A vindication of the English Catholiks from the pretended conspiracy against the life, and government of His Sacred Maiesty discovering the cheif lyes & contradictions contained in the narratiue of Titus Oates. The 2. edition with some additions: & an answer to two pamplets printed in defence of the narrative. Jtem a relation of some of Bedlows pranks in Spain, & Oate's letter concerning him.

CHAPTER IV. Periuryes deliuered from §. 9. to § 27. Containing what he heard & read at S. Omers.

NArrat. p. 5. §. 9. R. Strange & nine other Iesuits writ a letter to R. Ashby, that they had procured a man to stab the King at Whitehal: & if that sue∣ceeded not, a Physitian should Poison him. And that P. Leshee had procured ten thousand pound for it.

Obseru. you deliuer here two Periuryes. The 1. that R. Strange writ any such letter. This is most false see Attest. G.

The 2. that nine Iesuits subscribed with their Prouincial. This was neuer don by Iesuits. see Attest. C.

To hear you speake, a man would think nothing more ordinary in Iesuits letters then to write of poysoning, shooting, stabbing, cutting-off, dispatching, &c. Kings. Yet I hear that most or all their Letters of seuerall yeares were found & pervsed by Authority, & not one word found insinuating any such thing. Which sufficiently confutes your storyes of this nature.

Narrat. p. 6. §. 10. The same Fathers writ other Letters to Leshee, with thank for his Charity, & care of propagating the Catholick Religion. Which Letters the Deponen carryed to S. Omers, & thence to Paris, & deliuered them into the hands of Leshee.

Observ. your whole Iourny to Paris, is a Fable you arriued at S. Omers on the 10. of December stilo nouo, & stayed there till the 23. of Iune, excepting only two days which you past at Watten. see Attest. D. X. I heare that when you were asked in what house of the Iesuits you saw P. de la Chaize (that is his name) you answered in the Iesuits house, which is close by or next dore to the King's Pa∣lace,

the Louure. If this be tru, it shews you as great a stranger to P. De la Chaize, as by another answer it appeared you were to Don Iohn,

Narrat. p. 6. §. 11. R. Ashby shewd the Deponent at his return from Paris a letter from R. Strange & others in London, shewing that they had stirred vp to Rebellion the Seots Presbiterians, & that 20000. would be in Armes, if France broke with En∣gland. That a way was made for french to land in Irland. That Irish Catholicks would rise, & 40000. Blacke bills were ready for them.

Obseruat. Here you haue as many Periuryes, as Periods. for

• 1. You neuer returned from Paris, hauing neuer beene there. see Attest. D.
• 2. Neuer was such a letter written. see Attest. G.
• 3. No English Iesuit euer dealt with scots Presbiterians.
• 4. Nor Irish Papists disposed to Rebell.
• 5. Nor any Blackbills prepared.
• 6. Nor way made for French Landing.

Narrat. p. 7. §. 12. F. By letters of the 18. of December it was specifyed that Tho∣mas White, alias Whitebread was made Prouincial; who ordred F. Georg Coniers to preach in the Sodality Church on S. Thomas of Canterbury's day agvinst the Oaths of Allegiance & supremacy; & exhorted the Fathers to stand by the new Prouincial, who would be as Zealous to promote Religion, as his Predecessor.

Obseru. you giue here a whole couy of Lyes. first Mr. Thom. White breade was not declared Prouincial till the 14 of Ianuary 1678. soe could not order that sermon for S. Thomas day in December, before he had any power to order.

Againe it is impertinent to say the Prouincial at a distance should order, who should make a particular sermon. That is left always to the Rectors, who being vpon the Places know the conuenience, which each one hath for such a task.

Thirdly it is fals, that he was ordred to preach against the Oaths. He himself & those who heard that sermon, protest there was not one word of the Oaths in it. And this appeares in the Copy he keepes of it.

4. It is a fiction of your shallow braine, to say that F. Coniers should be ordred to exhort all to standby their new Prouincial. This was neuer practised. Assoon as the Prouincial is declared & all acquainted with it, each one knows his Duty to him: & comply with it without any further exhortation. And if this should haue been necessary, F. Con. would not haue been employed in it, who (althô of excellent parts, & great expectation,) yet is amongst the youngest. Nether was the sodality Church a place conuenient for such a sermon, this being a place designed for the Deuotion of the schollers, whither the Fathets rarely come. As great confident as you make your self of Iesuits, you do not know the place,

where their domestick Exhortations are made, at S. Omers. Lastly, those letters were of the 18. of December, say you, from London, which according to the Newstile is the 28. the day before S. Thomas of Canterbury's. I desire you to tell vs, what man in his senses would write from London beyond seas, to be speake a sermon for the next day? And if any was so mad, how his Letter could be deliuered in time, as you say this was, or else you are Periured?

Narr. pag. 7. §. 13. Thomas Whitebread & twelue others whom you name, & more whom you do not name by Letter dated the 26. of December ordred, that R. Ashby should write to F. Leshee that they had met to contriue the aduancement of the Design of the happy Disposal of his Majesty, & of his R. H. if he answered not their expectation.

Obseru. Your first Periury is that so often noted, of many Iesuits writing letters with their Prouincial. Which is neuer practised.

Your second, that Thom. White was Prouincial on the 26. of December 77. he was not declared till the 14. of Ianuary following.

Your 3 that there were in any Letter such contents. see Attest. G E Indeed if they had a Design to giue such informations to P. Leshee, they would haue directed their letters streyght to him: vnlesse you pretend they could not write Latin in which Iesuits are seldom defectiue. But why they should send such a letter to S. Omers, thence to be conueyghed to Paris, I know not except it were, with intention it should be shown to you, theyr great Agent.

Narrat. p. 8. § 15. In the same Letter was specified that Richard Nic. Blundel was by Patent from the Prouincial made Ordinary of Newgate to visit the condemned Pri∣soners: & to Catechize some youth in the City of London whom he teacheth Treasonable & mutinous Doctrines.

Obseru. You here deliuer many Periuryes, the first is that there euer were any such Letters, as I sayd already.

The 2. that Iesuits should become Ordinarys. Their being ordinary is a thing vn∣heard of euen in Catholick countrys.

The 3. That this was don by Patent from the Prouincial. The Prouincial giues no office by patent.

The 4. That that Father (whose name you know not) should teach the youths Treasonable & mutinous doctrine. This is not only fals; but improbable also: & Iesuits myght be begged for fooles, if they deliuered such doctrines to Children, or youths.

If the Prouincial did employ one in works of charity, did order him to visit the Prisoners, sent to them som Almes, according to his ability, recommended to the same Person, to comfort the vnfortunate condemned Persons in their

desolate condition, to exhort them to sorrow for their sins, which brought them to that disgracefull end, & to prepare them to end well this miserable life if I say he did so, & did it out of these motiues I know none besides your self so great an Atheist as to blame him for it. The Thing is so conformable to ryght Reason, & soe cleerely recommended in the Ghospel (Mat. 25.36.) that he must renounce both, who condemnes it.

Narrat. p. 9. §. 15. Other Letters dated on the 1. or 2. of Ianuary came to R Ashby from Thom. White, & others, ordring them to perswade the D. de Villa-Hermosa, that the K. of England would not assist Spain in this war. That Fonseca sent his Letter to S. Omers from Bruges to be sent for Spain to inform that King, that the English Marchants endeauoured to transport their estates, & to aduise him to seize on them.

Obseruat. I will note here only two of your Periuryes: The first, that many Iesuits ioyned to giue those orders, & signed those Letters. Which was neuer done, as is often noted.

A second that Thom. White as Prouincial writ them. He was not Prouincial, till the 14. of Ianuary, & came not to London, till about the 12 so could haue no hand in these pretended Letters, dated on 1. or 2. as you say. But more of these letters, on the next §.

You seem quite thorough your fabulous Narratiue to represent S. Omers, as the center of all Iesuits Transactions & Letters. Those from or for London, Bru∣ges, Brusselles, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Vienna, Valladolid, &c. all passe that way. For what reason I know not, vnlesse it were, because that great man, you Mr. Titus Oates, was there: for all who know S. Omers, know there is scarse a con∣siderable town in the low country's worse serued with Letters, then that, whilest it was vnder the Obedience of the Spaniards. Which is in som manner amended since it changed its Master; yet still it yeilds to most other townes of the same bignesse in certaine & speedy correspondence. Nether can you pretend it should be in consideration of the Colledg, seing that of Liege take places of it. But you were at S. Omers & as the loadstone draws Iron, soe you drew all correspon∣dence to you.

Narrat. p. 10. §. 16. On the 3. of Ianuary in the after noon when the Letters aboue mentioned came from England E. Neuil, & Th. For nor in the Iesuits library at S. Omers, sayd: they would not let. . . . . the King go to his Graue in Peace, & that the Duke's Pasport was ready when be should appear to sail them.

Obseru Seing you heard these words when the Letters were receiued, you neuer heard them, for there were no such Letters. see Attest. E. K. Q.

Your vntruths in this & the precedent article doe interfere. These Letters were written at London, on the 1. or 2. let it be on the 1. it must be on the 2.

early before they left London, & you say here they were receiued on the 3. at S. Omers, in the morning for on the afternoon you heard that discourse after their receipt. Now I appeal to the Post-Officers, whether Letters goe at that rate, as to be in little more then 24. houres carryed from London to S. Omers. Vnlesse you will pretend that the Jesuits vsed some winged Mercury or Eastern Pigeons, for their Messengers. And if we consider that Letters from London are dated always according to the old stile, & days counted at S. Omers according to the new, those Letters dated on the 1. or 2. & receiued on the third must haue been receiued 8. or 9. days before they were written. What think you, sir, Are not these pretry fables to trouble the world with?

Narrat. p. 10. §. 17. Letters were sent by Richard Ashby & seuen other Iesuits of S. Omers, & by F. Williams, & two others of Watten to the Emperour's Confessor to acquaint the Emperour that the K. of England had treatherously plotted the ruin of the Confederates, & the German Empire especially, that he had sticred vp the Hungarian Rebels, & found them mony to go on with their Rebellion, &c.

Obseru. There neuer was any such Letters or Letter as you mention. Not one of all those named by you euer receiued, or sent any Letter from or to the Emperour's Confessor. see Attest. E. K. O. Q And we need no further disproof of this fable then to see so many Iesuits writing the same Letters: which is a transcendental fiction.

Narrat. pag. 11. §. 18. Letters from Talbot Arch Bp. of Dublin exprest the vigilancy of Iesuits in Ireland to prepare People to rise. That in case of war with France a place should be open to receiue the French army, & that E. N. & W. B. carryed this intelligence to F. Leshee.

Obseru. All this is false. All the Iesuits of S. Omers vnanimously protest they neuer heard of any Letters but by the Narratiue: & none went to Paris, on any such account. see Attest. E.

Narrat p. 12. §. 19. Letters subscribed by Thom. White, turned the speeches of his Majesty, & the Lord Chancellour, & the votes of Parliament into Burlesque, & gaue notice that Pickering's attempt vpon the King miscarryed, the flint of his pistol being Loose. Whose negligence afflicted them all.

Obseru. I wonder you did not say, that Mt. White writ Lamentations on so dolefull a subject as that miscarriage was: but that in such a dolefull conjuncture he should be so pleasant, is very extraordinary to all, who know how far he was always from that Ioaking Leuity. The meane while both points of this Letter were as greate news to the Iesuits at S. Omers, as to any in England, for not one of them euer heard of them, till you began to deceiue the world with your Periuryes.

Narrat. p. 13. §. 20. Charles Peters on the 29. of Ianuary spoke treasonable words of the late King Charles I.

Obseru. Here is another of your groundlesse Periuryes. see Attest. O. The sayd Mr. Peters protests he neuer heard nor dreamt of that foul Calumny till he saw your Narratiue. Which confirmes me in that opinion, that these storyes you had from your Father during the troubles, which now you spreade vnder the name of Iesuits, to make them odious, & the Royal family contemptible. Let those to whome it belongs consider, whither this be suffrable in a Kingdom.

In your following Items 21.22.23. & 24 we haue nothing but your cold Cabbadge serued vp againe, more Letters containing like treasonable matters. Against all stand our old exceptions: that neuer were any such Letters written Were euer any such Letters intercepted? were euer any such found? or any thing. like them? no. after two yeares & a halfes search the world is as far from any lyght as at first: & all still relyes on your worthlesse word, or more worthlesse Oath. All persons named to haue ether written or receiued those Letters protest they neuer heard any thing of them but from you. Soe I will score them all vp together amongst your Periuryes: & passe to your 25. § where there is some∣thing new.

Narrat. p. 16. §. 25. Th. White, & other Iesuits writ a Letter on the 10. of March, in which were very reproachfull contemptible expressions of the Clergy.

Obseru. You throw here an Apple of Discord on purpose to sow Diuision betwixt the Clergy & the Society. But you will misse of your aim: for the words beare so euidently the Caracter of your wit, that we need not seek their Authour. Nether Mr. White, nor Iesuit euer spoke such words or entertained such vndervaluing thoughts of that great Body, in which are many men ad∣mirable for learning & virtu, who by their infatigable labours haue eminently deserued of God, the Church, & their country. Hence I am perswaded none of them euer harbour'd any suspicion of such words being really spoken being conscious of their own worth, & that they are aboue such vnworthy reproa∣ches, which none can easily beleiue were truly sayd of them, but who think they deserue them. Had you moderated your Malice, & mollified your ex∣pressions, you had found more credit, & by aiming at lesse hurt, would haue done more. Whereas by ouerdoing the thing you haue don iust nothing; & your Calumny like the spe are in the fables cures the wound it makes.

Besides this, we haue those generall exceptions against this pretended Letter First that many Iesuits signed it, & secondly, that none aliue euer heard of it, but out of the Narratiue. see Attest. E.

Narrat. p. 16. §. 26. The Deponent saw a Letter from Th. White, mentioning

that Attempts had been made to assasfinate the King in the Park, & on his way to the Parliament by William, & Pickering, but opportunity did not offer it self: for which the former was chidden, the later had twenty strokes with a Discipline.

Obseru. Here is another sleeuelesse fable, of which no body euer heard, but by your Narratiue. I defire you to giue the world a reason, why William should only be Chidden, & Pickering whipt? or vpon what score Mr. White should be more meek to one, ouer whom he had iurisdiction, then another ouer whom he had none? For William was you say his man, & Pickering, was of another order. Again, why should he be angry with them if opportunity did not offer its self? If you had sayd, an opportunity presented it self, & was let slip, you had sayd something which myght displease a man so hot vpon that design as you describe M. White to be. I suppose in the fuller account, you threaten the world with, you will correct this absurdity, as you haue done al∣ready some others, in this.

To this I find no reply, but only in I. P. that Pickering was vnder the hire of the Iesuits, & in Anonimus, that he was, a bigotted Preist. Which are as much to the purpose, as Grantham steeple to Godwinsanas, althô granted to be tru: when really they are false: for Pickering was not Preist; but a Lay-Brother, & neuer was taken from the Chappel by Iesuits.

Narrat. p. 17. §. 27. Letters from T. White, & others of the 5. of April, gaue an account, that W. M. & M. L. were returned from Ireland: who sayd 40000. Irish horse & foot were ready to rise at ten days warning: that many Persons had recei∣ued Commissions from the General of the Iesuits. And that the Prouincial summoned a Ge∣neral Consult, to be held at London. And that the Deponent was summoned to assist at it, as a Messenger from Father to Father.

Obseru. You haue not a word of Truth in all this Item, except the calling of the Congregation which was not don in April but in March, to the end, those who were at a great distance myght prepare for the Iourny: so euen in that you embroder a ly vpon a tru ground. F. Louel neuer was in Ireland: nor F. Morgan in that, or the two precedent yeares The 40000. men were neuer any where, but in your addle head, & false Narratiue. It would haue cost you no more to haue put 400000. & all had been alike tru. Of the Commissions I shall speak here after. Of the Congregation, in the following Chapter.