The Romish Fisher Caught and Held in his Own Net, Preface
The Preface to the Protestants Relation of the Conference, IVNE 27. 1623.
BEing commanded by my Lord his Grace of Canterbury, from his Maiesty, to certifie the truth of that which passed in a late conference, in point of Religion, at Sir Humfrey Linde's house in Sheer-Lane, in London: we, who were present at the Conference, partly, out of the fresh memory of such passages as we then obserued; but especially, by help of such Notes as were taken in the Conference it self, subscribed by both the Disputants, drew vp, within a week after, as perfect a Relation of the substance thereof, as we could: wherein as we added nothing to the aduantage or preiudice of either party; so wee omitted nothing of moment, in the Current of the Arguments and Answers. As for some interlocutory speeches of the right honourable the Earl of Warwick, who diuers times seasonably interposed, and, when the Disputants or standers-by grew into any heat or distemper, discreetly tempered both sides, Ille regit dictis animos, & pectora mulcet. —those passages we inserted not into our narration, because, the Earle beeing not then in London, we held it incongruous, without his Honours knowledge, to vse his name to the King. For other omissions, the Iesuites are beholding vntounto vsus: for, they were in fauour of them; wee beeing loth to bee vngues in vlcere, to bee thought to rub too hard vponupon a gawle, but rather desirous to carry the whole Relation as fairly and passably as might be.2. Cor. 12. 13. We had thought, the Iesuites would hauehave pardoned vsus this wrong.
After this originall Draught was by vsus tendered to his Grace of Canterbury, and by his Grace deliuered to the Kings Maiesty, some Copie (as we vnderstand) was taken, for the satisfaction of a Person of quality: which, passing from one to another, in the end fell into the hands of some Stationers; who, without licence or knowledge of those whom it most concerned, committed it to the Presse, de questu magis, quàm quaestione soliciti. And the better to vent this new wine, they set a faire Garland before the dore, intituling it, The FISHER caught in his owne Net. Which Title was not deuised nor prefixed by any of vsus: we willingly leaue the vanity of such affected inscriptions to our Aduersaries, who make themselues ridiculous in this kinde. One intituleth his Answer to D. White, WHITE dyed black. Another cals his woodden Pamphlet, The Gag of the new Religion, or of the reformed Gospell. Another, his Reply to M. BELL, Cecidit BELL, The dolefull knell of THOMAS BELL. This is not the sound of AARON'S golden Bell; but rather of the tinkling Cymball mentioned by Saint PAVL, 1. Cor. 13. Fancies and Iigs make no good Church-musick.
Nobis non licet esse tam disertis,
Qui Musas colimus sacratiores.
For the Title therefore, wee approoue it not: but for the Conference it selfe, it containeth nothing but the truth, whatsoeuer the Aduersaries giuegive out to the contrary, who (as it seemeth) hold it a work of supererogation, to forge and coyne signall and transcendent Leasings for the Catholick Cause; for, although the Iesuites, at this Conference, were often vncertaine, and alwaies very slow and tardy in their Answers, and (in fine) answered nothing, but that they would not answer Doctor FEATLY his instance in CHRIST and his Apostles; yet hauehave they or their Schollers proclaimed in Gath, and published in Ascalon, such a victory as neuer was heard; much like the wonderfull coniunction of the superior Planets, which was ne…er seene.
About a weeke after the Conference, the noble Earle of Warwick, who had bin present at it, hauing occasion to passe ouer the Seas, and comming to Saint Omers, had the Company of Doctor Weston at his Inne; to whom this Doctor (taking the Earle for a Romane Catholick) told for fresh and most happy newes out of England, that at a Conference betweene Father FISHER and SVVEET, Iesuites, and two Protestant Ministers, in London, the Iesuites had quitted themselues so well, and the Catholique faith preuailed so farre, that two Earles, and an hundred other of the Auditory were gayned to the Church of Rome by this Incounter: of these two Earles, the party to whom hee spake, was one, who could not but smile at this Relation.
Risit Atlantiades; et me mihi, perfide, prodis,
Me mihi prodis, ait?
A pretty Comick Scene, where the Spectator is made an Actor, and a false person put vponupon him to his face: a renowned and constant Protestant, borne downe to be a Romish Proselyte. As for the reuolt of the other Earle, and pretended Centurie of Protestant Romane Conuerts, we beleeue it as firmely, as thataVitae Sanct. Brigittae. Vitae S. Aldelmi. S. BRIGET laid her Wimple, and Saint ALDELME his Chesible vponupon a beame of the Sunne, which supported them. That Saint NICOLAS, bFestivale de Sancto Nicolao.while hee lay in his cradle, fasted Wednesday and Fryday; these daies hee would not suck, but once in the day. ThatcLegend. de Sancto Patricio. Saint PATRICK caused a stolne sheep to bleate in the belly of him that had eaten it. That the corps ofdLegend. de Sancto Stephan. S. LAVRENCE, at the coming of Saint STEPHENS body, smiled for ioy, and turned it selfe to the other side of the Sepulcher, to make roome for him;eEp. Clem. ad Iac. in Ep. Pontif. that CLEMENS wrote a Letter to Saint IAMES the brother of our Lord, seuen yeeres after hee was dead; thatfVide Breu. & picturas Dionys. vel interrog. Paris…enses. Saint DENNIS carried his head in his hand three miles, and rested at each place of the posts, that are set betweene Paris and Saint Dennis; thatgLegend. de Dunst. & picturae pass…. Saint DVNSTONE held the diuell fast by the nose with a paire of tongues; that thehHist…ire de N…stre Dame de L…retto. chamber of our Lady was carried by Angels through the Ayre, from Palestine to Loretto, in Italy; iAnnot. in Clemanges ex Caesario.that our Lady helped Saint THOMAS BECKET to mend or stitch his hayre-cloth;kLegend. de …. Cant. that a Parrat crying out, Saint THOMAS help me, was deliuered from an Hawk; lLegend. de L…p….that Saint LVPVS shut vp the diuell in a tankard all night; thatmLegend. de …. vid. M…l…h. …. Theol. Saint DOMINICK made the Diuell hold the candle to him till hee burnt his fingers; that nVitae Francisci.Saint FRANCIS swallowed a Spider in a Chalice which Spider came whole out of his thigh; that the oCheney Martyr Carthus.Image of the Crucifix turnd tayle to GREGORY the Monke, when hee went from the Vespers, to walk in the Chapter- house; thatpSedul. Francisc. Fryer ANDREVV, to correct his appetite of eating birds at the Table, by the signe of the Crosse, commanded them to fly away after they were rosted;qAuthor of the Relation of the Western Religion. that the Thunder of the Popes excommunications so blasted the Hugonotes, that their faces were growne as black and vgly as the diuell;rVitae Iu…j. that FRANCIS IVNIVS had a round clouen foot like an Oxe;sBeza rediuiuus. that BEZA recanted his religion before his death;tMy Lord of Londons Legacie. that the reuerend Doctor KING, late Bishop of London, died a Papist; or,uInterroga vicin… de re iam recenti. that the Protestants at Black-…ryers, by knocking certaine pins out of the timber, caused that late & lamentable fall of the floar: wherin about 200 Papists were assembled, and neere a 100 slaine. They who teach pious frauds, and write of holy hypocrisy, and doctrinally deliuer the lawfulnesse of equiuocation, may securely report, whatsoeuer maketh for the Catholique Cause. The more incredible and palpable the Lie is, the more merit in him that maketh it, and in them that beleeue it. Popery is a doctrine composed of Lies: and Philosophy teacheth, that all things are fed and maintained by such things of which they are bred and made. The aliments of Popery must bee correspondent to the elements of which it consisteth: and verily as hee said in the Poet, Si ius violandum est, Regni causa violandum, if a man must transgresse the Law of honesty and Iustice, he must doeit for a Kingdome: so it is like they are resolued, if a man must lye, certainely hee must lye for the good of the Catholick Religion; and if lie in so good a cause, lye to some purpose.
The first report concerning the issue of this Conference, was of a silly woman, said to be present, and conuerted thereby to the Romish faith, who forsooth stamped vponupon her English Bible, and solemnly renounced the Protestant Religion vponupon it; protesting, she would neuer trust hereticall Translation any more. But, alas! this was but a silly lye, made by some p…isne …ouice of the petty forme, to see how a lye in this kinde would take. The higher Schollers in the Iesuites Schoole, thought it behooued them to make a Catholick or vniuersall lye for the Catholick cause, by giuing out, that the whole company of Protestants present at that Conference, was gayned to the Romish faith, yea, and many more Protestants then were there also for 100, some say, 400▪ is the summe of the supposed Conuerts; whereas there were not neere a hundred persons in both parties in all at the Conference; and (as wee conceiue) neere 20. were professed Papists, and knowne Recusants: and for the rest, which were Noble-men, Gentle-men, and Gentle-women of quality, with some few Diuines, there was not one of them any way staggered in Religion by this meeting; but on the contrary, they hauehave openly profest, that they were much established and confirmed in the truth of the Protestant Religion by it: and Master BVGGES himselfe, (whose satisfaction by this Conference was principally intended) who before had doubted of our Church, after this Disputation, professeth himselfe fully resolued through the mercy of God: to whose grace we commend all that louelove the Truth in sincerity.
As for those, who contrary to the euidence of truth, and so many testimonies beyond all exception, are yet resolued to beleeue what the Iesuites report for their owne aduantage in their owne cause; the Iesuites, wee say, who maintaine, that a man may vtter an vntruth in words without the guilt of Veniall sinne, so hee be sure to make it vp by a mentall reseruation: vponupon such as stand thus affected, wee bestow the blessing ofqAugust. Thuan. ad An. 1556. Caramalis Caraffa Lutetiam Regni Metropol…m ingreditur, solitâ pompâ, tanquam Pontificis Legatus; vbi cùm signum Crucis, vt fit, ederet, verborum, quae proferri mos est, loco, ferunt eum vt erat securus de numme animo, & summus Religionum derisor occursante passim populo, in genua procūbente, saepiùs secretâ murmuratione haec verba ingeminâsse: Quandoquidem, &c. Cardinall CARAFFA: who, when the people flocked to him in great multitudes to be blest by him, (beeing ariued at Paris, comming as Legate from the Pope), lifting vp his eyes deuoutly to heauen, and making▪ according to the manner, crosses in stead of the accustomed forme of Episcopall benediction, blessed the honest vulgar French-men in these words: Quandoquidem iste populus vult decipi, decipiatur: If so be this people will bee gulled or deceiued (with such shewes and fopperies), let them be gulled or deceiued.