The consecration and succession, of Protestant bishops justified, the Bishop of Duresme vindicated, and that infamous fable of the ordination at the Nagges head clearly confuted by John Bramhall ...

CHAP. I. The occasion of this Treatise. (Book 1)

THe fairest eares of Corne are soonest blasted, so the more conspicuous the Church of England was among the refor∣med Churches, (as not being framed ac∣cording to the brainsicke dictates of some seditious Oratour, or the giddy humours of a tumultuous multitude, but with ma∣ture deliberation, and the free consent and concurrence of all the Orders of the King∣dome,) the more it was subjected to the envie and groundless calumnies of our Country men of the Roman Communion. But of all the slanderous aspersions cast upon our Church, that liyng fable of the Nagges head Ordination doth beare the bell away. Those monstrous fictions of the Cretian bulles and minotaures, (devi∣sed by the Athenians to revenge them∣selves upon Minos King of Creete, who had subdued them in a just warre, and compelled them to send their sons to him for hostages,) were not more malicious, nor that shamelesslie of Kentish long tailes more ridiculous. The first deviser of it doth justly deserve the Character of A

man of a brasen forhead and leaden hearie. If the unpartiall reader after he have perused this treatise, thinke I doe him wrong. I do willingly submitte my self to his censure. This prodigious fable received its deathes wound from Mr. Masons penne, and hath remained ever since for the space of thirty yeares buried in deepe oblivion. And those assaies which it maketh now to get wing againe, by the assistence of two Ig∣natian Fathers, are but the vaine attempts of a dying Cause. Neither would I have troubled the Reader or my self to bring Owles to Athens, or to confute a Cause which hath bene so demonstratively con∣futed to my hand, but for two new addi∣tions lately spread abroad. The one by orall tradition which concerneth my self. That Father T. and Father B. had so confu∣ted the Bishop of Derry in the presence of the King, that he said he perceived his Father had made me a Lord, but not a Bishop, And that afterwards, by my power I had procured those two Iesuits to be prohibited that presence. So that whe∣reas Father Talbot used to be the Inter∣preter in the Spanish treaties, now he was not admitted, and Don Iohn would ad∣mitte no other.

So the Bishop of Derry is accused not onely to have bene publickly baffeled, but also to have bene a disturber of publick affaires. Yet I know nothing of all this, which concerneth myself. I never heard of any such conference, or any such words, I never knew that Father Talbot was designed to that imploiment. I was never guilty of having any such power, muchles∣se of any endevour to turne out any man. If the Fathers seemed too pragmaticall to those who were intrusted, or to involue the interest of their Religion into Civill trea∣ties, what is that to me? If it were true they may thanke themselves. If it were false, they may thanke them who did it. Whether true or false I never had an hand, nor so much as a little finger in it.

All the truth that I know is this. Hea∣ring that these two Fathers, had spoken largely in the Courte of the Succession of our English Bishops, but never in my pre∣sence, I sought out Father B, and had pri∣vate conference with him about it in the Iesuits College at Bruges, and afterwards some discourse with Father T. and him together in mine owne Chamber. What∣soever they did say, they put into writing to which I returned them an answer, shewing not onely that there

was not, but that it was morally impos∣sible there should be any such Ordination at the nagges head. From that day to this I never heard any thing of it, that concer∣ned myself. Now if a man should search for an Authour of this fabulous Relation, he shall be sure to have it fathered upon some very credible persōs, without names, who had it from Iohn an okes whilest he was living, and he had it from Iohn a Stiles, and he had it from No body, but feined it himself out of a good intention, accor∣ding to that case Theology which he had learned of Machiavell, To advance the credit of Religion by all meanes possible true or false.

The other addition concerneth the lear∣ned and Reverend Bishop of Duresme one of the ancientest Bishops this day li∣ving in the Christian world, being 95 yea∣res old at least. That he owned and justi∣fied the nagges head Ordination in publick Parliament, in the house of the Peeres: It is very well, we can not desire a better place where to have it spoken, then the house of Parliament. Nor better witnesses then the Lords spirituall and temporall. We have no man of the Episcopall Order, whose memory can reach so neare those times, or in whose integrity we doe more

confide, then the Bishop of Duresme. He might heare many things either from the persons praetended to have bene then con∣secrated, or from the Notaries or witnesses who were then present at that imaginary Consecration. Or at least he might re∣ceive the tradition of that age from such as were eiewitnesses of what passed. Let it be put to his Testimony if they thinke fitte, (without doubt he is the same man he was then) or to the Testimony of any other of his age and Reputation, whom they can produce. We refuse no sort of proofe but onely vaine hear say, which as our En∣glish proverbe saith is commonly, and in this case most undoubtedly a lier. Nay we would not refuse the Testimony of Mr. Neale himself, though a professed enemy, who was the onely founder of this silly fable, so he might be examined upon oath, before equall Iudges, but compell him either to shame the divell, and eate his owne words, or to runne himself into such palpable absurdities Contradictions and impossibilities, that no man of reason how partiall soever, could give any credit to him. My first taske shall be, before I meddle with the fable it self to vindicate the Bi∣shop of Duresme, and the truth which is wounded through his sydes, with this in∣timation

to the Reader, that if this branch of the Legend be proved apparently to be false, which is pretended to have bene pu∣blickly acted in a full house of the Peeres of the Realme, we can expect no truth from the voluntary reporte of one single meane malicious enemy, to his own party. And with all a confessed Spie, of what was done at the Nagges head. Breake ice in one place, and it will crack in more.