The cabal of several notorious priests and Jesuits discovered, as, William Ireland, Tho. White ... William Harcourt ... John Fenwick ... John Gaven ... and Anthony Turner, &c. : shewing their endeavors to subvert the government, and Protestant religion ... / by a lover of his King and countrey, who formerly was an eye-witness of these things.

CHAP. VI. Their Incroachments and Usurpations.

OF a thousand who speaks of the Jesuits Revenues, Nine hundred accuse them of Covetousness. I can safely say (without falshood) that to en∣large their possessions and encrease their revenues, they supplant and defraud the Widows and Orphans, not scrupling to oppress (even by false Contracts) the Tradesmen and the Poor. The Jesuits having taken the possession of the Priory of St. Macaire upon Garonne, when it was worth but 500 Crowns rent per annum, have by their inventions so augmented and improved it, that now

'tis worth above 2200 Crowns rent. After they once know that a poor Coun∣trey man hath not a clear Title to defend himself, 'tis nothing with them to sue him with some forged Manuscript and to cast him, you shall see more particu∣larly by the ensuing story. Malescot the Provincial and Sabbathery Procuror of that Province, had framed an Antidaie in the business of Tillack against Mr. Dedie, (a Gentleman and Citizen of Burdeaux:) This Antidate had been as se∣cret as several others they have forged, if Malescot the Provicial had not been so violent against Peter du Bois a Priest of their Society. The Provincial a bold and vindicative man was mistaken in taking Du Bois for an indiscreet and ti∣merous man: if Malescot had dissembled, this Priest had not divulged this thing farther; but threatning him and partly informing himself of him, that he and his procuror Sabbathery had forged this Antedate: Du Bois mistrusting these Interrogatories, and answering that one Riverius had told him of it, (who then was a Clerk of the College and now a Priest in the Bishoprick of Burdeaux, who punctually knew the thing,) he perceived by the Provincial's looks, that it concerned him to take heed to himself: He therefore took three of the chief∣est Priests and hid them in his Closset for witnesses, and having invited Rive∣rius into his Chamber, intreated him to relate again confidently, how this fal∣sification was done. Riverius (who thought he was alone with Du Bois) plain∣ly discovered their order and proceeding in making this Antedate, and the rea∣sons why they had done it thus, but intreated his Secrecy, For fear (said he) that some of us be hanged: Du Bois proving this before Mutius Vitelleshi, their General, requires Justice; the evil was so gross and their Spirits so exasperated, that he could not deny it them; therefore least the publick, and especially Mr. Dedie (who they feared) should know thereof, they first agreed and ended the Suit: And as intending to give satisfaction not so much to Peter du Bois as to Mr. Dedie, with a kind of daubed Justice, Sabbethery was removed, Du Bois was advanced into the Procurors office of the College of Bourdeaux, and the Pro∣vincial Malescot (the time of his Office being expired, instead of being sent to the Gallows, or according to the Monastical Laws shut up in a perpetual Prison, as a perjured Person and Imposture) was sent out of the Province as a kind of banishment, but it was effectually to be Rector of Tournon.