The history of popery, or, Pacquet of advice from Rome the fourth volume containing the lives of eighteen popes and the most remarkable occurrences in the church, for near one hundred and fifty years, viz. from the beginning of Wickliff's preaching, to the first appearance of Martin Luther, intermixt with several large polemical discourses, as whether the present Church of Rome be to be accounted a Church of Christ, whether any Protestant may be present at Mass and other important subjects : together with continued courants, or innocent reflections weekly on the distempers of the times.

THE COURANT.

Tory.

NAY, now all's out—I thought this 'twould come to at last, for D—me if I did not always suspect as much. I ever lookt upon Catholics as fine civil Gentlemen, and for their Church, I have a great Veneration, because she is a true Church, and a Mother Church, and their Worship is very glo∣rious and decent. What an absurd thing 'tis to imagine, that ever such Holy Loyal Men as their Priests are, should be guilty of Treason? Yet I did but say a Twelve-month ago there was no Popish Plot, and a Whiggish Son of a Whore gave me a slap i'th' Face, and threaten'd me with Newgate, for presuming to give the King and Three Parliaments the Lye. But it should seem Tempora mutantur, I hope e're long a Man may say, and swear too, That there never was any such Plot at all, with Impunity and without Controul.

Truem.

Prethee, what makes you so merry about the Gills this Morning? Hast thou been at Breakfast with the Painter at Aldersgate on his Whig-Pye, whose Crust was made of Gammer Celier's Meal, and baked in the red hot Oven of Dr. Tantivy's Skull?

Tory.

No, no, but on a better Dish by half; have you not seen Nat. Thompson's Loyal Intelligence. Numb. 98?

Truem.

Honest! and Loyal! quotha? If to invent and pub∣lish continual Lies and Scandals, be honest; if to abuse Go∣vernment with false Reports, engage publickly to vindicate Pa∣pists in all Cases, divide His Majesty's Protestant Subjects, and in a word, to do all that the Devil can suggest to imbroil the Na∣tion, be to be Loyal; then your Thompson may claim those Titles.

Tory.

Pshaw! this is only spight, because he there openly tells all the World, That the pretended Popish Plot was nothing in the World but a meer Contrivance of old Dr. Tongue's.

Truem.

Yes, and he contriv'd the Gunpowder-Treason too, and brought in the Spaniards in 88. He murder'd Sir Edm.

Godfrey, [or else he kill'd himself, as L'Estrange modestly hi••ts in his last Observator.] 'Twas Tongue writ all the Letters from Coleman, and the rest of the folks at St. James's, to La Chese, and the Devil knows who besides. 'Twas Tongue—

Tory.

Leave your Fooling—young Tongue out of pure Re∣morse of Conscience will prove it.

Truem.

Leave your Roguing, and your pitiful ridiculous Sham∣mings; has not this very young Tongue set forth at large how he was at first Trapan'd to suggest that Story against his Father, in a Book printed by Mr. C—in the New Exchange, but, for I know not what reasons, stifled, and never suffer'd to be publisht? Has not this young Tongue an hundred and an hundred times, with Tears in his Eyes, bewail'd and repented of that unnatural Villany? Nay, but a fortnight ago he voluntarily declar'd, That the sense thereof lay so heavy upon him, that if ever he got out of Prison, (where he was like to starve, and had scarce Clothes to cover his Nakedness) he would forthwith Transport himself to the West-Indies; for his shame for that false and wicked Accu∣sation was so great, that he should not be able to walk the Streets. And is this pitiful Tool again furbusht up to make a new Attaque? But on the contrary, what if this be only a Contri∣vance of the Popish Traytors, and their Implement Nat? What if herein he most impudently abuses both old Tongue and young Tongue, and the public? Then no doubt His Majesty's most Ho∣nourable Privy-Council, the Judges, and all Inferiour Magi∣strates, and every Protestant English-man, will think it necessary to punish exemplarily the Villain, that in Print has broach'd such an horrid Scandal on the Honour, Justice, Prudence, and Safety of the Nation. For what that desperate pragmatic Huszy Celliers publisht in her Libel, for which she was deser∣vedly Pillory'd, was nothing so mischievous in its Nature and Tendency, as that which Thompson in this Paper does audaciously affirm; for which, if he scape Scot free, it must be by the strength of that Proverb—The Devil helps his Children.