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 THE TRVE CAVSES OF more moderation vsed in the beginning then after∣wards, & of the difference made by the Lawes, betwixt Seminarie, and I Mary priests. CHAP. XXIII. (Book 23)

BVt to proceed in your obseruations, you go for∣ward to geue example that there is moderation vsed in ecclesiastical causes, where matter of state is not mixt with religion, saying, for els I would gladly learne what should make the difference the tem∣per of the lawes in the first yeare of the Queene, and in the 23. and 27. but that at the one tyme they were papists in conscience, and at the other, they were growne papists in faction, or what should make the difference at this day in law betwixt a Queene Marie priest, & a Seminary priest, saue that the one is a priest of suspition, and the other a priest of sedition.

Hereto I answere that because you say you would gladly learne, and that I take yow to be of a good wit and docile, I wil take paynes to teach you this poynt that you say you would so fayne learne. Know you therfore that there were diuers causes of more moderation and lenity vsed for some yeares in the beginning then afterwards, & yet not those which you speak of and so you shew your

self eyther ignorant, or malitious in both.

The first an ordinary rule of state which those great statists that procured this change could not neglect I meane in case of innouation to vse no suddayne violence, but to proceed by degrees, especially in matter of reli∣gion, which is seldome changed without tumult and trou∣ble, wherof they had seene the experience in the tymes of both the kings Henry and Edward, & therfore they had great reason to water their wyne at the beginning, and to vse moderation at least for some yeares vntil the state and gouernment were setled.

The second cause was the doctrine of your owne gos∣pellers in Q. Maryes tyme, who because some of their fo∣lowers were burnt for heresy (according to the Canons and lawes of the Churche) cryed out that they were persecuted, and published in their bookes and sermons, that faith ought to be free, and not forced, & that therfore it was against all conscience to punish or trouble men for their religion, in which respect the authors of the change, that serued themselues of them in the ecclesiastical and pastoral dignityes, could not for shame at the very first, vse the bloody proceeding which afterwards they did, though neuerthelesse they forbore not in the very begin∣ning to imprison, and otherwise to afflict, all Bishops and cheif pastours; and such others as would not subscribe, & come to their Churches, for the which cause I remember that besydes a great number of ecclesiastical and temporal persons, some of my owne kindred and familie were called to London, and imprisoned in the second yeare of her Ma∣iesties raigne, and so remayned prisoners many yeares after.

The third cause was the vayne hope that those polityks had that a religion so sensual, and ful of liberty as theirs, authorized with the power of the Prince, vpholden with lawes, promulgate with all artifice of writers preachers, and perswaders, would easely within a fewe yeares infi∣nuate

it self into the hartes of all men, especially of the youth, wherby they made accompte, that the elder sort being worne out, there would be within a fewe yeares litle memorie or none at all left of Catholike religion; but when they saw after some yeares experience, how much they were deceiued of their expectation, and that through the zealous endeauours of the learned English Catholikes abroad, learned bookes written, Colledges & Seminaryes erected, priests made and sent in, & therby in∣finite numbers reduced to the vnity of the Catholike Churche, not only of the schismatiks that fel at the first, eyther by ignorance, or for feare, but also of the Protestāts themselues (and amongst them euen many ministers and principal preachers) and none sooner conuerted, or more zealously affected to Catholike religion, then the yongest and fynest wits, wherwith our new Seminaryes beganne to be peopled; when those statists I say, saw this, they thought it then tyme to bestyrre themselues, and to perse∣cute in good earnest, and yet to do it in such sort, as they might, if it were possible, auoyd the name, & suspition of persecutors both at home and abroad, and therfore they vsed the same pollicy that Iulian the Apostata did, of whom S. Gregory Nazianzenus writeth,* 1.1 that he profes∣sed not externally his impiety with the courage that other persecutors his predecessours were wont to do, neyther did he oppose himself against our faith lyke an Emperour that would gayne honour in shewing his might and power by open oppression of the Catholyks, but made warre, vpon them in a cowardly and base māner couering his persecution with craftie, and subtyle deuises, enuying them, the name and glorie of Martyrdome that the souldiours of Christ had got in former persecutions, and therfore he endeuored to vse violence in such sort as it should not appeare, ordayning that the Christians which suffred for Christ should be put to death as malefactours, this affirmeth. S. Gregory Naziāzen of Iulian the apostata

wherein yow may see a true pattron of your owne pro∣ceedings, for to exemplify the same with answere to the question yow aske concerning the temper of the lawes made in the 23. yere of her Ma^ties. raigne, what other cause had yow to make those lawes in that yeare, but that yow knew that Father Campian and diuers Seminary Priests were come into Englād lately before, & therfore to make the world beleue that their comming was to no other end but to sow sedition, and trouble the State, yow did not only make those lawes, but also shamfully mundered the same yeare thesaid famous man, and 11. godly innocent Priests with him for fayned conspiracies proued against no one of them, & disauowed by them all at their deathes, which sufficient proof of their innocency, as before I haue declared at large in the 11. chapter, besydes many other since made away in lyke manner vpon lyke fals pretences, and especially in the yeare 88. after the Kinges Armada had past through the channel, in which yeare yow exe∣cuted aboue 40. Priests, and Catholykes in diuers partes of England, to make the world beleeue that they had intelli∣gence with the Spaniards or had procured the comming of thesaid Armada, which could not bee proued, nor so much as iustly suspected of anyone of them.

Moreouer I dare boldly affirme, neyther shal yow euer be able with truth to controle me, that wheras our Semi∣naries haue yeilded within these 30. yeares 5. or 6. hūdreth Priests that haue laboured in that vyneyard (wherof yow haue put to death more then a hundreth) yow could neuer iustly charge any one of them with sedition or matter of state except it were Ballard executed with Babington and the rest,* 1.2 whom as I wil not excuse, (because I know not how farre he waded in those matters) so wil I not con∣demne him, considering the proceedings of yow and your fellowes with Catholykes in lyke cases, yet this I wil be bold to say that if he had any dealing therin, it was with∣out the consent or knowledg of any of his superiours, yea

or of any intrinsecal frend of theirs, wherof I could yeild a sufficient reason, if it were conuenient.

But let vs admit that he was as deep in those matters as any of the rest; haue yow therfore any reason to condemne all other Seminary Priests for his act, I do not blame yow heer for punishing any Catholyke that yow should fynd to be truly seditious, but I fynd it strange, & against all reason and iustice, that yow do not only punish vs for fayned crymes, but also impute the doings of one or of a few to all, which was alwayes in my tyme, and I think it stil, the ab∣surd dealing of your lawyers in the araignment of Catho∣lykes vrging against them the attemptes of Doctor Sanders in Ireland, and Feltons setting vp of the Bul, and such like, as though euery Catholyke were priuie to their doings, or thought himself bound in conscience to do as they did, which kynd of argument your lawyers would neuer vse, if they were not eyther most malitious or ignorant, or thought all their audience to be fooles: For what conclu∣sion can be drawne from one or some particuler to a ge∣neral, as to say, Eaton the preacher did pennance on, the Pillery in cheapsyde and after at Paules Crosse for lying with his daughter, such a minister was hanged for a rape, such an other for sod••my, such a one for a murder; ergo, all ministers are mnrderers, sodomites, rauishers of women, and incestuous persons.

Would your ministers allow this conclusion, or els that lawes should be made against them all for the offence of some of them? and yet to say truly there haue beene so many examples of ministers conuict & executed for such crymes that yow might with more, reason exterminate the whole ministery, as a very sink of sinne, then condemne all Ca∣tholykes as seditious, for Doctor Sāders, and Feltons cause, o•• all Seminary Priests for Ballards.

But to conclude this point, it is euident ynough, that neyther Ballards offence (yf he committed any) nor theirs

that were executed with him could be any occasion of those rigorous lawes against Seminary Priests which were made some yeares before, when (as I haue said) yow had not any one example of a Seminary man, that had beene, or could be touched with any sedition, other then such as yow fayned of them your selues.

Furthermore what iust cause had yow to make the di∣stinction in your lawes betwixt Queene Marie Priests,* 1.3 & Seminary Priests? haue yow found any more in the one then in the other, but only that yow know the old Priests of Queene Martyrs tyme were so spent and wasted already that ther was not left of them perhaps half a score in En∣gland (who also yow thought would be in a short tyme consumed) wheras of the others, yow saw a continual spring, that would flow perpetually, to the vndouted de∣struction of your heresy in tyme, if it were not stopped, in which respect, yow thought good to seeme to fauour the first, that yow might with more shew of reason persecute the later.

Neuerthelesse yow haue hanged some of those Q. Marie Priests as wel as the other, only for doing their function counting them therin no lesse seditious then the Seminary Priests, and yet yow say yow spare the one sort as only superstitious, and punish the other as se∣ditious.

But such seditious and superstitious Priests as these are, were the very Apostles and Disciples of our Sauiour,* 1.4 for they absolued from sinne, as these do,* 1.5 they administred the Sacraments of Baptisme, or the A••ter, extreeme vnction,* 1.6 & the rest as these do,* 1.7 they said masse (that is to say) they offred in sacrifise the blessed,* 1.8 bodie and blood of our Sauiour as these do, they did preach,* 1.9 and teach the Christian Catho∣lyke doctrine as these do,* 1.10 finally they were persecuted & punished for sedition as these are.

Thus Sir yow may see yow had not those causes which yow pretend, to change the temper of your

Iawes, nor to distinguish betwyxt Seminarie and Queene Marie Priests, neyther any reason at all to cal them eyther superstitious, or seditious. But let vs see some more of your gloses.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Orat. 3. in Iu∣lianum & orat. 10. in laudem Cae∣sarij.
• * 1.2

  Of Ballard.
• * 1.3

  Q. Marie. Priests.
• * 1.4

  2. Cor. ••.
• * 1.5

  Act. 10.
• * 1.6

  Act. 2. & 20.
• * 1.7

  Iam. 5.
• * 1.8

  Act. 14.
• * 1.9

  Act. 17.
• * 1.10

  Act. 24.