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THE FIFTH DECADE.

EPISTLE I.

TO MY LORD BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS.

Discoursing of the Causes and Means of the Increase of Popery. By what means the Romish Religion hath, in these latter times, prevailed so much over the world, Right Reverend and Honourable, is a consideration, both weighty and useful: for, hence may we frame ourselves, either to prevent, or imitate them, in what we may; or prevent them, in what they should not.

I meddle not with the means of their first risings: the munificence of Christian princes; the honest devotions of well-meaning contributors; the division of the Christian world; the busy endeavours of forward princes, for the recovery of the Holy Land, with neglect of their own; the ambitious insinuations of that See; the fame, and large dominion of those seven hills; the compacted indulgence and connivance of some treacherous, of other timorous, rulers; the shameless flattery of parasites; the rude ignorance of times; or, if there be any other of this kind. My thoughts and words shall be spent upon the present and latest age.

All the world knows, how that pretended Chair of Peter tottered and cracked, some threescore years ago; threatening a speedy ruin, to her fearful usurper. How is it, that still it stands; and seenis now to boast of some settledness? Certainly, if hell had not contrived a new support, the angel had long since said, It is fallen, it is fallen; and the merchants, Alas, alas, the great city. The brood of that lame Loyola shall have this miserable honour, without our envy; that if they had not been, Rome had not been. By what means, it rests now to enquire.

It is not so much their zeal for falsehood; which yet we acknowledge, and admire not. If Satan were not more busy than they, we had lost nothing. Their desperate attempts, bold intrusions, importunate solicitations, have not returned empty : yet their policy hath done more than their force. That Popish world was then foul and debauched, as in doctrine so in life; and now began to be ashamed of itself: when these holy fathers, as some Saints dropt out of heaven, suddenly professed an unusual strictness, sad piety, resolved mortification; and so drew the eyes and hearts of men

after them, that poor souls began to think, it could not be other than divine, which they taught; other than holy, which they

touched.

The very times, not seldom, give as great advantage, as our own best strength: and the vices of others give glory to those, which either are, or appear virtuous. They saw how ready the world was to bite at the bait; and now followed their success, with new helps.

Plenty of pretended miracles must bless, on all sides, the endeavours of this new sect; and calls for both approbation and wonder. Those things, by the report of their own pens, other witnesses I see none, have been done by the ten Patriarchs of the Jesuitish Religion, both alive and dead, which can hardly be matched of him, whose name they have usurped. And now the vulgar can say, If these men were not of God, they could do nothing: How can a man, that is a sinner, do such miracles? not distrusting, either the fame, or the work; but applauding the authors, for what was said to be done.

But now, lest the envy of the fact should surpass the wonder, they have learned to cast this glory upon their wooden Ladies; and to communicate the gain unto the whole religion. Two blocks at Halle and Scherpen-heuvell, have said and done more for Popery, than all friars, ever since Francis wore his breeches on his head.

But, because that praise is sweet, which arises from the disgrace of a rival; therefore this holy society hath, besides, ever wont to honour itself by the brokage of shameless untruths against the adverse part; not caring how probable any report is, but how odious. A just volume would not contain those willing lies, wherewith they have purposely loaded religion, and us; that the multitude might first hate us, and then enquire. And these courses are held not tolerable, but meritorious: so the end may be attained, all means are just, all ways straight.

Whom we may, we satisfy: but wounds, once given, are hardly healed, without some scars: and, commonly, accusations are vocal, apologies dumb. How easy is it, to make any cause good, if we may take liberty of tongue and conscience!

Yet, lest some glimpse of our truth and innocence should perhaps lighten the eyes of some more inquisitive reader, they have, by strict prohibitions, whether of books or conference, restrained all possibility of true informations: yea, their own writings, wherein our opinions are reported with confutation, are not allowed to the common view; lest, if it should appear what we hold, our mere opinion should prevail more than their subtilest answer.

But, above all, the restraint of God's Book hath gained them most. If that might be in the hands of men, their religion could not be in their hearts: now, the concealment of Scriptures breeds ignorance, and ignorance superstition.

But because forbiddance doth but whet desire, and work a conceit of some secret excellence in things denied; therefore have they devised to affright this dangerous curiosity, with that cruel,

butcherly, hellish Inquisition; wherein yet, there is not less craft than violence: for, since they have perceived the blood of Martyrs to be but the seed of the Church, and that these perfumes are more dispersed with beating; they have now learned to murder without noise, and to bring forth (if at least, they list sometimes to make the people privy to some examples of terror) not men, but carcasses. Behold, the constant confessions of the dying Saints, have made them weary of public executions: none but bare walls shall now testify the courage and faith of our happy Martyrs. A disguised corpse is only brought forth to the multitude, either for laughter or fear. Yet, because the very dead speak for truth in a loud silence, these spectacles are rare; and the graves of heretics are become as close as their death.

Yet, lest, since neither living mouths nor faithful pens may be suffered to insinuate any truth, those speeches should perhaps be received from the ancients, which in us were heretical; the monuments of unpartial antiquity must be depraved: all witnesses, that might speak against them, must be corrupted, with a fraudulent violence; and some of them purged to the death.

So while those are debarred, and the ancients altered, posterity shall acknowledge no adversary.

What should I speak of those plausible devices, which they have invented, to make superstitious and foolish proselytes? their proud vaunts of antiquity, universality, succession, and the name of their forefathers, do not only persuade, but amaze and besot an ignorant heart. The glorious shews of their processions, the gaudy ornaments of their altars, the pomp and magnificence of the places and manner of their services, the triumphs of their great festivals, are enough to bewitch any childish, simple, or vain beholders. Who knows not, that nature is most led by sense? Sure, children and fools, such as are all natural men, cannot be of any other religion.

Besides all these, their personal understandings, what for eunning, what for boldness, could promise nothing but success. They can transform themselves into all shapes: and, in these false forms, thrust themselves into all courts and companies; not oftener changing their habit, than their name. They can take the best opportunities to work upon those, which are either most unable to resist, or most like to bestead them.

That I may not speak of the wrongs of unseasonable travel; wherein many unsettled heads have met dangers, and solicited errors: who, like fond and idle Dinahs, going abroad to gaze, have been ravished ere their return. Never was any bird so laid for by the nets and calls of the fowler, as the great heir of some noble family, or some fiery wit, is by these impostors. They know that greatness is both lawless and commanding; if not by precept, yet by example: their very silence is persuasory and imperious.

But, alas for that other sex! Still the Devil begins with Eve: still his assault is strongest, where is weakest resistance. Simon Magus had his Helena: Nicholas, the Deacon, had his choros famineos, as Jerome calls them: Marcion had his factoress at Rome; Appelles,

his Philumena; Montanus, his Prisca and Maximillia; Arius, his Constantine's sister; Donatus, his Lucilla; Elpidius, his Agape; Priscillianus, his Galla: and our Jesuits have their painted Ladies (not dead, but living) both for objects, and instruments. When they saw they could not blow up religion with French powder into heaven, they now try, by this Moabitish plot, to sink it down to hell. Those silly women, which are laden with sins and divers lusts, must now be the stales of their spiritual fornications.

But, for that these enterprises want not danger, that both parts may securely succeed, behold public liberty of dispensations; whether for dissembled religion, or not unprofitable filthiness. These means are, like the authors, dishonest and godless.

Add, if you please, hereto, those, which pretend more innocent policy their common dependancies upon one commander; their intelligences given; their charges received; their rewards and honours, perhaps of the Calendar, perhaps of a Red Hat, duly conferred.

Neither may the least help be ascribed to the conference of studies; the conjoined labours of whole societies, directed to one end, and shrouded under the title of one author: to large maintenances, raised from the death-beds of some guilty benefactors: from whence flow both infinite numbers, and incomparable helps, of students. Under which head, for the time past, not a few are moved by the remembrance of the bounteous hospitality of the religious; who, having engrossed the world to themselves, seemed liberal in giving something; like unto some vain-glorious thieves, which, having robbed wealthy merchants, bestow some pence upon beggars.

Further, the smothering if not composing of their frequent strifes, and confining of brawls within their own thresholds, with the nice managing of their known oppositions, hath won many ignorant friends.

Lastly, the excellent correspondence of their doctrines unto nature, hath been their best solicitor. We have examined particulars in a former Epistle *: wherein we have made it evident, that Popery affects nothing, but to make nature either proud or wanton: it offers difficulties; but carnal, and such as the greatest lover of himself would easily embrace for an advantage.

In

That we may therefore sum up all; I need not accuse our carelessness, indifferency, idleness, loose carriage; in all which, would God we had not aided them, and wronged ourselves: nor yet their zeal and forwardness. Worse means are guilty of their gain. short, the fair outside, which they set upon religion, which sure is the best they have, if not all; their pretended miracles, wilful untruths, strait prohibitions, bloody and secret inquisitions; depravations of ancient witnesses, expurgation of their own; gay and garish sights, glorious titles; crafty changes of names, shapes, habits, conditions; insinuations to the great, oppugnation of the weaker sex; falsehood of answers and oaths, dispensations for sins, uniting of forces, concealing of differences, largeness of contribu

See Decade iii. Epistle 3. EDITOR.

tions, multitude of actors and means, accordances to men's natural dispositions: where we, on the contrary, care not to seem, but to be; disclaim miracles; dare not save the life of religion with a lie;

give free scope to all pens, to all tongues, to all eyes; shed no blood for religion; suffer all writers to speak like themselves; shew nothing but poor simplicity in our devotions; go ever, and look, as we are; teach the truth right-down, in an honest plainness; take no vantage of imbecility; swear true, though we die; give no hope of indulgence for evil; study, each retired to himself, and the muses; publish our quarrels, and aggravate them; anger nature, and conquer it. Such gain shall be gravel in their throats: such losses to us, in our not daring to sin, shall be happy and victorious; in all other regards are both blame-worthy and recoverable.

What dulness is this! Have we such a King, as in these lists of controversy, may dare to grapple with that great infalible vicar, for his triple crown; such Bishops, as may justly challenge the whole Consistory of Rome; so many learned Doctors and Divines, as no nation under heaven, more; so flourishing Universities, as Christendom hath none; such blessed opportunities, such encouragement? and now, when we want nothing else, shall we be wanting to ourselves? Yea, above all these, the God of Heaven favours us; and do we languish? The cause is his; and, in spite of the gates of hell, shall succeed, though we were not: our neglect may slacken the pace of truth, cannot stay the passage. Why are we not as busy as subtle, more resolute? Such spirits, and such hands as yours, Reverend Lord, must put life into the cold breasts of this frozen generation; and raise them up to such thoughts and endeavours, as may make the emulation of our adversaries equal to their enmity.

EPISTLE II.

TO MY LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.

Shewing the Difference of the Present Church from the Apostolical; and Needlessness of our Conformity thereto in all things.

I FEAR not to say, those men are but superstitiously curious, Right Reverend and Honourable, which would call back all circumstances to their first patterns. The Spouse of Christ hath been ever clothed with her own rites: and, as apparel, so religion hath her fashions; variable, according to ages and places. To reduce us to the same observations which were in apostolical use, were no better than to tie us to the sandals of the disciples, or seamless coat of our Saviour. In these cases, they did what what we need not; and we may, what they did not. God meant us no bondage in their example.