The secret policy of the Iansenists, and the present state of the Sorbon. Discovered by a doctour of that faculty, who having learnt Iansenisme when he studied divinity, vnder a master that taught it there publickly, has been since disabused, & followes the Catholick party. / Translated out of the French copie.

The fift Meanes. To gain seculars, & engage them to their Partie.

Being thus prepared, they bent all their thoughts and endeavours, to find favour a∣mongst Catholiks, and despairing to get it but of the Clergy or Laity, they did their best to gain both; & first the Prelats, Curats & simple Priests, by thes meanes: Giving every one of them all possible honour according to his degree: Often praysing them, yet without affectation: Extolling their caracters, dignities, & functions: Obligingly & with zeal of their glory, insinuating the obligation which God has layd vpon them, to governe soules, to reforme the present conduct of the Church, to give a lustre to the Ecclesiastical state, & to depress Religious, who by their spiritual direction, have entrenched vpon the right & practise of the secular Clergy: Encouraging them to Sermons, Catechisms,

& spiritual conferences, to get the reputa∣tion of knowing & devout men: Setting a high valew vpon their Books & direction, to draw the people after them inculcating in their Books, Sermons, & private discourses, that the people are bound, to be directed in their consciences by secular Priests: Casting a scruple vpon thos that suffer themselves to be directed by Religious persons: Main∣taining that all disorders amongst Christians, have proceeded from the inverting this or∣der, & bringing plausible proofs of it from the ancient government of the Church, to persuade the world, that their only endea∣vour is to reestablish it: Offering relief to those that are in need of it: In fine leading them according to their predominant inclina∣tion, the noble & learned by honour & glory the ambitious by dignities, the poor & co∣vetous by pensions, the fervent & zealous by reformation of manners. In a word profes∣sing to all, a great passion for their spiritual & temporal advantages.

Besides all thes meanes, they fell vpon a design of setting vp assemblies of Priests, to teach them the ceremonies of the divine offi∣ce, the administration of Sacraments, the se∣cret of a spiritual life, & way of directing con∣sciences; & withall to instill their new doctrin,

craftily mingled with things so holy and so profitable.

Having thus agreed vpon the way, how to conquer the secular Clergy, which they allways esteemed a matter of highest concern, not only because the flock of Christ would easily fall into their snares, but also because the Pastors being once corrupted, would of themselves lead their sheep to the wolves that seek to devour them: They fell vpon the means how to draw in the Laity.

Wherfore they resolved to gain the esteem of the Great ones by their elaborare & commo∣dious sermons; by their sweet & polish'd lan∣guage, by their curious & winning conversa∣tion, by the repute of men wel versed in anti∣quity, in the holy Fathers, & in the Maximes of a good Moral: by opinions differing from the common strain, but not altogether, new: by a thousand testimonies of honour, & a world of curtesies vpon all occasions: & by taking still their measures according to the present circumstances & every ones nature, & interest, praysing or reprehending, ap∣proving or rejecting, & pvtting on all sorts of persons, according to the rules of a most exact complaisance.

As for the Ladies, they were persuaded, that the way to insinuate themselves into their

favour, was by modesty and sweetnes: by a pritty effeminate kind of way in pronoun∣cing: by neat & proper language: by devout sighs: by often casting vp their eys towards heaven: by an extraordinary kind of devo∣tion dressed vp in a n••w phrase: by Books cu∣riously bound: by discourses of Predestina∣tion, liberty & grace, by a moderate and wel managed ostentation of a new secret, to guide souls, vnknown to other Confessors & Dire∣ctors: by visits contrived to please their hu∣mours: by marks of an entier and pure con∣cerne for their sanctification: by slighting as it were by chance all Confessors, Dire∣ctours & spiritual Books, that are not accord∣ing to their model and conduct: by a con∣tinual yealding to their inclinations, be∣cause they are commonly taken with the love, esteem, honour, prays & observance which men give them.

For the People, they did not question but modesty, short hayre, litle bands, moderate sleeves, long cloakes, long & frequent prayers in the Church stately ceremonies in the di∣vin Office, great almes, severe penances, bitter invectives against the softnes of their first Di∣rectours: in a word all that exteriour beha∣viour which caries the caracter of a great re∣formation, would soon gain their approbation, & a tendernes of hart for their new opinions.