T

G

1

projects of the nobles? What meetings they have? How many? And where? What they consult upon? What they resolve to do? Whether the heretical princes, as they term them, delight to live at home, or abroad? To whom they resort most frequently? What is the several disposition of every one of them? In what things he is observed to take most delight? Whether he take any care of his people, or not? Whether he be a religious prince, or not? Or rather, Whether he be not a man, who delights to take his pleasure in drinking, wenching, or hunting? Whether he has any catholicks about him, or that are near unto him? What the people report abroad concerning their own princes? Whether the churches of the adversaries be full of resort, or not? Whether the pastors of those churches be learned and diligent men in their place and calling, or otherwise lazy lubbers, and unlettered? Whether the profession of divinity thrives in the neighbouring university of hereticks? Whether their divines maintain frequent disputations, and against whom principally? What books they have published of late, and upon what subject?

To these, and sundry such questions, if the regent and the rest of the fathers do answer punctually, he doth wonderfully commend their industry and vigilancy.

If he find them defective in answering to these, or any such demands, he reproveth them sharply, saying: What mean you, my masters? Do you purpose, like lazy companions, to undo the church of Rome? How do you suppose your slothfulness, in these weighty affairs, can be excused before his holiness? How is it, that you presume to take these places upon you, and to manage them no better? What, or whom are you afraid of? Why do not you buckle up yourselves better to your business, and perform your places like men? These things, if you had been such men as you ought to be, had not been to do now. These things should have been done long before this time. Do you observe the incredible watchfulness of the hereticks, and can you be lazy ? And, with these or the like speeches, he whetteth them on to their duty.

At the last he inquireth as touching the scholars, fellow-commoners, novices, and the rest, How many they are in number? How much every one hath profited? To what study, or delight, each one is inclinable? Whether there be any one amongst them that is scrupulous, or untractable, or not a fit subject to be wrought upon? For he adjudgeth every such an one fitting to be removed from the study of divinity, except he have been very well exercised in the disputations in schools, and have a very great and good conceit of their religion beaten into him. Moreover, he inquireth, If they have any one in the college, who can be contented, for the advantage of the catholick cause, to undertake any laudable attempt, and to spend his blood in the cause, if at any time necessity should seem to require it?

And, at last, he sendeth away all these informations, being sealed up, unto the father-general at Rome, by whom they are immediately made known to the pope himself, and his conclave of cardinals; and so, by this means, an order is taken, that there is no matter of action set on foot, nothing almost consulted upon, throughout the whole Christian world,.

which is not forthwith discovered unto the pope by these traitors, that lurk in every state and kingdom. Also, it is not to be omitted, that the jusuits are translated by their provincial from one college to another, and that for the most part, once in three years, that so the provincial, out of their several discoveries, may attain to unlock all the most secret cabinets of the prince and state, where he doth reside.

In the last place, I will add, instead of a corollary, some strange and wonderful devices of the jesuits, which, being but of late newly hammered in the forge, they have earnestly endeavoured, yea, and at this day do labour, tooth and nail, to put in practice, by publick consent, for an innovation to be made, both in the church and state, throughout the whole Roman empire. To this end, their chief and only aim is, how to set the princes of the empire together by the ears, and, by taking off some of the principal doctors of the church, to bring the tyranny of the Spaniard, and the primacy of the pope, into Germany. Concerning which very project I have heard the provincial Del-Rio himself discoursing sometimes, whose plots and machinations were such as follow:

In the first place, saith he, care and pains must be used to estrange the affections of the princes of the empire one from another.

Now the means, said he, to effect that, is to work upon their contrariety of opinions in matters of religion: And, for this end, let the emperor be incited to make a declaration, That he will not grant liberty of conscience in matters of religion, except there shall first be a restitution made of such goods, as were taken from the clergy upon the treaty at Passau; for this is a point, whereat they will stick assuredly, and 'deny it.

Let the emperor thereupon send his princes, and demand the same of the cities of the empire. They will either obey or deny; if they consent, and obey, all is well; if they refuse, let him proclaim them rebels, and expose them to be seized upon by the next neighbouring princes; but still let the matter be so carried, that he be sure to oppose a Lutheran and a Calvinist, the one against the other.

Moreover, some device must be found out, that the Duke of Bavaria may fall foul, either upon the Elector Palatine, or upon the Duke of Wittembergh, for then may the emperor be easily won to proclaim him traitor, whom the Duke of Bavaria shall distaste, and all means be taken away of making pacification either with Papist or Calvinist for them; besides, thereby will be raised unreconcileable divisions in the empire, never to be quenched before an highway be made. for the accomplishment of our desires. For the further ripening of which design, the jesuits bethought themselves further of this stratagem: It will follow, say they, necessarily when any city of the empire shall be proclaimed rebellious, that every several prince will be more ready and willing to serve his own turn, upon the spoil thereof, than to admit any other that shall be emulous of the same booty to prevent him. This for the generálity. More particularly yet, means must be found out to set the princes of Saxony at difference, that their strength and power may be broken, or at least weakened.

Now that may be most coveniently effected thus:

First, If the administration of the primacy of Magdeburgh, which now is vacant, be given to the Bavarian Elector of Cologne, neither the Marquis of Brandenburgh, nor the Duke of Saxony, will easily grant their consents thereto.

Secondly, If that succeed not according to our desires, there must be some cause pretended, why the Duke of Saxony either doth seem worthy, or ought to seem worthy, to be removed from the electoral dignity. For if, in times past, the princes of the empire cast down Wenceslaus from the imperial throne, because they had adjudged him a negligent prince; surely the emperor may take as just an occasion to remove, from the electoral dignity, the Duke of Saxony, who is drunk every day. And, in this respect, let his imperial majesty restore, and confer that dignity, upon the house and family of the Dukes of Weymar. And, because these princes are yet under age, let the administration of that electorship be committed to Henry of Brunswick, a learned and vigilant prince. This project, being once set on foot, cannot chuse but beget infinite distractions, throughout all Saxony; so shall it come to pass, that they shall waste and weary themselves one against another, and by that means become utterly unable to withstand a common fue, when he shall come upon them.

And as for the Marquis of Brandenburgh, and them of Pomerania, let means be used to move the King of Poland, who is the emperor's kinsman, to covenant with his uncle, the King of Sweden, that they two shall invade and divide Prussia, and canton the same; which thing the Marquis of Brandenburgh will oppose with all his powers. Now as concerning the Landgrave of Hesse, he must be urged and sollicited daily, to divide the inheritance equally with his uncle Lodowick, and to resign the government of Hertsfield to the Bishop of Wirtzburgh; if he refuse to do so, let him be proclaimed rebel, and let his inheritance be assigned unto his uncle Lodowick.

Moreover, as for the Duke of Wittembergh, and the Elector Palatine, they two may with ease be set together by the ears, if the Duke be commanded to make restitution of some religious houses, or otherwise, upon his refusal, be proclaimed rebel, and some neighbouring monasteries be assigned to the Elector Palatine, and, amongst them, one especially, which he hath been observed to have aimed at long ago.

And these are those killing projects of the jesuits, which I have heard from their own mouths, not witheut admiration even to astonishment, and they have many more of like sort, all which I do not at this present remember.

Moreover, there hath been a consultation among the jesuits, to send abroad some bold assassins, who, by poison, or by the pistol, may cut off the principal doctors of the reformed churches; fellows who are so absolute masters in that trade of poisoning, that they are able so to in'fect platters, sult-cellars, basons, kettles, pots, and caldrons, and such like vessels of ordinary use; that, although they shall be ten times over

washed and wiped, yet shall they retain the power and infection of most deadly and speedy poison. Wherefore, I humbly advise all godly and religious governors, and ministers of the church, that hereafter they be wary, and cautious, how they trust any, but such, of whose fidelity they have had sufficient trial.

And these things could never have fallen within compass of mine understanding, nor ever did, before such time, as I heard them from the principals and heads of the society of Jesuits, together with many other particulars, which I held myself bound in conscience to reveal to the world, for the good of my country, and of the church of Christ; which although I have for the present only given you as in a rude and first draught; yet I purpose, God willing, in due time, to express the same at large, painting them out in their colours, with circumstances of time, place, and persons.

A Postscript to the Reader.

COURTEOUS Reader (if so thou art pleased to shew thyself, by taking an impartial view of this short, but well intended translation) I doubt not, but by this time thou art able to discern the face of the times, and of thyself to make a true parallel betwixt Germany and us, and dost see evidently the footsteps of that mystery of iniquity, which, by the contrivements of the pragmatical society of Jesuits, hath for many years been set at work amongst us. As there the foundation of their work was laid in working upon their diversities in opinions, and seconded by advantage, taken upon the several humours of the princes, propounding to each one some such ends, as his nature most affected; so may I truly say, they have done here also. To what other end was the pestilent doctrine of Arminius introduced, whereby to make a party, that might prove strong enough in time to oppose the Puritan faction, as they stiled it? Why was so great care and pains taken to leaven all considerable sorts of people of what degree soever, with those erroneous points, but to the same end? And can we chuse but think that Socinianism crept in after Arminianism, purposely to make the breach the wider, that it might be large enough to let in popery, at the full, in conclusion? Doubtless, as our Saviour sometimes said to his disciples, in another case, John iv. 35, 'Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, ! say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the regions, for they are white already unto harvest': So may I say now, most men thought it might yet be four months, or some good distance of time before the Jesuit could attain to reap the harvest of his desire amongst us. But I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the regions, they are white already unto harvest': Or, if I may not say they are, because God's gracious hand of providence hath disappointed their hopes, yet I assure myself, that any man of ordinary understanding will confess, that within the space of this year last past, our land was already white to their harvest; the king's majesty was wrought to an evil opinion of

ཟླ

T

his people, the commons were grown discontented with the present government, two adverse armies were lodged in our land, and all this, with a new whole army of evil consequents, brought on by the secret contrivements of our adversaries, and on all hands the way was so prepared, altars set up, and priests enough in readiness, that nothing was wanting, to ripen their harvest for the sickle, but a proclamation for setting up publick mass, in all our churches; which things, when I seriously considered, and now of late, looking again upon the regions, I discern what alteration God hath begun to work amongst us by the pious endeavours of our happy parliament, I cannot but take up that saying of the psalmist, Psalm cxxiv. 1, 2, 3. If the Lord had not been on our side,' may England now say: If the Lord had not been on our side, when men rose up against us, they had then swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us; then the water had drowned us, and the stream had gone over our soul;' if the plots of the pacific Arminians had once set up the bridge of reconciliation, whereon the protestant and papist should have met, and the trapdoor had taken effect, then the swelling waves had gone over our souls indeed: 'But praised be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey unto their teeth; our soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the fowler, the snare is broken, and we are delivered; so that we may truly say, as the psalmist, there concludeth, Our help standeth in the name of the Lord, who made both heaven and earth. And now what remaineth for us to do but this? By daily and earnest prayer, to beg a blessing upon our gracious Sovereign, the King's Majesty, and upon the high and honourable court of parliament, that God will be graciously pleased to finish, by their happy consultations and pious endeavours, that good work of mercy, which he hath so graciously begun for this land and nation, to make a total and intire reformation in church and state, and particularly to root out this disloyal brood of Inigo Loyola from amongst us, preventing their plots, and turning the wisdom of their Aitophels into foolishness, that the gospel of Jesus Christ may have free passage amongst us, until his return to judge the quick and dead. This is, and shall be the daily prayer of,

Thy well-wishing friend and servant in the duties of a minister of Christ gospel.