The papists new-fashion'd allegiance a letter lately seiz'd in the house of an eminent Roman Catholick in Hereford-shire, and produced at the late assizes there held / written by Father Harcourt. Barrow, William, 1610-1679. 1679 Approx. 9 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A45528 Wing H696 ESTC R25409 08951468 ocm 08951468 42071 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. A45528) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 42071) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1286:9) The papists new-fashion'd allegiance a letter lately seiz'd in the house of an eminent Roman Catholick in Hereford-shire, and produced at the late assizes there held / written by Father Harcourt. Barrow, William, 1610-1679. 4 p. s.n., [London : 1679] Caption title. Signed: W.H. Reproduction of original in the Bodleian 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 Jesuits -- England. Popish Plot, 1678. 2006-04 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2006-05 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-10 Celeste Ng Sampled and proofread 2006-10 Celeste Ng Text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion THE PAPISTS New fashion'd Allegiance : A LETTER Lately seiz'd in the House of an Eminent Roman Catholick in Hereford-shire , and produced at the late ASSIZES there held : Written by Father HARCOVRT the Jesuit , lately Executed ; Concerning taking the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance . UPon a late search in Herefordshire , the ensuing Letter was found by a Justice of the Peace in a Papist's House , very choicely laid up amongst a parcel of Crucifixes , Reliques , and Popish Trinkets : It was written as from a Woman , as some Expressions would make one believe ; But both the Matter , Style and Character , evidently shew'd it to be in Truth from some Jesuit or Popish Priest , who now commonly maintain their Correspondencies in the Names , and by the Mediation of their Female-Disciples . For as that Sex is by Nature ignorant , Superstitious , and pertinacious in their Opinions ; so these crafty Seducers imitating their Father , the Original Deceiver , make special use of these weaker Vessels , to imbibe and propagate their false Doctrines . The Author of this Epistle therefore , is generally reported , and on good grounds believ'd to be no other than that late Executed Traitor , Father W. Harcourt , the Jesuit , as well because the Letters of the Name subscribed , agree with his , and that 't is certain he was intimately Familiar in that Family , and at that time sculking up and down the Countrey ; as also , because some acquainted with his Hand-writing conclude it to be of the same Character . And though the matter thereof seem to be good and commendable , as persuading , or if you please , giving leave to Papists , to do that which in it self is most lawful , and no more than their Duty , yet the manner and grounds on which this is here advised , evidently demonstrate , that 't is done meerly to serve a present Turn , and elude the Law by Swearing in such an abstruse Equivocating sence , as renders the Government never the more secure : The necessary preservation whereof , was the grand end for which these Oaths were originally enjoyn'd , and still impos'd . — The Letter follows . Dear Cousin , I Am glad to hear you continue so well after your hard Bargain , for I was afraid all our Friends had been quite lost , they have been so disturbed and Letters are so uncertain , that one dares not trust any but by a special Messenger , and scarce so . I might have been as happy as you , but the sudden Frights of Searchers , which I fear'd might have plunder'd in All , and hurried my good Gentleman to London , caused a Miscarriage , which went harder with me than Child-bearing . The Times are sad at present , but we ought not to despond , a little Patience may mend all . My privacy affords but little News , and how the Great Wheel turns , I am not certain , but hope and pray for the best . We are all well as yet , at our little Pathmos , and after serious Examination and Advice , which we think fit to communicate to you , and the rest of our Friends , Approve of it as requisite for a Catholick man to express his true Loyalty in such Circumstances to his King by taking the Oaths , when necessitated thereunto . For though there be much harshness in the words , as to exclude our Acknowledgment and Adherence by Faith and Obedience unto our purely Spiritual Head ; yet since we be admitted to make our own Sence , as indeed , whoever Swears cannot be hindred by any words impos'd from Swearing , in such Sense as is agreeable to his own understanding ; so that here we only swear within such bounds as the Catholick Church and our Duty allows , that is , only acknowledging a Temporal Power over Spirituals , as in Contentious Courts due to the Temporal Sword , and not in Foro Conscientiae , as by the Proviso in the Statute Quinto Elizabethae may be seen . Therefore to take off this Ignominious Censure of denying our Allegiance , and let the World know , that we may give to Caesar what is his due , we may not refuse the Oaths when legally tendered , especially at such a time when Catholicks lye under so many Suspicions and Scandals , in point of Loyalty , which 't is an indispensable Duty , incumbent upon us all , to prevent to the utmost of our power , and this especially when we are not compelled to the Rigour of the words , as formerly ; but only to allow His Majesty a Supream , Temporal Power in Spiritual things , and not a purely Spiritual Power , which is due only to the Supream Spiritual Pastor of our Souls . Without denying God his Right , we may attribute in a sound Sence to the King , that Spiritual Coercive Power , which he or his Ancestors gave to the Church . Now he claims it to himself , and with more Justice than the first Framer of one of these Oaths that began it by Pillaging the Church , and usurping its Power : For he now quietly possesses the Church Livings , and had not he the Authority in the Spiritual Courts , upon every disagreeing , the obstinately Contentious or best monied Litigants would Appeal to Rome , which would be as inconvenient to our Peace , as those harsh words , which some devout Catholicks now scruple at , though without reason , when their ghostly Instructors have signified their Concurrence , &c. For when the SWEET LENITIVE is admitted , by owning the King hath such a Temporal Coercive Power over Spirituals , we do not deny the purely Spiritual Power of our Supream Pastor . As for Example , The Pope creates a Bishop , and gives him Power to administer Sacraments ; This was the Power of the Keys given to St. Peter by our Saviour : But 't was Constantine gave St. Sylvester his Temporal Command , and had Constantius his Son , reassum'd it again , he had but destroy'd his Father's gift . Now then when all the Lands be in the Crown , we may acknowledge the King the Supream Head , and as they be called Spiritual Livings , because they belonged to the Church ; so he may not improperly be styled a Spiritual Head , that has Command of them ; which at his Pleasure he may again bestow upon Spiritual Persons . This is what I thought fit to signifie to you at present on this matter , wherein you desired Directions , and might have been more plain , would the Times have born it . I should be heartily glad to hear from you as often as you can , but you know the necessary Cautions . Pray present my Duty to my Aunt ; And so with my Prayers to Almighty God for you all , and most Cordial Love remembred , I ever am April the 12th . 1679. Your most Affectionate Cousin W. H. Though this Letter be written in so strange and affected cloudy Style , and those words , Miscarriage , Child-bearing , Husband , &c. cast in to make it the better pass for a Woman 's Penning , which yet possibly may have some other determinate meaning , well known by Confederacy amongst the Correspondents ; yet the main drift of it seems plain enough to be the signification of some Dispensation lately granted to English Papists , to take the Oaths ; and this merely suited to the present Juncture of Affairs , to avoid the Penalties of the Laws , prevent Scandal , and possess Protestants with a good opinion of their Loyalty : The better to dispose zealous and scrupulous Roman Catholicks thereunto , here is the use of Equivocation recommended , and such an unaccountable distinction framed about Temporal Power in Spirituals , and that so warily laid down , that the Jesuits may at any time give a different or clean contrary Interpretation , whenever Opportunity and their Interest shall require it . By these , and the like dealings of these Men , we may evidently perceive that they make use of Religion only as a Politick Engin , which they manage variously at their pleasure , as it may be most serviceable to their Designs : And that there is no Oath , Test , or Obligation , which by the help of an Equivocation and a Distinction they cannot accept , and presently evade or break through . FINIS .