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.

THE CONFVTATION OF an inuectiue which the Author of the Pam∣phlet maketh against the Iesuits. CHAP. XXIIII. (Book 24)

IN your 10. and 11. page yow make a digression to treat of the strange mysteries as yow cal them of the Ie∣suits doctrin, how they mingle heauen and hel, and lift vp the hands of the subiects against the anointed of God, yow wonder that Princes do not concurre in sup∣pressing them, who yow say make traffyck of their sacred lyues; yow compare them to pirats that are publyke enemies to humayne society, and to the Templars that were all put downe throughout Christendome within a few weekes, and lastly yow fynd it strange that the Bishop of Rome doth not purge out a leuen as yow cal them, so strange and odious.

These in deed are very strange and odious speeches, and no maruayle for there can be no more sympathy betwixt the Iesuits and yow then betwixt good and bad, light and darknes, Christ and Belial; it is no maruaile, that the theef hateth the gallowes, the dog the whip or the woolf the mastif, that keepes the flock, neyther that yow and all other heretyks maligne those, whose schooles are your scourge,* 1.1 whose bookes your bane, whose vertue is your confusion, whose vigilance and industry is the gard simple foules against the assaults

of your heresy and impiety, wherin the great goodnes of God is to be noted who for euery disease prouideth a re∣medy, for euery poyson an antidote, for euery harme a help, so it pleased him of his diuine wisdome to prouide against a Symon Magus, a Saynt Peter; against an Arrius, an Athanasius; against a Nestorius, a Cyril; against a Vigilantius, a Hierome; against a Pelagius, an Augustinus; (who was borne in Africk the same day, that the other was borne in England) against the heretyks called Albigenses, a Dominik and his holy order of the fryer preachers; and lastly in this our age, against a Martyn Luther and his cursed crue of vitious Apostates he raysed an Ignatius de Loyola with his blessed company, of ver∣tuous, and Apostolical priests, commonly called Iesuites, whom though the Deuil, and all his instruments (I meane you, and all other heretykes, apostatates, and atheists) haue no lesse impugned then the catholike Churche it selfe, which they defend, yet neuerthelesse theyr holy Societie is through the prouidence of God propagate and spred throughout the Christian world from one pole to the other; and therby the wrackes and ruynes of Christen∣dome repayred, insidels conuerted, heretyks confounded, youth instructed, the weake edifyed, no lesse to the glory of God, then to the confusion of his enimyes & theirs.

But to come to the particulers of your slaunderous di∣gression; yow wonder that Princes do not concurre to the suppression of this sect, as yow cal it, that maketh a traffick of their lyues; & I wonder, yow are not ashamed to buyld such a malitious slaunder vpon so false a ground, seing I haue euidently proued that this matter of Squyre (whervpon yow runne all this descant) is a meere fiction a lewd, and a lowdly, improbale in it self, proued by no witnes, or euidence, extorted from him by torment, re∣tracted and disauowed at his death, though yow shame∣fully say the contrarie: besydes that it is now aboue 20. yeares since the Iesuits first entred England in which tyme

yow haue rackt,* 1.2 and rent diuers of them (Father Southwe•• 10. tymes, Father Walpoole 14. Father Campion I know not how oft) and diuers others for their cause, and all to fynd out some such matter, and yet yow neuer got so much as any inkling of any, so that this contumelious speech of yours, is but a vaine blast, that (as a man may say) shakes no corne, nor cracks any mannes credit but your owne.

Furthermore how childish and vayne is the comparison yow make of them to pyrats, therby to conclude them to be publyke enemies of humayn society, meaning (by lyke) by humayne society your selues, whose publyke enemies yow may in deed accompt them in respect of your heresies, yet in that sence there is neyther truth nor propriety in your manner of speech, for though I allow yow to be hu∣mayn and earthly in the highest degree, yet a true society yow cannot be called, being so dissociate, and deuided in religion amongst your selues as yow are, except it be the society of Sampsons foxes whose tayles were only tyed together and their heads seuered.* 1.3

But if yow consider the infinit numbers and multitudes of those that from one end of the world to the other do loue at this day and reuerence the Iesuits (as fathers, that giue them spiritual food as phisitions that cure the dis∣eases of their soules, and as pilots (not pyrats) that guyde them to the port of eternal saluation) you shal easely see the vanity, and idlenes of your discourse, and eyther be forced to graunt that they are no enemyes to humain so∣ciety, or els absurdly say, that all men besydes your selues are seazed with such a lethargy, or sencelesse stupidity that they cannot discerne enemyes from frends.

Can any man that is not mad or drunken with heresy as you seeme to be, or ouercome with passion perswade himself that so many wise pious, and polityk kinges, Prin∣ces, councels, magistrates, and gouernours (whose domi∣nions extending from one pole to the other, do conteyne the noblest, and worthyest parts of humain society among

Christians) would be so vnaduised to receyue them into their kingdomes countryes, cityes, & courtes, foster them, cherish them, loue, reuerence and honour them as they do, if they were such publike enemyes to humaine societie as you make them, or any way hurtful to their states, peri∣lous to Princes liues, preiuditial to publike good, or ra∣ther if they were not most necessary, and beneficial to them all?

This is so manifest to men of discourse and reason that I need not further to enlarge my self therein, seing there is no man so simple that wil preferre the vayne and mali∣tious conceit of a few poor sectary Caluinists hated & contemned by all other sectes of the same breed, before the iudgment and experience of all the rest of Christen∣dome, whereof you are not woorthy to be counted the parings, neyther for your number nor for any other respect whatsoeuer, and albeit I might say much more in this be∣half yet for that the matter is euident of it self, and the in∣nocency and honour of these seruants of God hath byn defended by many learned bookes in these our dayes against the barkings of all sectaryes and other their ene∣myes, and emulatours which their vocation and vertues cannot but purchase vnto them, I shal leaue of to speake any more of this argument for the present, and so passe ouer to that which remayneth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the Ie∣suits.
• * 1.2

  ••suits••acked
• * 1.3

  Iudic. 15.