The history of the damnable popish plot, in its various branches and progress published for the satisfaction of the present and future ages / by the authors of The weekly pacquet of advice from Rome.

SECT. 5.

The common excuse which Papists make for all the before-mentioned Treasons against Queen Elizabeth, is, to pretend her Illegitimate; and that what they did, was to advance the juster Ti∣tle of Mary Queen of Scots, great Grandmother to our present Soveraign. Thus in their Apology publisht soon after their Burning of London, speaking of these pranks, they say: It was a question har∣der than that of York and Lancaster, who had most right, Queen Elizabeth or Mary Stuart: for since the whole Kingdom had Crowned and sworn Allegiance to Queen Mary, they had owned her Lagitimate Daugh∣ter to Henry the Eighth; and therefore it was thought necessarily to follow by many, That if Mary was the true Child, Elizabeth was the Natural; which must then give way to the thrice-Noble Queen of Scots. And a little after, 'Twas for the Royal House of Scotland that we suffered in those days, and 'tis for the same Illustrious Family we are ready to hazard all, &c. But this is a most false, though subtle insi∣nuating pretence; and were not impudence a neces∣sary virtue in any, that undertake to be Advo∣cates for Treason, we should wonder with what face they can make this Allegation. For first, The Archbishop of York though a Papist, in his Speech at the publishing Queen Maries Death, declared, That no man could doubt of the justness of

the Lady Elizabeths Title to succeed. Secondly, The whole Kingdom received and owned her more freely and generally than ever they did Queen Ma∣ry. Thirdly, Forreign Princes and States owned her, the greatest Monarchs in Europe offering Mar∣riage to her, in certain expectation of gaining the Crown by her; as Philip the Second of Spain, and Henry the Second of France, respectively for themselves; and the Emperour Maximilian, for his Brother Charles. Fourthly, the Queen of Scots herself did acknowledge her, and claimed no∣thing more than to be Heir to her; and so did King James that was her Successour. The first that ever questioned her Title, was Pope Paul the Fourth, who would not acknowledge her, nor hear Sir Edward Kerne her Ambassadour, for several causes; of which the prime was, because (for∣sooth) The Kingdom of England is a Fee of the Papacy, and it was audaciously done of her to assume it without his leave: [See the History of the Coun∣cil of Trent, l. 5.] And then in the next place, he started her being Illegitimate, which indeed onely he had reason to do; for if her Fathers Marriage were good, the Popes power of Dispensation (one of the fairest flowers in the Triple Crown) must be naught. Fifthly, yet again, after all this, his Successour Pope Pius the Fourth, in his Letter by Parpaglia, dated the fifth of May 1560, did own her, and would have done any thing for her, so she would but have owned him; which she refusing, the next Pope, meerly for the same, Anathematiz'd and Depos'd her, as you have heard; there not being the least mention in that Bull of Bastardy, but onely for Heresie, that is, for

being a Protestant, and refusing to truckle to the Romish See. Lastly, the Roman-Catholicks of England in general, in a large Petition to Queen Elizabeth, in the Twenty seventh year of her Reign, by them afterwards published in Print, in a Book with this Jesuitical Title: Protestants Plea and Petition for Priests and Papists, p. 39. do say and swear the words following: We do protest be∣fore the living God, that all and every Priest or Priests, who have at any time conversed with us, have recog∣nized your Majesty their undoubted and lawful Queen, Tam de Jure quam de Facto, as well in Right as Fact.

Wherefore 'tis evident, that their Conspiracies against her were not for any defect in her Title, but on the score of her Religion. And no less plain, that their boasted services for the Queen of Scots, were onely bottom'd on self-interest, not af∣fection to her Person; and indeed, so far from be∣ing of any advantage to her, that they caused the untimely ruine of that gallant Princess. Illegiti∣macy, and the right of the Queen of Scots, was so little regarded at Rome, that his Holiness Pope Gregory the Thirteenth, having a Bastard of his own, James Buoncompagno, to provide for, and ano∣ther of the Emperours, viz. Don John; to the first he gave the Kingdom of Ireland, and equipp'd Stukely, as aforefaid, to win it for him: to the last he gave the Kingdom of England, and gave him leave to win it for himself; and what then would have become of the Title of the Queen of Scots? They indeed made the House of Scotland their Cloke, and covered their Treasons, for some time, with pretences of gaining that Queens Li∣berty,

and advancing her Interest: but being at last out of hopes of restoring their Religion by her, or her Son, (whom they already perceived not to be for their turn) began to set up a feigned Title for the King of Spain, and employed one of their Society into England, (as is discovered by Pasquier a French Author) to draw off the Gentry from fi∣ding with her, and to close with the Spaniard; and closely endeavoured to precipitate her into those fatal Counsels which hastned her end: for she being discovered to be privy to most of the former Conspiracies, and found guilty of that of Babington, was thereupon Condemned. And af∣terwards, a fresh provocation being given by the said Attempt of Moody, which was found to have been designed on the same pretence, Queen Eli∣zabeth by the repeated importunities of the Par∣liament, (who had Ratified the Judgment) was over-perswaded to sign the Warrant for Executi∣on; whereupon, she was Beheaded the eighth of February following. The Jesuits, that none of her Kindred might give her any assistance, ha∣ing at the same time engaged the G••ises in new Enterprises against the King of Navar and Prince of Condé. And their jugling Treachery towards her is abundantly apparent from the manner of the Discovery of what she was Condemned for; the same being done by one Gilbert Gifford a Priest, sent into England to put Savage in mind of his Vow to Assassinate Queen Elizabeth, and to be a Messenger between the Queen of Scots and the Conspirators; who presently goes and offers his service to Walsingham, Secretary of State, to discover all their Transactions; so that by his per∣fidious

practice, their Letters were opened, tran∣scribed, neatly sealed up, and returned to the said Gifford, who then conveyed them to the Queen of Scots, or who else they were directed unto. And this Discovery by him made, must be supposed to be done out of pure love (forsooth) to his Queen and Country; although but a little before, he was one of those very men, who instigated Savage to his Vow to Murder her. The whole conduct whereof, shews it to be a prosecution of their late-hatcht Spanish Design, by removing the true Heir apparent, and excluding the Scotish Race, to make way for the forg'd Title which they had started for some of the Austrian Fami∣ly.

Which is farther demonstrated by their subse∣quent carriage; for after her Death, whatever zeal they before pretended to her Title and Family, there were not the least effects, thereof shewed to her Son King James, to whom her Right devolv'd; but rather they used all Arts to put him by the Succession, as we shall shew in the next Chapter.

In the mean time we must observe, that still their Plots against Queen Elizabeth went on a∣broad, by the Pope and King of Spain, in Warlick preparations both for Land and Sea-service; and at home by the Jesuits and other Emissaries, in providing for their reception. To amuse the English Council, they publish a Book, wherein their Brethren are very gravely admonished, not to at∣tempt any thing against their Prince, but onely to make use of the old Christian Weapons, Prayers and Tears, humble petitions, and patient sufferings, &c. And a Treaty of Peace desired and kept on foot

by the Duke of Parma, by the King of Spains or∣der, till in the memorable year 88, all things be∣ing compleated for execution; the Pope begins the Invasion with a Bull, by which, once again, The Queen is Cursed and proscribed, her Royalty and Right to the Kingdoms of England and Ireland ta∣ken away; her Subjects not only absolved from their Oaths and Allegiance to her, but threatned under danger of the wrath of God, not to assist her in any wise, but to use all their power to bring her to wort by punishment. And therefore commands all Inhabitants of these Realms to joyn with the Spaniards, and be obedient to the Duke of Parma their General. And finally, out of the Treasury of the Church committed to his trust, draws out his liberality, and grants a full Pardon of all their sins, to all those that should engage in this Expedition: Which was to be looke upon as an Apostolick Mission against the Incorrigi∣ble Hereticks, to reduce them to the Obedience of the Church, and execute his Holinesses, Sentence of Excommunication against that cursed Anathe∣matiz'd Woman. After which, it was privately a∣greed between them, That King Philip should hold these Kingdoms of the Pope in Fee, as of the Holy See, with the Title of Defender of the Faith. For the accomplishing this work, the Spaniard had Equipped the greatest Navy that ever before that time swam upon the Sea: for though there have been Fleets far more numerous, yet for Bulk and Building of the Ships, with the Furniture of great Ordnance and Provisions, never the like; consist∣ing, in all, of 130 Vessels, (saith the Lord Ba∣••on in his Considerations touching a War with Spain, p. 41.) whereof seventy two mighty Galiasses

and Gallions, like floating Castles. But Cicarella in vitâ Sexti V••reckons them 150 Ships of vast bur∣then, besides an infinite number (saith he) of small Vessels. Amongst these; to let the world know it was an Holy War, as the Pope had bestowed his Benediction on the whole Fleet, so Twelve of the largest Ships were called by the Names of the Twelve Apostles. This Invincible Armado, (for so the Spanish Pride had Intituled it) was manned with Thirty Thousand Souldiers and Mariners, and furnisht with all sorts of Provision for six Months. And whilst this should (as they did not doubt) ride Master of the Seas, they had a vast Army (Fifty Thousand veterane Souldiers saith Bucon) in Flanders, under the Duke of Parma, ready to be Transported in Flat-bottom'd Boats into England, under the wing and protection of that great Navy.

But we are assur'd by Authority Divine, That the Curse causeless shall not come; the Popes Ana∣theina, and Spains mighty Armade, proved equal∣ly ineffectual and contemptible. Though his Pseudo-Holiness had made Philip a grant of Eng∣land, he was not able to give him Livery and Seizin thereof. His boasted Navy by a few of the Queens Ships is baffled, battered, and dispersed, and almost totally ruined; God himself (whose Cause indeed it was) fighting against them by Fire and Seas, and Winds, and Rocks, and Tempests, scat∣tering and destroying most of them: for, Offenso Creatore offenditur omnis Creatura: The Creator be∣ing offended (as he cannot but be at such unjust, ambitious, and cruel Attempts) every Creature is ready Armed to revenge his Quarrel. In which re∣spect,

he is ••••••••ed The Lord of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, so that the saying of Holy Scripture was here verified, They came forth against us one way, and fled before us seven ways, being chac'd by the English Fleer, till they were forc'd to give them over for lack of Powder. And having not so much as fired a Cottage of ours at land, nor taken a Cock-b•••••• of ours at Sea, wandred through the Wilderness of the North-Seas, about all Britain, the Oreades, and Ireland, grievously afflicted with all kind of Disasters and Miseries; scarce Forty ships return∣ing to their own Harbors, of all that prodigious Fleet, which had been at least five whole years in preparing, through Spain, Italy, Sicily, Flanders, &c. and had cost, as Thuanus heard the Spanish Ambassadour tell the French King, above Twelve Millions of Growns. A loss so fatal to the Spanish Monarchy, that some think it languishes under ill-Influences thereof to this very day; and a∣mongst the prime causes of its declension since, may reckon that disaster.