Certaine briefe notes vpon a briefe apologie set out vnder the name of the priestes vnited to the archpriest. Dravvne by an vnpassionate secular prieste friend to both partyes, but more frend to the truth. VVhereunto is added à seuerall ansvveare vnto the particularites obiected against certaine persons

TO THE VNI∣TED PRIESTS.

MY Reuerend and dee∣rely beloued in our sauiour the vnited Priests, the supposed Authors of a brief Apolog. vvhich is sett out vnder your na∣mes, against certaine venerable Priests, an∣cient and constant Confessors your brethren & companions in this fight against hereti∣kes, and defence of the Catholike cause, by you yet termed & called Discontented Bre∣thren, I haue seene and read that Apologie not vvithout great greife and sorrovve of mynd, to see the, children of one happy and vertuous father (I meane that learned pious man of vvorthy and famous memorie Card. Allē) to be so amongst themselues de∣uided, to be so in hart and mynde seperated, to be so in loue and affection disvnited, that

the one parte vvriteth against the other vvhat doe I say, vvrite? nay doe so calumniat one an other, and as it vvere teare in peeces the fame, name, and good renovvne, one of the other. A lamētable case no doubt to see such as are in durance and fetters for the faith, so farre from Charitie; to see holie Confessors and designed martyrs so farre from brother∣ly loue and affection: to see such good Priests quite forgett the second cheifest precept of Christian Religiō vvhich is Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum. hovve can any man be persvvaded that you loue your selues or your ovvne soules helths, that doo not loue your egall Christian, men of your ovvne coa∣te and qualitie? men of your ovvne educatiō, vvith vvhome you haue been brought vp in the hame house, in the same studie, and at the same table. I doubt not but that blessed prela∣te doth see it ƲƲiih greate cōpassion; as I myself one of his eldest children, and one of your aucientest brethren doo most hartely. Seeing therefore this dissention among you, and my fathers house as it vvere ou fyre, imitating that holie man Aphraates of vvhom Nic••phe∣rus maketh mention, * 1.1 I haue gotten out of myne hermitage, that is, I haue left for a time my lavve bookes, and am come to aduertise you my vnited brethren frendly and bro∣therly of 2. things especially. The first is, that if you be the Authors of this Apologie, that

then you leave and desist to pursue this con∣tention and controuersie, because you hane the vvorser end of the staffe; and defend a∣gainst your conscience and knovvledge (as in these notes is manifestly proued) an vniust and ruinous cause. The other, yf you be not the Authours (as I suppose you are not) that then you doe not suffer your selues to be any longer abused, and your names to be borrovved, to th'end to continue cōtention and dissention betvveene you and your bre∣thren, to one of these, to consent or satisfie you are bound in conscience. for hovve can you or dare you being in persecution and as it vvere at the persecutors disposition, be∣ing once aduertised of your faulte and errors, continue still in the same, vvithout a notori∣ous marke of obstination, vvch is the mo∣ther of heresie? And vvith vvhat conscience can you lend your names not onely to the continuing and furthering of contētion: but also to the debasing, disgracing and defama∣tion of your ovvne coate & vocatiō, yea and to the defacing of your ovvne selues as is oftē noted ād tolde you in these notes. I haue doō myne endenour to vvarne and aduertise you, it is your part to follvve the good counsell of a frend, and especially of a common frend, as you all doo knovve, I am vnto you all, both vnited & discontented. For myne ovv∣ne part, (as I hane often protested & stil doe)

I am not passioned, nor leaning more to one side then thother, nor affectioned more to thone, then to thother: but have many moe deere frends amongst thvnited then amongst thother. Yet the truth vvhich is to be prefer∣red before all vvorldly ftendship, and the in∣finite faultes of this Apologie, haue driuen me to runne amongst you vvith Aphraates, to see if I can quench the fire, that begynneth to ruynate and destroy our Saluiours church at home in our contrey: by shevving you hovve vniustly you receued the Archp. vpō a Cardinals letters, hovv scandalouslie and falsely your brethren for their iust resistance vvere sclandered to be schismaticks: and hovve vniustly and vncharitablie the Archp. and Iesuites after the Popes bull vvas comē, ād their submissiō made thereto, these vvere nevvlie & freshlie slandered to be schisma∣ticks for the former occation. I doe heere shovve you that these are the cheifest points novve in controuersie, that your brethren had both lavve and reason for them, that this your Apologie is so farre from cōming nee∣re to these questions, and the handlinge the∣re of, thath it hath not ansvveared any one of abdoue 30. Reasons, vvhich your brethrē bring for their defence. Hovve can you by this kinde of vvriting, I vvill not saie satis∣fie your reader, but your ovvne conscience and knovvledge? This paine I haue taken

both for your sakes, and your readers also, to thend they be not deceiued by this Au∣thor vvhosoeuer he be. yf you take it in good part, and vvith that affection that I vvrott it, I shall haue thought my paines vvell em∣ployed: but if you take it in euill part I can∣not doo vvith all, myne intention being to doe good. Yf you replie, I vvil triplicat as vvell as I can. Yf you shall iudg me partiall, in tyme and place I vvill prooue the contrarie, soe that you shall beconstrained to confesse as much. yf by this meanes I shall open but somme of your eyes and make you to con∣ceiue the indignitie of the thinge I haue my desire. I beseech God so open your harts and eyes, that you suffer not your selues to be carried avvaie hereafter vvith toyes and tri∣fles, as it seemeth hitherto you haue beene, and to give you the grace to looke more dee∣pely in to the matter, and not permitt your selues and your names to be borrovved & a∣bused for the extolling of somme and the de∣pression of your selues and of your qualitie, and vocation, as you haue suffered hitherto, to your ovvne discredit, the contynuance of strife, hindrance of the cath: faith, Gods dis∣honour, and our contreyes great hurt, and so I committ me self to your deuout Memen∣to, and to your chaynes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lib. 11. c. 25.