The secret history of White-Hall, from the restoration of Charles II down to the abdication of the late K. James writ at the request of a noble lord, and conveyed to him in letters, by ̲̲̲late secretary-interpreter to the Marquess of Louvois, who by that means had the perusal of all the private minutes between England and France for many years : the whole consisting of secret memoirs, which have hitherto lain conceal'd, as not being discoverable by any other hand / publish'd from the original papers, by D. Jones, gent.

LETTER XXVIII. (Book 28)

The Contents of Pope Innocent XI's third Letter to the French King, in answer to that of h••••; wherein he shews his Folly and Mistake in his Pretentions and Demands, and threatens the Censure of the Church against him, and shews the Inconveniency and Danger of setting up a Patriarch in France, &c.

My Lord,

I Wish your Lordship as much Satisfaction in the perusal of this Letter, as I have in keep∣ing my Promise made to you in my last about the Pope's third Letter; in getting Sight of the Minutes whereof, I have met with much greater Difficulty than I expected, or was usual with me; I have already hinted Monsieur Lavardin's Menaces made at Rome upon the subject matter of the former Letter; and therefore the Pope begins his with answering those Menaces, that imported that the King should affranchise France from the Roman See, nominate a separate Pa∣triarch there, ••and elect Bishops of his own without having any Recourse to the Bishop of Rome, and in the mean while invade the Pope's Territories with his Arms, and force the Fran∣chises for his Ambassador; and fiercely reply∣ing, That he is resolved, as in Conscience

bound to do, to transmit the Franchises and all other Rights of the Apostolick See to his Suc∣cessors as he found them.

That he would recognize or allow of no Bi∣shops of the King's nominating, till he had Sa∣tisfaction about the Regale; that if he would be so heady as to proce••d ••o nominate a new Pa∣triarch, it would make a greater combustion in his Kingdom than he was aware of, to which his Persecution of the Protestants would not a little contribute which he should find would be very unseasonable for him, and would in all likelihood raise all Christendom against him, as well as his own Subjects; that thereby he would make a wide Gap to let in an Inundation of He∣resies, which he pretends to keep out, and would teach the People after they had once tram∣pled on the Pope's Authority, to trample at last on that of the Bishops and King's too, and even on their very Persons, as they had done in England; and that when he had pulled down the mighty Dam of the Papal Power, and let that raging Sea in, it would be out of his Power to stop it where and when he would: wherefore he conjured him and his Clergy to consider seriously, yea twice and thrice of that weighty Project, before they went to put it in Execution, lest they might, when they found it too late, repent it, and in vain attempt to recal the same.

That he must not think to fright him with the Noise of an Invasion; for that tho' he would neither arm himself nor the rest of the Princes of Italy against him, as he might do, but oppose only Prayers and Tears, yet if he desi••••ed not from his pretended Regale and Franchises, he would excommunicate Lavardin

his Embassador, and interdict his Kingdom, and and set it in such a Flame about his Ears, as should make him glad to go tamely back again, and look after his own Home; that after all, should he sack and Plunder Rome, captivate his Person, and have all other Successes he could imagine, it would be a very inglorious Expedi∣tion for Lewis the Great, the eldest Son of the Church, and such a pretended Bigot for it, for to ravage its Territories and assault the supreme Pastor of it with those Arms with which he was bound to defend it; and but a small Triumph to so great a Conqueror to over-power and marty∣rise a poor, helpless and unarmed old Man, as he was, for whom some of his Predecessors would have been content to have become Mar∣tyrs themselves; and therefore conjures him to think once more very seriously of it, and then to act as he pleased, but withal assures him, That neither his Menaces nor his Arms shall make him flinch an Hair's breadth from those his last Resolutions, wherein he was fully re∣solved to persist to the last Drop of his Blood. Thus, my Lord, you have the brave Resolution of a Roman Pontiff, who, tho' the Title and Dignity of Christ's earthly Vicegerent be falsly ascribed to him, yet undoubtedly he is possessed of a Soul above that of common Mortals, and whom I therefore honour and esteem, as I have always done and ever shall your Lordship, who am,

My Lord,

Your most humble Servant

Paris, June 28. 1687.