The journal of Monsr. de Saint Amour doctor of Sorbonne,: containing a full account of all the transactions both in France and at Rome, concerning the five famous propositions controverted between the Jansenists and the Molinists, from the beginning of that affair till the Popes decision. / Faithfully rendred out of French. ; A like display of the Romish state, court, interests, policies, &c. and the mighty influences of the Jesuites in that church, and many other Christian states, being not hitherto extant.

CHAP. XXVIII.

M. Hallier and his Collegues desire an audience of the Pope to complaine of the publick joy we testifi'd in Rome for the Declaration made to us by the Pope at our taking leave of him, which his Holinesse again confirmes to them. The General of the Augustines gives us Letters of Association to his Order. The Am∣bassador in a letter to the Count de Brienne Secretary of State gives the same account of the manner wherein we spoke of the Proposi∣tions and the Pope condemn'd them, that is declar'd in this whole Rela∣tion.

IT would be hard for me to expresse what comfort we receiv'd from the so advantageous declaration in favour of S. Augustin's doctrine and effectual Grace, which the Pope made to us in this audience.

The joy which appear'd in our countenances testifi'd the same to all that saw us go abroad; and 'twas a remarkable accident that M. Hallier, who was in the Pope's Presence-chamber when we came forth from his Holinesse, receiv'd at that very moment the first mortification by it. But he receiv'd more by the noise which this de∣claration of the Pope made immediately in Rome,

as well through our care to publish it, as through the satisfaction with which those who lov'd our cause and persons, (the number of whom was very great) communicated so agreeable newes one to another. Being there remain'd very few dayes before our departure which we determi∣ned to be on Monday or Tuesday following, we took occasion to tell it to all those friends and persons of greatest respect, of whom we were ob∣lig'd to take leave before our going away; and we did it as particularly as the scantnesse of time permitted, to the end we might have them as witnesses in case of need to certify that they heard us publickly and openly proclaime it before our departure, and that when the abovemention'd letter which we intended to write to the Bishops should be seen in France, our ordinary calum∣niators might not alledge that it was a feigned thing invented at pleasure to delude the world and secure us in some measure from the condemnation of our opinions which they boasted to have obtai∣ned. We related it not only to those whom we went to visite, but to many others of our acquain∣tance, who occasionally meeting us congratulated us for what they had heard others speak advanta∣geously of it, and desir'd us to confirm to them our selves, and particularly relate to them what had been told them but in grosse.

The report of the applauses which we received and the publick joy which we testified hereupon to all the world, so vehemently confounded M. Hallier and his Collegues, that they thought themselves oblig'd to go and complain thereof to the Pope on Monday following, to the end it might please his Holinesse before our departure, by some mortification to quash the advantages which we took from the said Declaration already, and might afterwards take (they said) to the pre∣judice of the Bull. I beleive they did not speak thus moderately; but being I could not know this passage otherwise then confusedly, and by the re∣port of those to whom they open'd themselves and spoke nothing of it but what they pleas'd, I choose rather to speak the lesse of it. The summe of all was this, that all that they could say to the Pope made no impression upon him, but he an∣swer'd them that being he had told us his mind and what he really thought, he could not dis∣like our relating it upon all occasions we pleas∣ed.

Besides the Ambassador whom we acquainted with it, we told it also amongst other Frenchmen, to M. Du-Noiset and M. Gueffier, as well in regard of the civilities for which we were oblig'd to them, as because they were two publick and unexcepti∣onable persons, and might witnesse it to such of their friends in France as should have the curiosity to write to them about it.

Moreover we went to tell it to the Generals of the Dominicans and the Augustines, and by the same means to all such Fathers as we knew, of those two Order in the Covent of S Augustin and in that of la Minerve. It so augmented the kind∣nesse and esteem which the General of the Augu∣stines had conceiv'd for us ever since our grand Audience on Rogation Monday, that seeing us up∣on the point of our departure, he was pleas'd to give every one of us a pledge of his good will and esteem of our persons. It was Letters of fili∣ation and Association to his Order, which he sent to our lodging by two of his Fathers, as I re∣member, on the Sunday before our departure; They were all dated on Saturday the 14th of June; the copy of that which was for me, is here subjoy∣ned, whereunto those for my Collegues were per∣fectly like.

Mag. Fr. Philippus Vicecomes Mediolanen. Or∣dinis Eremit. S. Augustini Prior Genera∣lis licet indignus: Admodum illustri D. D. Ludovico de Saint-Amour in sac. Facultate Parisiensi Doctori ac socio Sorbonico.

EOs qui de nostra sodalitate bene meriti sunt, vel in eam ipsam sunt optimè animati, sive piâ devotione propensi, facere non possumus, quin juxta nostram facultatem pietate prosequamur, eosdem{que} in optima erga familiam nostram voluntate, quan∣tum maximè cum Domino possumus, confirmatos reddamus. Quare nos multiformis gratiae Dei bonos dispensatores imitantes, harum serie ac vi litterarum & nostri officii authoritate, Te & Consanguineos tu∣os in primo gradu in benefactores nostri Ordinis assu∣mimus, & inter spiritualia nostrae Religionis castra annumeramus. Vobis{que} omnium Orationum, Mis∣sarum, Officiorum, Praedicatiorum, Contemplatio∣num, Jejuniorum, Vigiliarum, Disciplinarum, Obedientiarum, Peregrinationum, Caeterorum{que} la∣borum ac bonorum omnium quae per Fratres & Soro∣res nostri Ordinis universo Orbe Christiano constitu∣tos, divina ope fiunt, tam in vitâ quàm in morte, participationem ex Apostolicae sedis indulto concedi∣mus & impartimur. In nomine Patris †, & Filii †, & Spiritus Sancti †, Amen. Addentes insuper de nostra gratia speciali, ut cum obitus vester in nostris Comitiis generalibus, per Provincialem aut per alios fuerit nuntiatus, ea pro vobis fiant suffra∣gia, quae pro nostris defunctis Fratribus ac Sororibus facienda nostri Ordinis Constitutiones decernunt. In cujus rei fidem ac testimonium hasce litteras manu no∣stra subscripsimus, & sigillo nostri Officii muniendas curavimus.

Datum Romae in aedibus nostris die de∣cima quarta mense Junio anno 1653.

Signed, F. PHIL. VICECOMES GEN. IND.

and sealed with the seal of the Order, which is a Crucifix, at the foot whereof S. Augustin is upon his knees, with these words round about; Au∣gustinus lux Doctorum, malleus Haereticorum; Au∣gustin the light of Doctors and the maul of Here∣ticks.

On Sunday the 15th we went to take leave of the Ambassador, and give him our humble thanks for the many testimonies of good will which he had given us in sundry occasions during our re∣sidence at Rome. We intended to give him an ac∣count of what pass'd in our last audience of the Pope, but he prevented us and told us the particu∣larities thereof, as they are mention'd in the fore∣going letter. There were some of greater impor∣tance concerning a particular matter, which we durst neither tell him openly nor wholly be silent of, and which might not be set down in the

Narrative letter, as neither, may they in this Journal. And therefore we onely intimated some thing of them in general to the Ambassador, who dispens't with us from further explication by telling us that he understood the same suffici∣ently.

But what ever good offices we could receive from his courtesie, he never more oblig'd us and the Church with us, even when he expos'd his life so often for its service against the Infidels, or when he groan'd under their tyranny in a long captivity, then by writing a letter to the Count de Brienne Secretary of State upon the same 16th. of June that we writ to the Bishops; by which letter, (without thinking at all, as I believe, that it would ever come to our sight, or should be ser∣viceable to ours and the Pope's justification in reference to what aimes his Holinesse had in ma∣king his Constitution) he so clearly and briefly layes open the Pope's intentions, what we main∣tain'd in the Propositions, and what the Pope pretended to condemn in them; That I can∣••ot better conclude this sixth Part then by adjoyn∣•…•…g the subsequent copy of that letter.

A Copy of a Letter written June 16. 1653. by Monsieur le Bailly de Valency the King's Ambas∣sador at Rome to Monsieur the Count de Bri∣enne Secretary of State.

ON Thursday last I told the Pope that the Do∣ctors who bear the title of S. Augustin's de∣fenders were desirous to kisse his feet before their de∣parture, being ready to return into France. His Holinesse answer'd me that whatever businesse he might have, he would admit them to audience on Fryday morning; which he did and caress'd the Doctors extremely, and told them that he had not condemn'd the doctrine of S. Augustin or of S. Tho∣mas, or the point of Grace effectual by it self, lea∣ving this point and this controversy in the same posture as Clement VIII. and Paul V. left it; but that, being themselves had declar'd that the Five Propositions have three senses, one Calvinistical, one Pelagian, and one true and Catholik, they ought to be pronounc'd erroneous and temerarious, inas∣much as in a certain manner and intent they were heretical; and that indeed no Proposition which may have poison hidden under it ought to be pro∣pounded to the people, (as pastures where veno∣mous plants grow, ought not to be tender'd to sheep although the same contain abundance of wholsome herbs) for fear lest the poison be swallow'd una∣wares, the sheep not being able many times to discerne the good from the bad. Then the H. Father commended them and thanked them, &c.