The Papists Reasons of State and Religion, Part 1
THE PAPISTES SVPPLIcation vntounto the Kings moſt excellent Maieſtie &c.
Moſt high and mightie Prince, and our deereſtly beloued Soveraigne.
aHow can Papiſts without bluſhing acknowledge his Maieſties title vntounto the Crown of England to be DIRECT: ſeing they hauehave heretofore by tooth & naile moſt indirectly & mo…t vniuſtly oppugned the ſame Which traiterous Parſons confeſſeth; albe it, for excuſe, he aſſureth himſelfe, that whatſoever hath bin ſaid, writen, or done by any Catholike againſt his Maieſty, which with ſome others m…ght breede diſguſt, hath beene directed to the end (for ſooth) to make his Maieſtie nrſt a Catho…ike, and then our King as if treaſon …ed treacherie against his Highneſſe could make him a Catholike; or the denying and impugning of his direct and iuſt title tended to make him our King. Rob. Parſ in his Treat. of three Converſ. in the Dedicat. Addition to the Catholikes.SO many cauſes concurre, whereſoever we turne our thoughts and theſe moſt great of reioycing as we know not with which wee ſhould begin the count, nor on which to ground our chiefeſt ioy. Your Maieſties, direct tide to the Imperiall Crowne of the Reaſme, both by lineall deſcent, and prioritie of blood, & your Highneſſe moſt quiet acceſſe to the ſame (Gods on…y worke, aboue the expectation of man) do, (as by moſt right they ſhould,) exceedingly p…ſſeſſe and englad our harts: Alſo the thrice fortunate vniting of the two Kingdomes (which not ſeldome in former times hauehave bin much infeſtuous one to the other) and this after ſo ſweete a meane, as by rightful deuolution of both Scepters to the immediate iſſue of either Nation, cannot but in ſemblable proportion multiplie and advaunce our ioyes; nor can we any way doubt, but that theſt egth of the Monarchy (now in de inuincible by the vnion) will ever be moſt able to preſerue theſe our ioyes vntounto vsus, and make them perpe…ual, either kingdome being ſuch a fortres and countermure to other, and both ſo abounding with men and ſhipping, as no forraine enemie, howe potent ſoever, vnleſſe he fi…ſt be wearie of his owne for…unes, dare ever adventure to offend or picke quarrell vntounto: Likewiſe the hope and ſtrongeſt affiance which your Maieſties raigne over both nations yeelds, of reducing the bordurers of either Countrey to Chriſtian order: of turning to cōmoditie the vaſt quantity of ground, which, by reaſon of the ſauage demeanor among them, hath, time out of mind, layne waſt and vnoccupied: and of enioying peace, commerce and trafficke with all Nations, a bleſſing moſt ſoveraigne, and which alreadie is lighted on vsus in good meaſure: Then, the vnſpeakeable benefite of your Highneſſe fitte yeeres to governe, and your long & ſucceſſefull experience in the affaire, being the Arte of Artes, & office of God, farre more intricate d…fficult and comberſome then anie other kinde of miniſtration, or ſtate of life on earth: Then alſo, the ſpeciall conſolation which all men take in your Maieſties regatdfull louelove toward the Nobilitie of the Realme, as hauing alreadie reſtored ſome to their loſt dignities, and endowed others with honor and authoritie in State: Laſtlie, to omit other infinit particulars of leſſe moment, the good triall of your Highneſſe proweſſe, wiſedome, iudgment, clemencie, bountie, compaſſion, the edification of your exemplar life (of like force to your ſubiects for faſhioning their manners therevnto, as were the twigges of partie colour, which the Patriarch Jacob laid before the flocke of ſheepe he had in keeping, at the time of their conceiving,) the nobleſt diſpoſition of our yong Prince and his brother, the rare vertues of their Queene-mother, our moſt reſpected Princeſſe, and the hope of ſuch ſtore of children from both your bodies, as may to the worlds end moſt renowmedlie ſpread and perpetuate the roiall coniunction, name & familie: We ſaie, all theſe, and other like gracious reſpects doe ſo aboundantlie repleniſh our harts w th ioy, as no temporall thing can more in the world. And to the end theſe our ioyes may ever inhabite in our ſoules proſperoulſly without change or diminution, we your Maieſties reuerētly affectionate ſubiectes, doe proſtrately beſeech your moſt Princely conſideration, to commiſerate ourbCauſeleſse cō plaints, not of perſecution for Religion, but of Christian Juſtice for treaſō. grieuous & long indured preſſures for confeſſing the Catholike Romane faith; thecPopiſh Religion is the high and brode way to deſtruction, which we have elſewhere proved as large. all onelyonly meane (as we vndoubtedly beleeue) of ſaving our liues eternally.
We doe not preſume (our dread Soueraigne) to begge the allowance of ſome fewe Churches, for the exerciſe of our Religion, nor yet the allotting of any Eccleſiaſticall liuing towards the maintenance of the Paſtors of our Soules (a benefite that is not denied by the Princes & State politique ofdToleration is graunted in other Countries of neceſſitie and diſability of the Papiſt… part to expugne and ruine the Proteſtants. other Countries, where diverſity of religion is tolerated, and infiniteeIf toleration brings with it ſuch infinite good, wherefore doe not the Papiſts perſwade the Pope, and all Popiſh Princes to embrace the ſa…e? good found to ariſe therof) but the only degree of favour that wee ſeeke at your Maieſties handes in th…s caſe, is, that out of your Princely compaſſion, you would be pleaſed tofAn vnreaſonable requeſt, as may appeare manifeſtly in the ſequele. reverſe the penall lawes, enacted by our late Soueraigne againſt Catholike beleeuers, and to licenſe the practiſe of our Religion in private houſes, without moleſtation to Prieſt or lay Perſon for the ſame. For this (moſt gracious Prince) we intreat, for this we ſhall ever continue our humble petitions, and the ſuite being (as our faith aſſureth vsus) for the not aboliſhing ofgAntichriſtian Religion, every true Chriſtian knoweth, is neither the Cauſe nor honor of GOD: but extreame diſhonor, and blaſphemy againeſt God. Gods nobleſt cauſe and honor vponupon earth, and no waies againſt thehPopery is moſt pernicious vntounto the peace, ſtrength and ſafetie of the kingdome, as appeareth in the Anſwere vntounto the Reaſons of State. peace, ſtrength, or ſafetie of the Kingdome, but rather much conuenient (it haply not neceſſary) for the good preſeruation thereof, and alſo, for that the obtaining of the ſuite would bring vnſpeakeable renowme to your Maieſtie, with all the chiefeſt Rulers of the Chriſtian world, and endleſſe comforte to thouſands (who otherwaies living againſt their conſcience, muſt needes abide in continuall horrour of Soule) wee cannot thinke it a breach of dutie, and leſſe thinke it a pointe of diſloyaltie, ever lowly to ſolicite, yea petitionarily to importune your Maieſtie, for the happie graunt of ſo manifold, farre-ſpreading and vniverſall a bleſſedneſſe. And becauſe wee would not be thought to ſpeake vnadviſedly in the premiſſes, we crave leave of your gracious Maieſtie to adioyne a few briefe reaſons for remonſtrance of that which is ſaid.
ANSVVERE.
TO ſpeake nothing of this exceeding ioy, wherewith the Papiſtes pretend they are affected, by his Highneſſe moſt quiet acceſſe into the kingdome: although wiſe men may well ſuſpect their affection herein to be rather in ſhew then in deed and truth; and my ſelfe can teſtifie that here in Oxford, at what time his Maieſty was proclaimed King of England, &c. A man might eaſily hauehave traced & culled out every Papiſt within this City, (if the reſt were ſo affected, as thoſe whom I hauehave either ſeene, or heard of) by his extraordinary and vnmeaſurable yelling, howling, & ſobbing for griefe, that their long*Weſton. de trip. Hom. Offic. lib. 3 cap. 8. pag. 122. lin. penalt. expected day was not yet come, that their hopes were fruſtrated, and their exſpectational in vaine; ſome of the ſimpler ſort crying out in expreſſe tearmes, Alas, alas, how ſhall the poore Cathôlikes do now! we are all vndone! we are vndone! whereas al his Maieſties liege Subiects, by manyfold tokens, declared their extraordinary reioycing. To ſpeake nothing, I ſay, hereof; I will come to the maine Propoſition of the Supplication; which is, That his Maieſtie would be pleaſed to reverſe the penall lawes, enacted by our late Soveraigne againſt Papiſticall beleevers, and to licenſe the practiſe of their Religion in private houſes, without moleſtation to Prieſt or lay Perſon for the ſame. And becauſe the Papiſts would not be thought to craue any thing vnadviſedly, the adioyne their reaſons for remonſtrance of what they deſire.
The Papiſts Reaſons for toleration of their Religion.
THe Reaſons which the Papiſts alleadge for toleration of their Religion in England, are of two ſortes; Reaſons of State; and Reaſons of Religion. But how forcible theſe are for their purpoſe, the ſequele will declare vntounto the indifferent Reader. Firſt therefore let vsus heare their Reaſons of State.