Pope Urbane VIII. to his beloved Son Tobias Mathew Priest, and one of the Order of the Jesuits.
BEloved Son, Health and Apostolical Benedi∣ction. Your burning zeal for the salvation of souls, by which for so many years you have ap∣proved your self a diligent and faithful Workman in our Lord's Vineyard, deserveth its due praise and grateful remembrance from us. The truth is, the account of those troubles that you have gone thorough for the enlargement of the great∣ness of the Apostolical See, and that charitable zeal, whereby you have become all things to all men, that you may gain some, we have heard with a great deal of rejoycing. It becometh in∣deed such an Apostolical man (in imitation of the grand Apostle) for the glory and dignity of the Apostolical See, to become as a Jew to the Jews, and as one without Law to those who are without Law: Therefore when we had resolved to send our beloved Son Count Rosetti (a young man full of divine zeal) into Britain with power and authority of our Legate à Latere and Nuntio of the Apostolical See, we did account our selves freed and acquitted of all our Aposto∣lical anxiety and duty, when we had recommend∣ed him to your care: and upon that account we have commanded him to communicate to you all those instructions which are given to him, and subscribed by our beloved Son and Nephew, the most Reverend Cardinal Francisco Barbarino; and we conjure you by that zeal and respect you have for the dignity of the Apostolical Sea; yea, we charge and command you, that (so far as it is needful) you not only direct, advise and instruct our aforesaid Son and Nuntio in all things, but that you correct all his escapes and errors (which by reason of his youth he may easily be guilty of) that the glory and Dignity of the Apostolical See, may remain chaste and inviolate; and in short, that in all things, you be to him an Angel-Guar∣dian. We have indeed assured our self of a plen∣tiful Harvest from the labours of our foresaid Son and Nuntio (by the help of your Counsel) in the Catholick concern. Go on therefore be∣loved Son, do the work of an Evangelist, fulfil your Ministry, enkindle the Catholicks with a divine zeal: comfort them all, but chiefly those Amazones and Virago's for the Catholick cause, who (as we have had an account from our be∣loved Son Georgio Conneo) night and day do Champion-like fight for the glory and dignity of the Apostolical See. We neither distrust God nor his power; for as the Authority of the Apo∣stolical See was suppressed in the Kingdom of England by the power and influence of one Wo∣man, so now we hope by the help of so many Heroick and noble spirited Women, in a short time to have it restored in that Kingdom to its antient right and glory again: Pray therefore exhort and encourage them, to prosecute with a Masculine spirit the design on foot, and to go on in meriting from the Apostolical See, which hath an extraordinary and peculiar care and concern for that devouter Sex. We beseech the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to send you his holy Spirit to direct and preserve you in all things. Beloved Son, we send you again and again both the Apostolical and our Benediction. Given under our Signet at Rome in St. Peter's Pa∣lace, prid. id. Maii.
The cunning Steersman the Jesuit ('tis not in the least to be doubted) might look one way and row another, pretend a kindness for his Majesty and interest, and yet act underhand quite contra∣ry, pursuant hereunto were collections of Moneys made heretofore here in England by that party for the supply of the King's necessities, and by the procurement of the Queens Majesty to the value of twelve thousand pounds, or thereabouts, which was paid into the Exchequer; and this af∣fair managed by Seigneur Con the Pope's Resident with the Queen, Sir John Winter, Sir Knelme Dig∣by, Sir Basil Brooks, Mr. Walter Montague, and Mr. Foster; a person much valued by Seignieur Con, as appears by the Examinations of Sir Knelme Digby, and Mr. Mountague taken before a Com∣mittee of Parliament in January last past: All which Monies were made use of by his Majesty in the War against the Scots; which yet, as we have before intimated, was much influenced by the en∣deavours and actions of these men, and of the great Cardinal Richleu, as you may see before, Anno 1638. of these Annales p. 768. And yet not∣withstanding all these Intrigues they bore a mor∣tal enmity to the great Archbishop of Canterbury the great Pillar of our Church, and his late Ma∣jesties most intimate Counsellor, and indeed they had no small occasion or reason for their so do∣ing, for that his Grace having so great an influ∣ence upon the King, did openly in the Counsel complain of the insolency and haughty deport∣ment of Sir Knelme Digby, and Mr. Walter Moun∣tague in Court as well as of the audacious resort of the Papists to hear Mass openly said at Den∣mark-house, which he did in the presence of the King, with some expressions of vehemency, An∣no 1637. and in the following year writes his un∣answerable Book against the Jesuit Fisher, which one nameth the exactest piece of Polemique Divinity yet extant. These were injuries not to be for∣given by that Faction, and so the destruction of that eminent and learned Prelate became the great concernment of their interest.
We have told you before, that a Treaty was be∣gun at Rippon, but this was only a Treaty of Ces∣sation of Arms till the Parliament might meet, which the Scots and Scotiz'd party in England only aimed at, hereupon as to the remaining Articles upon the Scots and their desires, the Treaty was adjourned from Rippon to London, a place where both these had many Abettors, and where the Par∣liament was to convene, an oversight his Majesty upon the insolencies of the Tumults was very sen∣sible of, For, saith he, I am prone to think, that had I call'd this Parliament to any other place in England (as I might opportunely enough have done) the sad consequences in all likelihood with Gods blessing might have been prevented, a Parliament would have been welcom in any place, and no place afforded a conflu∣ence of so various and vitious humours, as that where it was unhappily convened, but we must leave all to God who orders our disorders, and magnifies his wisdom most when our follies and mis••ries are most discovered.