SIR, What are your Senators reſolved to ruine all Catholickes?

We ſhall proceede againſt you according to the Lawes.

But the Lawes ſometimes may be ſuſpended: for when the cauſe and motive of the Law doth univerſally ceaſe, the Law it ſelfe may be anulled.

True: but not in our caſe; for the motives, which heretofore induced our Parliaments to enact Statutes againſt Recufants, doe ſtill continue, neither are they as yet univerſally ceaſed. Therefore the neglect of putting them in execution is both offencive to God, and dangerous to our State.

Yet I cannot ſee, why the ſuſpention of a rigorous hand, and a charitable moderation of your illimited power over a ſmall number of poore Catholickes can breede a ſcruple in your Conſcience, on bee offencive to Almighty God, for although in your opinion the Religion of Catholicks be falſe, and conſequently, that your zeale to the Truth doe urge you to ſuffer no miſcreants among you: yet this zeale being onely grounded upon the literall text of the Scripture, interpreted by your ſelves, how can you thinke that the explication of this ſacred authority is ſo evident, as that hee may juſtly bee puniſhed, who will not adheare to your opinion. But however, may you not in ſure charity without offence to God ſuffer us to live amongſt you, with intention to bring us to the knowledge of you deeme to be truth, and ſo with intention to make us of your Religion: This you ſee is the practiſe of other Nations, both Catholickes and Proteſtants to admitt and to lerate among them ſuch as profeſſe a different beliefe from theirs: It is ſo you know in France, Spaine, Germany, Swevia, Polonia, Muſcovia, Turkey, Perſia, &c. will you onely be more ſcrupulous, then all the Chriſtians of Europe, and more ſevere to your own Country men, then Turkes, and other Heathen Princes?

Could I bee perſwaded that ſuch a connivence at Recuſants were not hurtfull to our preſent governement, and that the Roman Catholik could be true and loyall ſubjects to a Proteſtant King or Common wealth, I would never give my voyce to have them uſed with rigour and ſevertity, but you Papiſts are much pemitious to our State. Therefore it is not your Religion, but Treaſon that we puniſh.

I confeſſe this ſeverity ſprung not onely from the motives of State, and Policie, but was much exaſperated by the rigorus proceedings of the Court of Rome, and by the factious combinations, and ſeditious plots of ſome few buſie bout feux of the Roman faith. Yet I am confident, that our Religion doth not teach us any thing contrary to the fidelity we owe to our King and Country, though Proteſtants, yea even though they perſecute us.

But I can tell you, that the vaſt ambition of the Court of Rome, their continuall practiſes & endeavours to conſerve & augment their greatneſſe, and the Popes primacy, & pretended authority to create and depoſe Kings and, Emperours were able to make us Iealous of you, but I will onely ſpeake of the ſpeciall power, which you generally give him over Hereticall and Schiſmaticall States and Princes, as our State and King is in your opinion.

In this many wiſe and experienced Catholickes doe blame the ambition of the Court of Rome as well as you. And as for the Popes power of creating Kings, there is now no Prince will either expect or deſire creation from him.

How ever you ſee, that our caſe is different from the caſe of Catholicke Princes, for you ſay, that the Pope can depoſe Kings for Hereſie, or Schiſme: (and this is a generall tenent amongſt you) or for joyning in league, and alliance with Proteſtant States, nay for notorious vices: and ſome of you adde even for inſufficiency; and in all theſe caſes the Pope himſelfe muſt be judge. And what Proteſtant Prince can be ſecure, ſuppoſing this doctrine be true, and that the Popes party, either forraigne, or domeſticall, be ſtronger, then ſuch a Princes? Do you not hold that the Pope can abſolve the ſubjects of ſuch a King from their allegiance? and hath he not done it here in England? Did not his Nuncio in Spaine ſolicite for many yeares together, to have an Armado ſent againſt this Kingdome. And was not this effected at the inſtance, and purſuit of your Engliſh Ieſuites, did not Cardinall Allen write, and print a ſeditious letter by the Popes command, to ſtirre up the Papiſts of England to rebellion? Was not Queene Elizabeth excommunicated, and depoſed by the Pope? Did not Dolman write a Book by the Popes order, to diſprove Queen Elizab. Title to the crown, and to transferre it upon Portugall? Theſe are your tenents, and your practiſes muſt needs follow upon all occaſions; which if ſometimes they do not, it is not for want of Principles to make them good in your conceit, but for want of power to put them in execution: and therefore we conclude, that both the Pope and you, do but expect a fit oppertunity to blow up both our King and Parliament, and ſet up your Religion.

Thoſe authors, which you ſeeme moſt to point at, too too much favouring the Popes authority in temporall affaires, have beene deſervedly condemned by our Catholicke Vniverſities, and their bookes publiquely burned by the order of Catholicke Magiſtrates. And for my part I ſhall not thinke him innocent, or a worthy member of this Common-wealth, that will not acknowledge his faithfull loyalty, and conſtant allegiance to our King, and countrey, though Proteſtants; independent of all forraigne, or papall authority.

Why doe you not then at the leaſt take the Oath of allegiance? Though perhaps for the oath of ſupremacy, there may be ſome more difficultie in it.

I could wiſh all the papiſts of England were of your opinion in the point of diſpoſition, it would then perhaps be better for them: but the contrary doctrine is more generall amongſt you, and thence doe follow moſt dangerous ſequels, and ſometimes moſt enormous effects: your Divines tell you, that 'tis lawfull for any Catholicks Subject, to take armes againſt his Prince, if he be either an Hereticke, or an open perſecutor of the Roman Church: nay, that it is no ſinne to kill him either by private treachery, or publique aſſaults: and of this we have ſeene in our age divers lamentable examples practiſed abroad, and ſome moſt execrable attempts here at home.

Truly Sir, your Divines, as Luther, Calvin, and others are more foreward in this point, then any Catholicke I know: and their practiſes have farre exceeded ours; except perhaps the Powder Treaſon: but that was Diabolicall beyond meaſure.

Well, you will never waſh off the infamy of that powder-plot; you know what proofes were brought in againſt your Ieſuites before the Lords Commiſſioners at that time.

Sir, you know I am neither Prieſt, nor Ieſuite: and I thinke there is never a Catholicke Gentleman in England, but doth abhorre and deteſt that wicked conſpiracy, as much as any Proteſtant of you all And ſure King Iames knew well, that this monſter was hatched in the breaſt of ſome particular Catholickes; See his Proclamation November. 7. His wordes are theſe: We are by good experience ſo well perſwaded of the loyaltie of divers of our Subjects of the Roman religion, that they doe as much abhorre this deteſtable conſpiracy, as we our ſelves.

But I could object more diſloyalties, if the time would permit, then you can anſwere too: and the root thereof ſpring from your ſeminary Prieſts, who by their power, and authority have a maine ſway over your conſciences, and under pretence of Religion can bend your paſſions to their owne endes, and deſignes.

Sir, I confeſſe ſome thinges may be objected in that kind worthy the reflection of a good common-wealths man: but if you be pleaſed to uſe your clemency towards your poore Catholicke Subjects, and gracioſly to conceive at their ſubſiſtance: you ſhall finde them ready to conſpire with none, nor aime at their owne temporall good, but by the advancement of your common-wealth, whereof if once you vouchſafe to admit them as worthy members, the Popes power ſhall no way hinder their obedience to his Majeſty and you.

I could wiſh your Prieſts would do ſo too, but I ſee not how we can expect ſuch loyalty at their hands, and therefore you ſee his Majeſty hath proclaimed their baniſhment. And ſurely if we had ſuffered the Popes agent to continue here, he would have had a care of his Maſters intereſts without doubt.

Sir, If you could finde a way how wee might bee ſecured of the fidelity of your Prieſts, and that their dependance of Rome, and affection to forraigne ſtates, were not obnoctious and liable to our juſt ſuſpitions, I could bee content Recuſants lived amonſt us, in a civill intelligence, and ordinary friendſhip. But you ſee wee are ſo zealous of them, that we have rather permitted ſtrangers & forraign Prieſts to reſide in hir Majeſties Chappell, though with no little danger; for 'tis a wonder, that the more zealous ſort of our people have not made ſome tummults, and uproares, ſeeing the Chappell ſo frequented, as it was: and you know we cannot bee ſo ſecured of any ſtrangers fidelity to our Countrey, eſpecially if they be Prieſts, and of a different Religion, and daily frequent both Court and Towne, being imbol • ned in that they are not liable to our Lawes; for beſides their zeale to Religion, they are naturally inclined to give notice of what they heare, and favour in what they can, their owne Countries intereſts.

Truly ſir I doubt not but I can clearely ſhow you, how you may be ſecured of the loyally of ſome of our Englſh Prieſt, and how their dependance of Rome may bee of that nature, as ſhall give you no juſt occaſion of ſuſpition, and therefore might bee admitted upon thoſe termes and conditions, as would baniſh all ſuſpition, and prevent all dangers. A • for her Majeſties Chappell, trie the Articles of her marriage, agreed upon betwixe the two States, ratified under the broad Seale of each Kingdome, & it would be againſt the law of Nations, and unworthy the fidelity of a Chriſtian Prince to infringe, and violate ſuch a publique contract, alas Sir, conſider that now whileſt you happily are ſitting at the ſterne of the Common-wealth, and piouſly endeavouring to reforme the corruptions, and abuſes of our Courts, and government, as alſo reſpectively ſeeking to vindicate the ancient liberty of our Countrey, ſhall we only your poore Catholicke Subjects be excluded from this generall Iubilee; take then ſome moderate courſe to ſecure your ſelves of our allegiance: and let us all conſpire to make one Civill Body, that joyned, and united both in your domeſticke intereſts, and in your forraigne leagues and warres we may (as your Catholicke Allies doe) engage our ſelves as willingly, and as farre as you, Did not King Iames ſay well; a too ſevere perſecution makes men deſperate? Non coercet, ſed provocat violentia. Clemency begets love, love breeds loyalty.

If theſe your tenents were common to all Papiſts, I conceive you would finde us more indulgent. Therefore me thinkes it were worthy your labour to draw ſuch a Proclamation of your fidelity, as you thinke Papiſts might lawfully take, and as would perhaps content our Parliament.

Sir, I framed the laſt Winter p ivately to my ſelfe a ſhort petition in the behalfe of Catholickes, and have ſince added thereunto ſuch a Proteſtation as you ſpeake of; here they are peruſe them I pray, and if you thinke fit, make your mederate friends pertakers of them, whom if they ſatisfie, I ſhall be heartily glad, if nothing will ſerve but our totall ruine, Gods will be done, at leaſt it will be a comfort to have given this teſtimony of our allegiance, and fidelity; ſo that if we periſh, it muſt needs be for our religion, ſince the paſt crimes of ſome few, and the diſputable opinions of others can never be a legall warrant to condemne the innocent: the next time we meete, you will tell me more, in the interim God be with you.