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 VI. What hapned after his returne to S. Omers, till he left that place.

NArrat. p. 19. §. 29. Th. White came to S. Omers on the 10. of Iune 1678 & on the 11. spoke Treasonable words against the King & Duke, in the presence of Rich. Ashby.

Narrat. pag. 19. §. 30. Th. White told Rich. Ashby a minister had endeauoured to render Iesuits odious, by Englishing their Morals, & the Prouincial sent the Deponent to England to kill the Translator, which the Deponent vndertook to do, hauing 50. l. reward promissed him by the sayd Prouincial. And the Prouincial sayd, hee & the Society London would procure the death of Dr. Stilling fleet, & Pool.

Obseru. All this was spoken by Mr. White in the presence of R. Ashby, & your self. Now the two first are gon to receiue their reward for their Actions & suffrings in the other world. Yet the dying speech of the former iustifyes him, & the later before his death signed an Attestation that all this is false. See At∣test. E.

Narrat. p. 19. §. 30. R. Ashby told the Deponent that the Rector of Liege, when he was Procurator at Paris, did reconcile the late Lord Chancelour Hyde vpon his death bed.

Obseru. When your Narratiue first appeared, this was news to all Iesuits in the World. The Rector of Liege declared, he neuer had the honour to see that Lord in his life: althô he would always haue been ready to do him any seruice.

Narrat. p. 20. §. 32. On the 23. of Iune, the Deponent was sent for England, to attend the Motions of the Fathers in London, with 4. l. for his charges, & a promise of 80. l. for his seruices in Spaine, & else where, &c.

Obseruat. Your Memory is as bad, as your Will. For not only in Ireland's triall pag. 20. but in the foregoing page of this Narratiue, you told vs, you were designed to kill the Translator of the Iesuits morals, with a promise of 50. l. if you did it. Now that Commission is forgotten, & the Reward too: and another pitcht vpon, to attend the motion of the Fathers. Tru it is, they did lend or giue you 4. l. to bear your charges to London, ether out of Compassion to a man, who myght otherwise haue starued by the way, or vpon your promise to repay it, when you sold your library. Whitebreads tryal. p. 43. But it is false, they recommended any businesse to you, besides the care of your saluation, which they thought you stood in need of. It is also fals they euer promist you 80. l. or that you euer did them any seruice in Spaine, except it was in exercising their Patience, by your vnsufferable manners, & Conuersation. You arriued at Valladolid on the 1. of Iune, 77. betwixt four & fiue in the euening, from which time till October the 18. (when schooles began) you did nothing, but eate, drink, & sleep. Then you went to Logick school till being found incorrigible, on the 30. of October following you were dismist. What seruices here are to deserue a Reward!

For a further proofe of your lack of sincerity, in this Relation. Many still aliue can witnesse, that things past in a far different manner betwixt you, &

Mr. White. This good man, being Prouincial, & arriuing at S. Omers, receiued an humble addresse, from you to be admitted into the Society. He had then no acquaintance with, & but little knowledg of you: yet that little did not re∣commend you much. So for that time he dismist you, with some good words in general, & some good aduice: & took time to informe vpon the place of your behauiour. This he quickly found to haue been intolerable as well to su∣periours, as to equalls: your words offensiue, your carriage insolent, your whole life irreligious without any sign of the fear of God, or respect of men much better then your self. He found, you had often been admonisht to correct these faults; but in vain, for the hopes of your amendment vanisht, assoon as the fear of a present dismission was past, althô with whining faces, great exteriour submission, & sober protestations, you had promist amendment, & had profred to submit to any correction, they should enjoin for what was past. But of this last, superiours made no other vse, then to comfort themselues with hopes, that you myght be at last brought to a more Christian disposition: for they would not permit, you should vndergo the Pennance inflicted on Children, althô you seemingly desired it, & really deserued it.

The mean while, in discourse with some aliue to whome you discouered your desires of being a Iesuit, they giuing you little encouragement to hope for good successe, as indeed those who knew you, had reason, you sayd: I shall ether be a Iesuit or a Iudas. And to another you sayd: If am not a Iesuit I shall be damned. When the Prouincial had informations as far, as was necessary to frame a Iudgment of your good parts & qualitys, he caused you to be called to his Chamber, & hauing told you what was blamed in you, & aduised you to be for the future more considerate in your words, & ciuil in your behauior, otherwise you would draw on your selfe some Mischiefe or at least be vnfit for any ciuil Company, he told you he thought it not conuenient to admit you into the society. This refusall you took as a great affront don to a man of your parts, that after all your hypocritical insinuations you should be reiected: So in a great Passion you sayd: By the liuing God, I will be reuenged. The nyght before you went from S. Omers, you were found vpon the Altar in the Sodality Church, with your armes streched out. And being asked what you did there, at that vn∣seasonable time? (it was late.) you answerd: I am taking my leaue of Iesus Christ. Vpon this I will make no Commentarys, nor guesse at your meaning, or inten∣tion; but only relate, as an extrauagant Action, as indeed all yours are: & I am of opinion, that those, who conuerse with you in England, since your return thither, can encrease this legend, if they please.

By this manner of your commission from S. Omers, the Reader will easily see

how falsse all your following relations are, of the Confidence of Iesuits with you, & their communicating their Letters, & Treasonable Designs to you. (see Attest. X.) So this myght serue for a generall answer. Yet I will follow you.

My Anonimus freind touches this Chapter p. 29. very gingerly, as being afraid to burn his fingers. J. P. like a man of more mettle falls on most des∣perately but to as little purpose: for hauing endeauoured to diuert his Reader with S. Francis wife, & stop my mouth with a Rasher of Bacon, he very grauely assures all I say, of his demanding to be admitted into the Society is fabulous, because our Attestations assure he was admitted into the Colledge six months before. I perceiue he makes no distinction betwixt being admitted, as Scholler into that Seminary, & being admitted into the Society, as if all the schollers were Iesuits. Whereas not one of the schollers ether is, or euer was one: & many neuer had the least thought ofentring into the Society. This he might haue learnt of his freind, & client Mr. Oates, had he desired to know the truth. The Reader may by this grosse errour learn how little these men regard what they say, whilest they contradict vs.

What I sayd here is tru, & our Attestations are tru too: & one truth cannot destroy another, though one falshood doth, as we find in Oates's Depositions. He entred the Seminary at S. Omers on the tenth of December 1677. as a Schol∣ler, & continued so, till Iune following He pretended then to be admitted into the Society, & demanded it of the then Prouincial. Who refused it, as thinking him vnfit, not only for the Society; but also for the Colledge it self & the Schollers; & for that reason ordred him to be sent away out of the Colledge. If I. P haue any common sense, he will vnderstand this; if not, I know not how to help him.

But he thinks it ill done of the Prouincial to dismisse Oates, who had declared, he should turn Iudas, & be damned, if he were not receiued. Answer: the Proui••cial had little probability to hope for better, if he were admitted, finding no amendment after so many admonitions, which gaue more reason to fear he would, if admitted, preiudice others, then to hope he would mend himself Had he been admitted, his bad manners would haue oblidged him to turn him out, how much more will it excuse his non admission? Doth not our B. Sauiour in his Ghospel order the stocking vp of the barren tree, & cutting off the fruitlesse branches of the vine? Did he not reiect a man, as vnfit to be his Disciple, who hauing put his hand to the plow, looked back? Lu. 9.62. Did not the Apostles & Apostolicall men of the Primitiue Church re∣trench from its body, with the Award of Excommunication such persons, as defiled it by their wicked life? Do not all communitys endeauour to purge

out such, as will not liue Peaceably with the rest? How then can the Prouin∣cial be blamed for an Action, the lawfulnesse whereof such a cloud of witnesses attest.