to the confessors' shop, the confessors use their endeavours, when they come to buy absolution, to sell it as dear as they can; so, at one time, they pay for two, three, or more years.

"I have heard a soldier, cursing the confessors, say-'If I continue in the king's service twenty years, I will not go to confess; for it is easier and cheaper to lift up my finger and be absolved by our chaplain, than to go to a friar, who doth nothing but rail and grumble at me, and yet I must give him money for masses, or else he will not absolve me.''

Lifting up the finger is thus explained in a note:-"The custom of the Spanish army, in the field, and the day before the battle or before the engagement, is, that the chaplain goes through all the companies, to ask the officers whether they have a mind to confess, and if one has any thing to say, he whispers in the chaplain's ear, and so through all the officers. As for the private men;-crying out, he says, 'he that has a sin, let him lift up one finger,' and then he gives a general absolution to all at once."

"If a collegian goes to confess, he finds a mild and sweet confessor; and, without being questioned, and with a small penance, he generally gets absolution. The reason the confessors have to use the collegians with great civility and mildness is, first, because, if a collegian is ill used by his confessor, he goes to a deaf friar, who absolves ad dextram et ad sinistram all sorts of penitents, for a rial of plate; and after, he (the collegian) inquireth and examineth into all the other confessor's actions, visits, and intrigues; and when he has got matter enough, he will write a lampoon on him, which has happened very often in my time. So the confessor dares not meddle with the collegians, for fear that his tricks should be brought to light; and another reason is, because the collegians, for the generality, are like the filles de joye, in Lent; that is, without money, and so the confessor cannot expect any profit by them.

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I say, if absolution be denied to a collegian, he goes to a deaf confessor; for some confessors are called deaf, not because they are really deaf, but because they give small penance, without correction; and never deny absolution, though the sins be referred to the pope. I knew two Dominican friars, who were known by the name of deaf confessors, because they never used to question the penitent.

"One of such confessors has more business in Lent, than twenty of the others."—"All the great and habitual sinners go to the deaf confessor, who gives, upon the bargain, a certificate, in which he says, that such a one has fulfilled the commandment of the church; for every body is obliged to produce a certificate of confession to the minister of the parish, before Easter, or else he must be exposed in the church. So, as it is a hard thing for an old sinner to get absolution, and a certificate from other covetous confessors, without a great deal of money, they generally go to the deaf confessors. I had a friend in the same convent, who told me that such confessors were obliged to give two thirds of their profit to the community; and there being only two deaf confessors in that convent, he assured me that, in one Lent, they gave to the father prior six hundred pistoles a-piece."

If a modest, serious, religious lady, comes to confession, he uses her in another way; for he knows that such ladies never come to con

fess, without giving a good charity for masses; so all the confessor's care is, to get himself into the lady's favour, which he doth by hypocritical professions of goodness and devotion, of humility and strictness of life. He speaks gravely and conscientiously, and, if the lady has a family, he gives her excellent advices, as, to keep her children within the limits of sobriety and virtue, for the world is so deceitful, that we ought always to be upon our guard; and to watch continually over our souls, &c. And by that means, and the like, (the good lady believing him to be a sincere and devout man,) he becomes the guide of her soul, of her house, and family; and most commonly the ruin of her children, and sometimes her own ruin too. I will give the following instance, to confirm this truth; and as the thing was public, I need not scruple to mention it, with the real names-In the year 1706, F. Antonia Gallardo, Augustin friar, murdered Donna Isabella Mendez, and a child three weeks old, sucking at her breast. The lady was but twenty-four years of age, and had been married eight years to Don Francisco Mendez. The friar had been her spiritual guide for all that while, and all the family had so great a respect and esteem for him, that he was the absolute master of the house. The lady was brought to bed, and Don Francisco being obliged to go into the country, for four days, desired the father to come and be in his house, and take care of it, in his absence. The father's room was always ready; so he went there the same day Don Francisco went into the country. At eight at night, both the father and the lady went to supper, and after he had sent away all the maids and servants into the hall to sup, the lady took the child to give him suck; and the friar told her, in plain and short reasons, his love, and that without any delay or reply, she must comply with his request. The lady said to him,- Father, if you propose such a thing to try my faithfulness and virtue, you know my conscience these eight years past; and if you have any ill design, I will call my family, to prevent your further assurance.' The friar then, in fury, taking a knife, killed the child, and wounded so deeply the mother, that she died two hours after. The friar made his escape; but whether he went to his convent or not, we did not hear. I myself saw the lady dead, and went to her burial, in the church of the old St. John."

I come now to show that notwithstanding the solemnity and importance of auricular confession in the church of Rome, it is sometimes reduced to a mere farce, for the amusement of a parish. "The preacher of the parish pitcheth upon one day of the week, most commonly in the middle of Lent, to hear the children's confessions; and gives notice to the congregation, the Sunday before, that every father of a family may send his children, both boys and girls, to church, on the day appointed, in the afternoon. The mothers dress their children the best way they can, that day, and give them the offering money, for the expiation of their sins. That afternoon is a holyday in the parish, not by precept but by custom; for no parishioner, either old or young, man or woman, misseth to go and hear the children's confessions. For it is reckoned among them a greater diversion than a comedy, as you may judge by the following account:

"The day appointed, the children repair to church, at three of the clock, where the preacher is waiting for them, with a long reed in his

hand; and when all are together, the reverend father placeth them in a circle round himself, and then kneeling down, the children also doing the same, makes the sign of the cross, and says a short prayer. This done, he exhorteth the children to hide no sin from him, but to tell him all they have committed. Then he strikes with the reed the child whom he designs to confess the first, and asks him the following questions. Confessor. How long is it since you last confessed? Boy. Father, a whole year, or the last Lent. Conf. And how many sins have you committed from that time till now? Boy. Two dozen. Now the confessor asks round:-And you? Boy. A thousand and ten. Another will say, a bag-full of small lies, and ten big sins; and so one after another answers, and tells many childish things. Conf. But pray, you say you have committed ten big sins, tell me how big? Boy. As big as a tree. Conf. But tell me the sins. Boy. There is one sin I committed, which I dare not tell your reverence before all the people; for somebody here present will kill me if he heareth it. Conf. Well, come out of the circle and tell it me. Then both go out, and with a loud voice he tells him, that such a day he stole a nest of sparrows from a tree, of another boy's, and that if he knew it, he would kill him. Then both come again into the circle, and the father asks other boys and girls so many ridiculous questions, and the children answer him so many pleasant, innocent things, that the congregation laughs all the while. One will say that his sins are red; another that one of his sins is white, one black, and one green; and in these trifling questions they spend two hours. When the congregation is weary of laughing, the confessor gives the children a correction, and bids them not to sin any more, for a black boy takes along with him the wicked children. Then he asks the offering, and after he has got all from them, he gives them the penance for their sins. To one he says, I give you for penance to eat a sweet cake; to another, to go to school the day following; to another to desire his mother to buy him a new hat; and such things as these: and pronouncing the words of absolution, he dismisseth the congregation with Amen; So be it, every year.

"From seven to fifteen, there is no extraordinary thing to say to young people, only that from seven years of age, they begin to confess in private, and receive the sacrament in public. The confessors have very little trouble with such young people, and likewise little profit, except with a puella, who sometimes begins, at twelve years, the course of a lewd life, and then the confessor finds business and profit enough, when she comes to confess." See Master Key to Popery, vol. 1st, part 1st.

CHAPTER XCIII.

TESTIMONY OF DA COSTA, A portuguese, CONCERNING THE WICKEDNESS PRACTISED IN CONFESSION. BULL OF POPE PAUL IV. RECOGNIZING SHAMEFUL INIQUITY. CONSEQUENT EXPOSURE OF THE WICKEDNESS OF PRIESTS. DYING CONFESSION OF A PRIEST. EXAMINATION OF Scriptures allegeD IN SUPPORT OF AURICULAR CONFESSION.

SATURDAY, April 22d, 1820.

THE sacrament of confession, as it is called, as administered by a parcel of idle and luxurious ecclesiastics, must be productive of the

most enormous wickedness. This might be inferred from the nature of the sacrament, and the well known character of those who administer it; but there are abundance of facts adduced by various authors, which completely prove that the lewdness of heathen idolatry is outdone by that of popery, under this single rite. It is difficult to write with decency on such a subject; but it is necessary to tell at least part of the truth, in justice to the cause in which I am engaged, that is, to expose the church of Rome as the very antichrist that is opposed to all that is holy and just, and good.

Da Costa, a Portuguese gentleman, a member of the church of Rome, in his relation of what he suffered in the Inquisition, in consequence of being accused of Free Masonry, after describing, at considerable length, the vices of the priests, proceeds as follows:

"Another admirable instance of their continence in this respect, presents itself in Gonsalvius, during his relation of what happened in Spain, when the bull of Pope Paul IV. enjoining to the holy office the cognizance of the crime of solicitant, was published. (A solicitant is a priest, who, in the act of confession, solicits the penitent confessing, to indecent acts.) Before I advert to the fact, I shall state those words of the bull that are applicable to the subject: Whereas certain ecclesiastics, in the kingdom of Spain, and in the cities and diocesses thereof, having the cure of souls, or exercising such cure for others, or otherwise deputed to hear the confessions of penitents, have broken out into such heinous acts of iniquity, as to abuse the sacrament of penance in the very act of hearing the confessions, not fearing to injure the same sacrament, and him who instituted it, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, by enticing and provoking, or trying to entice and provoke, females to lewd actions, at the very time when they were making their confessions.'

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When this bull was first introduced into Spain, the inquisitors published a solemn edict in all the churches belonging to the archbishopric of Seville, that any person knowing, or having heard of any friar or clergyman's having committed the crime of abusing the sacrament of confession, or in any manner having improperly conducted himself during the confession of a female penitent, should make a discovery of what he knew, within thirty days, to the holy tribunal; and very heavy censures were attached to those who should neglect or despise this injunction. When this edict was first published, such a considerable number of females went to the palace of the inquisitor, only in the city of Seville, to reveal the conduct of their infamous confessors, that twenty notaries, and as many inquisitors, were appointed to minute down their several informations against them; but these being found insufficient to receive the depositions of so many witnesses; and the inquisitors being thus overwhelmed, as it were, with the pressure of such affairs, thirty days more were allowed for taking the accusations, and this lapse of time also proving inadequate to the intended purpose, a similar period was granted not only for a third but a fourth time. The ladies of rank, character, and noble families, had a difficult part to act on this occasion, as their discoveries could not be made of any particular time and place. On one side, a religious fear of incurring the threatened censures, goaded their consciences so much as to compel them to make the required accusation; on the other side, a regard to their

husbands, to whom they justly feared to give offence, by affording them any motives for suspecting their private conduct, induced them to keep at home. To obviate these difficulties they had recourse to the measure of covering their faces with a veil, according to the fashion of Spain, and thus went to the inquisitors in the most secret manner they could adopt. Very few, however, escaped the vigilance of their husbands, who, on being informed of the discoveries and accusations made by their wives, were filled with suspicions: and yet, notwithstanding this accumulation of proofs against the confessors, produced to the inquisitors, this holy tribunal, contrary to the expectations of every one, put an end to the business, by ordering, that all crimes of this nature, proved by lawful evidence, should from thenceforth be consigned to perpetual silence and oblivion." Narrative, &c. by Hippolyto Joseph Da Costa Pereira Furtado de Mendonca, vol. 1. pages 117—119.

This was not like an instance of an individual priest or two in a nation, in the course of a century, being detected in the practice of wickedness. It shows that the disease was universal, the whole mass was corrupted; and the fact that both husbands and wives continued in the same communion, and submitted their consciences, and trusted their salvation, in the hands of the same ghostly guides, shows the influence of a judicial infatuation and hardness of heart to which they must have been abandoned, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.

Mr. Gavin gives an account of a priest who made his dying confession to himself, in which he acknowledged that for twelve years he belonged to a club of priests, six in number, residing in contiguous parishes. Every one, he said, had a list of the handsomest women in his parish, and when any one had a fancy to see any one of them, the priest of the parish sent for her to his own house, under some religious pretext, and had her introduced to his brother priest. In this way, said he, we have served one another for twelve years past. "Our manner was to persuade their husbands and fathers, not to hinder them any spiritual comfort; and to the ladies, to persuade them to be subject to our advice and will; and that in doing so they should have liberty at any time to go out on pretence of communicating some spiritual business to the priest: and if they refused to do it, then we would speak to their husbands and fathers not to let them go out at all; or, which would be worse for them, we should inform against them to the holy tribunal of the inquisition." Master Key, vol. 1. page 29. Thus, under the cloak of letting them go to confession, Papists become accessary to the prostitution of their wives and daughters.

It is now time that I should think of drawing the subject of auricular confession to a close; but it would not be fair to do so without examining what the church of Rome adduces as scripture authority for the practice. Know then, gentle reader, that the front argument from scripture is contained in these words of our Saviour to his apostles, John xx. 21. "Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." From this the "Papist truly represented," argues, that Christ gave the apostles "and their successors, the bishops and priests of the Catholic church, authority to absolve any truly penitent sinner from his sins." This I say is the front argument of the church of Rome for auricular VOL. I.-82