A letter from the Pope to his distressed sons the Catholicks in England. As it was intercepted, and now published by S.V. Catholic Church. Pope (1667-1669 : Clement IX) 1674 Approx. 15 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 6 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A33406 Wing C4636 ESTC R215135 99827104 99827104 31517 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A33406) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 31517) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1863:28) A letter from the Pope to his distressed sons the Catholicks in England. As it was intercepted, and now published by S.V. Catholic Church. Pope (1667-1669 : Clement IX) Clement IX, Pope, 1600-1669. aut 8 p. [s.n.], London : printed in the year M DC LXXIV. [1674] Signed at end: Clement IX. Reproduction of the original in the British Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Catholic Church -- England -- Early works to 1800. Catholics -- England -- Early works to 1800. 2006-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2006-08 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-09 Jason Colman Sampled and proofread 2006-09 Jason Colman Text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A LETTER FROM THE POPE , TO His DISTRESED SONS THE Catholicks In ENGLAND . As it was Intercepted , And now Published by S. V. LONDON : Printed in the Year M DC LXXIV . A LETTER from the POPE . DEar Sons , whom now thy English Den of Hereticks despise , who now are by them made the Ludibrium hominum , who for all your cunning stratagems and heroick Plots and Treasons , and all your learning , yet ( to my sorrow I speak it ) you are likely both now to be driven out from , banished , and utterly disregarded by these Hgonots ( silly Souls : ) yet I your old Father , before I take my leave of the World and of you , which if Hereticks still pursue to spit out their Malice against you my Sons the Jesuits , and if as is reported the Penal Laws be put in execution against you , will suddenly put a period to this my now uncomfortable life . Yet still me thinks I ought not to despair , but wait to see our Halcyon days , and Hereticks be again brought under the rod of our holy Inquisition . You know Sons how I have erected Seminaries , and to what end ; which my enemies do call bad Conventicles , no better then Cockatrices to hatch treason : in these I never thought any Cost too dear , whereby either to make your Bodies fit for travail , or to help your natures inclination with fallacious art for the accomplishment of our purpose . And now my Sons 't is high time that you fall from contemplation to practise , or else I say all is lost : for Protestants give out that Popery has seen its best days in England ; and I hear the Parliament , that Pope-marring Assembly , will drive you like Foxes into corners : nay , I am informed that Heretick-like they have publickly burnt the effigies of my Holiness ; and that D. S. a leading man among these Hereticks , hath charged us with , nay not only charged , but proved that Catholicks are Idolaters ; and that they make no more of confuting Cardinal Bellarmine , then drinking of a glass of Wine . Ah now what is become of all our subtilty ? we are now begirt about with our Father the Divils devises . Now therefore seeing it is thus , let none of you scorn your Old Fathers directions : for though your younger years be riper in Art , yet my experience may teach you what in great designes is to be affected . English you are , whose Albion-Cliffs have heretofore seemed to my predecessors and me like Rocks of pure Diamond , where some have rightly loved us , and from the depth of their affection have embraced you my dearest Children : but the greatest part now pursue me with deadly hatred , terming me no better than a blood-sucking Cannibal , a Robber of Churches , a Patron of Heresies , a Father of Falsehood , the Broacher of Quarrells , the Seed-man of Sedition , the Infringer of Liberties , the Controler of Princes , the Enemy of Christ , the Monster and Astonishment of Nature , in Chayeing Christians Souls in miserable Thraldom , and more then Egyptian servitude . But we expect the time when these Clouds may , nay will vanish : be not discouraged ; you know after a storm comes a calme , after Persecution liberty ; the thoughts of which is unto me as it were a Restorative , to revive my faint and languishing Spirits : which hope doth chiefly depend upon your cunning in compassing ; and cunning consisteth in this which followeth : First , that you work upon such as are fit to be added to our Catholick faction ; and secondly , in the manner of the performance . Those that are the likelyest to be fitted to this frame , that is , to lend a hand when opportunity strikes allarme ( I speak not sons of those who already are devout Catholicks , earnestly expect , and heartily pray for success in our Cause ) either are Male-contents whom envy or malice may make desirous of a change ; or loose professors , who have lent their love to voluptuous delights or prodigalities , Children whom extreme want hath made desperately minded ; or wanton wanderers , whom long travail hath deprived of natural affection . And thus began Mahomet to strengthen his State , by joyning himself with the angry Souldiers of Heraclius , stirring up their minds against the Emperor , and encouraging them in their defection ; whereupon in process of time it came to pass , that although many could not abide him , from the baseness of his Birth , and odiousness of his former Life ; yet growing from a Thief to a seditious Souldier , and from a seditious Souldier to be Captain of a Rebellious host , his Mahometical force began to subdue mighty people . Now as you must strike with Mahomet while the Iron is hot , and work those with diligence whose inclination you find pliable ; so must your wisdom appear in the manner of this work , wherein I would have you to propound to your selves the deceitfulness of the damned wretch before named . I would not for all the world it were known , my Sons , that you followed so base a pattern of a cozening Knave , for an example of imitation : this Mahomet , not only to gratifie his Companions , but also the more easily to allure all Nations , received all Religions ; the pertinacy of Arrius , the error of Nestorius , the vain invention of the Thalmudists : therefore from the Jews he received Circumcision , from the Christians sundry washings as it were Baptism , and with Sergius denyed Christ his Divinity . Secondly , to inlarge his Kingdom , he made such Laws as were fit to win and allure the vilest ; as to his Arabians , base wretches , accustomed to live upon spoil , he alloweth Theft , and setteth a Law for revenge : hurt him which hurt you ; he that killeth his enemy , or is is killed by him , entreth into Paradice : he permits of having many Wives , Divorcement for trifling causes ; promiseth Paradice to them that give liberally , and fight for his sake . Thirdly , mistrusting his fall , with many Bulworks hath he fenced his Law , that no way be open to subvert it ; First , by commanding to kill them which speak against his Alcoran ; Secondly , by forbidding men to confer with a contrary Sect ; and thirdly , by prohibiting credit to be given to any of a contrary Religion . Now Sirs , why should not we prevail as well as this deceiver , whom for example I have mentioned to you my Children ? have not we as many Motives , as plausible Rhetoricians to perswade ? for First , as he to allure all Nations received all Religions , so I your Old Father have found out such a Religion as is compounded of all sorts , that all might be pleased ; and therefore our Enemies have called it the Cruse and Budget of heresies . Secondly , our Doctrines are as mighty to prevail , as ever were the Laws of Mahomet . If Old Men be covetous , their young men voluptuous , Nobles Ambitious , and the common sort Ceremonious ; we have such allurements as are also to win them : to the rich covetousness , with Craft and Cruelty , and the rest of her factours , we have Coyned a Purgatory , the fire of our gain : to ●eed the voluptuous , our Religion admits simple Fornication , and our practise hath erected Stews : to draw on the Riotous , dissolute and idle do-nothings , we have ordained many odd Holy-days ; at Rogation to carry Banners , after Pentecost to go about with Corpus Christi , play , and other knick-naks : nay , to encourage you in Treason or desperate undertakings , we have canonized Garnet , and other zealous Catholicks , who suffered Martyrdom for the Catholick Cause , after that heroick , and of all good Catholicks to be commended , though unfortunate Powder-Plot . To keep men from the sight of their sins , we have taught them to mince them , and that the first motions are no sins unless they go with consent , that some are venial , and need but an Asperge of Holy Water , or a Bishops blessing : to win ambitious hearts , that fain would be aloft , you must teach that my power is to give Kingdoms to such as can conquer them , and to discharge Subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance and Loyalty , as our Pius the fifth and Gregory the thirteenth did against that Heretick ( though to all the world and to us our selves known most Virtuous ) Queen Elizabeth . Further , we give immortality to such as can pluck the Crown from the Princes head ; and tell you that ( which is a most damnable lye , but no matter so long as the Catholick cause is advanced ) to murder a Hugonot , or blow up at a blast an Heretical Parliament , are works meritorious . If the people will know nothing , to fit their humours we teach that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion , That Images are books for Lay men , That knowledge of the Scriptures makes Heresies ; and not as that Heretick Dr. S. teaches , that the Scripture ought to be the Rule of our Faith , but that it is sufficient that their faith be folded up in our Church-belief , without understanding or knowing what it is . Again , to please the multitude , and to draw them to our Side , we have holy Reliques ( Oh most pretious ! ) Dispensations , Indulgences , and thousands of years of Pardon ; and that Catholikes must believe not what Christ and his Apostles have taught , but what the Church believes , right or wrong ; and that they ought to pin their Faith upon the fallible Infallibility of her , and not as Dr. S. affirms , upon ( that heretical dangerous Book ) the Scriptures , which have made Heresies , as wisely said that Cardinal , when it was enquired how so many Heresies came into the world : Why , says he , we may think our selves for it alone : for bad we kept that dangerous Book the Bible in an unknown Tongue , these Heresies had never sprung so thick ; but now every private and Lay heretick puts his exposition upon the Scriptures . And was not this answered like himself , think you , my sons ? Yea certainly : for now we finde it , to our woful experience . Lastly , lest simplicity either in Church-Service or Administration of Sacraments should breed contempt , we have added many more petty matters to make them more commendable , more acceptable to the palat , and our followers more devout ; as in our Churches gilded Images , Altars , Super-Altars , Candlesticks , and such-like : In our Massings and Church-Service , Golden garments , costly Colours , strange Gestures , warbling and numbering of Beads , &c. In our Priests , square Caps , Bald Crowns , great Hoods : In our Orders , Crossing , Anointing , Shriving , sorswearing Wedlock , & e. In our Baptism , Washing of hands , Salting , Spawling , Exorcising , Crossing : In Receiving , to come with beards new shaven , and an imagination of a bodily and real presence ; which makes Catholikes devoutly to receive , when they are taught and really think it so , but in truth none is , but as the Hereticks own mystically so to be . And lastly , lest this our jugling should be espied , which I your old Father hear begins to be too manifest , we have made as strong Fences for Papism , as ever did that wicked Beast for Mahometism . For first , we have endeavoured to bury the Scriptures , lest by that light all our Projects , obscure designes and darkness should be discovered ; which if sudden care be not taken , I have reason to fear it will too too suddenly . Yet fear not , the Fowler is fain many times to follow his Game long before he can obtain it ; the Angler is fain many times to sit whole hours by the river-side , before he can perswade the silly Fish to snap up their own destruction . We have waited long , and many of our well design'd and heroick Plots ( such as was the Gun-powder-treason ) have miscarryed : but there may come a time when — Secondly , Church-service we have thrust upon silly people in a strange language ; Sons , you know well why : for ' Simon Magus was never detected , before Christ was preached in Samaria . Thirdly , we have forbidden our followers to confer with the Hugonots : for they are always striking at us with the Scepter of the Word , and still cry , To the Law and the Testimony , &c. Further , we tell you , that any thing , though the horridest Murder or Treason you should act , is highly meritorious , so that thereby the Catholike Cause may be respected , and the interest of our Church ( I mean , that you may fill your own Coffers ) advanced : and that as amongst the Scythians he was reputed the bravest Gentleman that spilt most bloud ; so I tell you , he is Canonized for the worthiest Catholick , that can bring most souls to confusion . And now , what can we do more ? Yet what doth there else remain , but that you use all diligence , feeding your favourites with strong hope and large promises , standing at the Court-gates with Absalom , the lively image of Courtly Politicks , seeming to pity the peoples estate , when his ambitious humour did greedily aspire after his Fathers Kingdom . Even so you my Sons , tell them that their Religion is good , and how I your Father and theirs do pity them , and that if I had the disposition of the Crown , plenty should follow the Scepter , and peace should follow plenty . I say no more unto you , but walk closely , and keep your selves in tenebris : For your predecessors , I know not whether to ascribe it to angry Starrs , the influence of the Heavens , neglect of opportunity , want of secresie , by too great security , have had so bad success , that instead of supplanting a Kingdom , they have broke their Necks at Tyburn ; and instead of reconciling Souls to the Romish faction , they have united their Heads to a Halter ; this cruelty have they sustained for my sake , whom therefore I have Crowned with Martyrdom , and Question not but that they have as good rewards as they deserved . Thus hoping and expecting to hear the downfal of Hereticks , I am your tender ( though by Hugonots despised ) Father CLEMENT IX . FINIS .