A further discovery of the mystery of Jesuitisme in a collection of severall pieces representing the humours, designs, and practises of those who call themselves the Society of Jesus.

CHAP. III. An enditement of Encroachments and Anti∣dates put in against the Jesuits.

THose things whereof most men agree in their judge∣ments, are commonly grounded upon some truth. Of a thousand people in France that shall take occasi∣on to speak of the revenues of the Jesuits, nine hun∣dred shall accuse them of being too much inclined to the things of this world, and I dare affirm, without running the hazard of doing truth any injury, that to procure them they make nothing to supplant Orphans and Widdows, nay, think it not much to oppress, by false contracts, tradesmen, and the poorest sort of people. When I was sent to preach in their Priories, and was accordingly obliged to hear the complaints and lamentations of those afflicted people whom the Agents of the society had, by pure quillets and surpri∣ses in the Law, deprived of those little inheritances which had quietly passed from Father to son, I could not forbear blushing, insomuch, that the confusion,

wherewith my face was covered, proved an argument to those innocent souls, that I had no hand in their rapines.

But not to insist upon the particular proof of a truth, which the tears of so many that suffer thereby, suffici∣ently confirms, it shall be enough to produce one ex∣ample by way of argument that shall take away all an∣swer and further objection. The Jesuits having taken possession of the Priory of St. Macaire upon the Garonne, at a time when it was worth but five hundred Crowns per ann. they have found out so many inventions to im∣prove it, that it is at this day very well worth twelve thousand Livers a year: which how it could be brought to that height without the destruction of houses and ruine of Families, I leave it to be considered. The Mannor book which Francis Souiller made of the te∣nements of that Benefice, heretofore so little and now so big, discovers much of their earnestness in disposses∣sing the Tenants. And if the Parlement of Bourde∣aux take no course to curb their insatiable avarice, they are in some thoughts to dig up all the posts on which are fastened the Tolls and customes of the old Dukes of Gu••enne, or to set up new ones if need be, so to grasp all the estates of the Country. Hence comes it, that when they have once found out by their subtle insinuations that some poor Labourer hath nothing to defend his title, they desire no more, they presently fall upon him, they produce some old manuscript and presently devour him. But to press this point more home, we will make it appear how they grasp at other men's estates by manifest forgeries.

Monsieur Dedie, a person of very good quality, and a Cittizen of B••urdeaux, will haply think himselfe obli∣ged to me, for the Secret I shall now reveale, which must needs bring him in a round Summe of mony, if he will but call these Forgers to account; and I shall ••••gage the Parlement of Bourdeaux, by entertaining

them with a piece of Forgery which it concernes them to see punished. The wolves when they have devou∣red the Lambes, are ready to eate up one another. If the Provinciall Malescot had not been so eager to persecute Peter Dubois, a Priest of their Society, and brought him almost to the point of being cast out of the Order, for having discovered to the Sieur Bosquet, Rector of the Colledge of Bourdeaux, that the said Malescot and Sabbatheri Procurator of the Province for the Jesuits had committed an Antidate in the busi∣nesse of Till c against Monsieur Dedie, that peece of Forgerie had been kept as secret as a many others which they are guilty of, and a falsification of so high a nature h••d not so prodigiously broke forth among them. It is then possible that the crafty may be snapped in the webbe of their own craft. The re∣vengefull Provinciall, was extreamly deceived, when he took Peter Dubois for a fearfull man, and a person unable to mannage an affaire of any consequence, for h•• afterwards found by experience, that he, though a Limousin borne, was none of the weakest kind of men. Had Malescot used any thing of dissimulation, the other good man had stirred no further in the businesse, but, having sent for him, partly to frighten him by menaces, partly to be informed how he came to understand that he and his Procurator Sabbatheri had antidated the Deed, to possesse the Society of the Tillac, an estate that had th••s priviledge that it was repurchaceable within a certaine number of years by the next of kinne, Dubois began to mistrust there was something in the wind, by the interrogatories that were put to him, and having made him answer, that he had it from one named Riviere some time Clerk of the Colledge, but at present a Curè between the two Seas, in the Arch∣bishoprick of Bourdeaux, who was fully acquainted with the whole businesse, he perceived by the reply of the Provinciall, that it stood him upon to look well to himselfe. To avoid therefore being surprised and

declared an Impostor by the cunning practises of Malescot, he took three Priests of the most considera∣ble of the house, hid them in his Closet, to the end hey might be witnesses. Having so done, he got the taid Riviere to his Chamber, and intreating him to selate to him, with the same confidence as formerly, ••how the falsification aforesaid was carried, the other, thinking himselfe alone with Dubois, clearly discovered the order they had observed in the antedating of the Deed, as also the reasons, for which it had been done in that manner. All which past, he engaged him to secrecy, for feare, said he, that some one of us may come 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be hanged for it. And yet for all this, the crime had not come abroad, but that God, who of many forgeries is pleased that some should come to light, so ordered things, that the Provincial must needs persecute the said Dubois, and that with so much injustice, that those who heard the bloody rebukes he caused to be given him, during the whole time of Dinner, he having caused him to kneele down at that which they call the low table to receive them, could not forbeare the shedding of teares thereat, but above all, those, who had been secret witnesses to the verification of the Antedate by the said Rivere, perceiving the implacable fury of a guilty Provinciall, treating with so much in∣dignity an innocent subject, gave the glory unto God, and, formally proving to the generall Mutius Vitteleschi the truth of the falsification, demanded justice. The discovery was now gone too farre, and mens minds too much exasperated to be denyed it. However, to prevent it from coming abroad, especially to the knowledge of Monsieur Dedie, the party concerned, therein, an information was received in, and, to satisfy in some sort, not so much Peter Dubois, a Monsieur Dedie, who seemed to be very much ins¦censed, it was ordered ••y a personated piece of justice, that Sabbateri should be sent to some other place, Dubois was honoured with the Procurator∣ship

of the Colledge of Bourdeaux, and the Provinciall Malescot, when his time was expired, instead of being sent to the Gibbet, or at least according to the Monasti∣call orders to perpetuall imprisonment, as convicted of Forgery, was sent out of the Province, in appearance, as if it had been to banishment, but indeed, to be Rector at Tournon.

Good God; what kind of Goevrnment is this that raises crimes into the Throne, and puts the vertues into chaines. If the civill Magistrate justly condemne a man to death for an Antid••te, what kind of justice is that which is observed by the Generall of the Jesuits, who bestowes Rectories on those that are canonically convicted of having falsified a publick contract. And yet some will tell me that after all this, employments are not bestowed among them but according to desert. Sabbatheri and Malescot are old sinners, who, as I believe, are yet alive. If Monsieur Dedie hath the courage to go through with it as he seems to have, it is in his power to make these two ancient men, aged above seventy years, to see their last day upon a Gibbet.

The Antid••te was verifyed against the consent of the Superiours among the Jesuits. As concerning the verification of it in Parlement, there are many wit∣nesses to be had that are not of the Society, such as having quitted the Order cannot be ignorant of a crime so generally knowne, as Monsieur de Abillon, M. Le Abadie, M. Baut. M. Colon. M. Debou••è &c. Of those that are still of it, Peter Dubois is yet living, and in the colledge of Bourdeaux: Arno••d Bohyre, who was the Commissary appointed by the Generall, is also living, if they are not dead within th••se seven or eight months. Thus have I given undeniable proofes as to this businesse, to the glory of God, and the dis∣charge of my conscience. The bus••••••sse of the Till•• hath been since taken into consideration by the Parle∣ment of Bou••deaux.

What then may be concluded from all this, but that it is cleare, as noone-day, by an illustrious example of justice, that that Body which pretends to so much purity, is convicted of the most horrid falsifications. For the ancient answer is not to be allowed in this case, that crimes are to be attributed only to particulars; here the Provinciall acts, as representing the whole body, in the quality of head thereof, and Sabbatheri in the quality of principall Procurator, and the most considerable person in relation to temporall affaires. Both these eminent men in a businesse of very great consequence commit an Antidate. Such as are guilty only of triviall Falsifications are taken, but great ones escape. It concernes the publick weale of the state, that care should be taken, that these devourers of widdowes estates and Houses should at last be surprized in their Villanies, that so there may be a check given to their violence and covetousnesse, and some quietnesse may be afforded those many persons that are persecu∣ted and undone by their continuall vexatious suits at Law.

I shall take occasion upon some other account to dis∣cover how these reformed Ecclesiasticks make it their businesse, when they heare the confessions of the Con∣cubines of Priests, to perswade them to engage their Ruffians to resigne up the fat priories they are possessed of to them. I have a pleasant story to entertaine my Reader with some other time, how they abused the simplicity of a common whore, to obtaine the priory of Ligugé, within the Diocese of Poictiers. But here I confine my selfe to the discovery only of great and enormous crimes.