state, that those which should refuse to commit Idololatry might be punished vnder colour of contempt of his emperial person.

* 1.2Hereof sayth Sozomenus, Nam sic cogitabat, &c. for so Iulian thought that if he persuaded thē to that, he should more easely bring them to his wil in other points of reli∣gion also, and if they resisted in this he might punish them without mercie, as offenders against both the common wealth and the Empyre.

It not this now practised in England in effect? for what other thing is it to annex the keyes of Peter with the Princes crowne the deuine power with the humain, the supremacy spiritual with the gouernment temporal (di∣gnities no lesse distinct in nature, then incompatible in lay persons, and especially in women sexe) what other thing is it, I say, then to ioyne Iulian with Iupiter, and to paynt the Prince with the enseignes and resemblance of deitie, and to what other end then vnder colour of treason & matter of state to make away all those that shal refuse to acknow∣ledge this pretended ecclesiastical supremacy.

Such then is your mixture of religion with matter of state, as whiles yow pretend to punish none for Catholyke religion, yow persecute cruelly all Catholykes for no other true canse then religion, yea and as the pharises did, yow persecute and crucifie Christ agayne in his members,* 1.3 as an enemy to Caesar,* 1.4 and for the same reason of state that they did cry to Pilate si dimittis hune non es amicus Caesaris, if yow let him scape yow are not Caesars frend for that his fault is not religion but matter of state against Caesar and agayne si dimitiunus hunc venient Romani, &c. yf we dis∣misse this man the Romans (togither with Spaniards) wil come and take from vs both our place and people, and wil conquer, spoyle & destroy vs, for which respect yow haue already killed some hundreths of Catholykes vpon lyke suspitions and ealumniations by vertue of your new sta∣tutes, besydes many murdred for fayned conspiracies, and fals imputed crymes, and an exceeding multitude of others consumed and wasted with imprisonment, others pyned a way in banishment, others empouerished & ruined with taxes, impositions, and penalties, and an infinite number dayly languishing in captiuity, penurie, and miserie, for that they wil not yeeld as yow cal it temporal obedience in comming to your seruice, and communion, & yet forsooth yow trouble none for religion.

But yf it please yow and your frend in Padua that kno∣weth as yow say this matter so wel to consider it a litle better, yow wil easely see that the distinction that yow and your fellowes make is confusion, your moderation persecution, your lenity seueritie, your shew and talk of mercy nothing els but a mere mockerie and playne co∣sinage of the simple reader, for to preache one thing and practise an other, is I trow the highest point of cosinage that may be.

But what maruaile is it if yow draw our religion to matter of state seing your owne religion hath no other rule, nor ground but reason of state, for albeit the substance

of religion, which now yow professe different from ours, be patcht vp of old and new heresies, especially of these last of Luther, Zwinglius and Caluin, yet that which is properly yours, and the key and stay of all the rest and maketh yow a bodie and part different from other Sectes of Lutheranes, Zwinglians, and Caluenists, Puritanes, Brownists, Anabaptists and the lyke, is the obedience that yow acknowledge in ecclesiastical causes to a lay head, which although it was first introduced into England by King Henry the S. only vpon animositie against the sea Apostolyke (because thesaid sea would not allow his de∣uorce from Queene Catherine (which King in all other poynts detested your religion) yet being abolished by Queene Marie her Ma^ties. syster, and last praedecessour, it was returned agayne in the beginning of her Ma^ties. raigne that now is, only vpon reason of state as all the world knoweth, and so hath hyherto byn continued.

For those polityke statistes of ours that had the vse of her Ma^ties. eares in the beginning, considering that the Queene of Scotland being then maried vnto the French King, pretended title vnto the crowne of England, and fearing that the sea Apostolyk would fauour her pretence in respect of the mariage of her Ma^ties. mother; yea and that the people would also incline that way, if they re∣mayned stil in the obedience of the said sea,* 1.5 they hadre∣course to Hieroboams pollicy and abusing the facilitie of her Ma^ties. good nature and yong yeares persuaded her to change the religion then publikly professed, and not only to banish the authority of the Pope, but also to follow her father, and brothers example in taking the title of eccle∣siastical supremacy vpō her self, a thing absurd, ridiculous, vnnatural, impossible, & therefore worthely reiected, im∣pugned, and derided by Luther and Caluyn themselues and by their folowers,* 1.6 and the Puritaines at this day in En∣gland, and all other sectaries abroad, as a matter without all praesident or example in any Christian common wealth

or colour of Scripture, except of some few texts that treat of obedience to Princes in general no lesse to Heathen Kings, then Christian, and therfore can not with any shew of reason be vnderstood of their primacy in causes eccle∣siastical.

Seing then your religion so far as it is distinct from others, hath no other ground then reason of state, I doubt not, but yf the matter were wel examined what God they beleeued in, that persuaded her Ma^tie. therto, or yow and your fellowes that manitayne it vpon the same reason, and by such vnchristian practises, as yow do, yow would be found to be cōprehēded in the third diuisiō of varro, who said that 3. kynds of men had three different kynds of Gods,* 1.7 the Poëts one, the Philosophers an other, and statists or Polityks a third & that euery one of them had a different religion according to the difference of their Gods, as that the religion of the Poets was fabulous, the other of the Philosophers natural, the third of the Statists, polityke, and accomodated to gouernment.

And this is that which yow professe; For the God yow beleeue in is the Prince, your scriptures are the actes of Parliament, your religion is to conserue the state persas & uefas, and therfore as all good Christians do measure the reason of state by religion, which is the true rule, and the end therof, and from the which it cannot in reason dissent or disagre, so yow on the other syde reduce and frame re∣ligion to your fals reason of state, and by that meanes peruert all the order both of nature and grace preferring the body before the soule, temporal things before spiritual humayn before deuine, earth before heauen the world before God, and which is more yow subiect both earth, heauen, body soule, the world, yea God and all, to the pri∣uate pleasure, and profit of the Prince, as though he were the end, the Lord, and God of all the world, and of nature it self, whervpon ensew those monstrous pollicies which wee fee fraught with all frand, hipocrisy, periuries, slaūders,

murders, and all kynd of cruelty, oppression and impiety, which haue ruined infinite Kinges with their countries, & Kingdomes, and what they wil bring our poore country vnto in the end, tyme wil tel, wherto I remit me, for as the Italian prouerb sayth, La vita il sine, ••l di l••da La sera, the end prayseth the lyfe, and the euening the day.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••••••om lib. 5. cap. 16. Ni∣cepho lib. 10. cap. 23.
• * 1.2

  Sonom. Ibidem.
• * 1.3

  Ioan. 1••.
• * 1.4

  Ioan. 11.
• * 1.5

  3. Reg. ca. 12.
• * 1.6

  Luther Cal∣uin Kēnitius.
• * 1.7

  Aug. 6. de ci∣nitat. Dei c. 5.