A Defense of the Catholic Faith, Book 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Certaine Remonſtrances of COEFFETEAV his iudgement, touching the Treaſons and attempts vppon the life of the King of England.
ARISTOTLE in the ſecond booke of his Rhetoriques,Chap. 21. foreign. ſaith, that the Countrey people vſe to hauehave their ſpeeches very full of ſentences, but folly is more ſufferable then vnſeaſonable wiſedome: Coeffeteau beginneth his booke much after ſuch faſhion; making to the King of great Britaine many ſententious Remonſtrances, interlaced and mingled with threats and commendations. But whilſt he repreſenteth to Kings their duties, he goeth beyond his owne, for S. Ierome forbids Monkes to be teachers, ſaying in his booke againſt Vigilantius: Monachus non docentisſed plangen tis habet officium, wiſhing Monks rather to bewaile and be ſorrowfull for their owne faults, then to reprehend thoſe of other men. But chiefly his Remonſtrances are ill employed to a King, that is better read in the Bible then he is in his Miſſall; and that hath carefully put in practiſe the commaundement of God in the ſeuenteenth of Deuteronomy; where hee commaunds Kings to read the booke of the law all the dayes of their liues.verſe 19. The exhortation that Luther often vſed by his Letters to Pope Leo the tenth, to renounce the papacy, and to liue of his owne, and to come and doe as he did, had more grace with it, then this of Coeffeteau; for it is more probable of the two,Sleidan. li. 2. that the Pope was the likelier to hauehave followed Luthers counſell.
This Doctor hauing thus employed the ſeuen firſt pages of his book in theſe exhortations, which hauehave no other fault, but that they are ill applyed, comes to thoſe motiues, which eſtrange and keepe the King of England from the Romane Religion; ſuppoſing the conſpiracies that hauehave beene againſt his perſon, to be the cauſes of it, thereupon proteſteth;Fol. 5. pag. 1. that the Romane Church no way approueth ſuch attempts, but condemnes them as parricides, and wiſheth to Princes ſecure gouernement, victorious armes, obedient people, and faithfull Councell: And after addeth, That for theſe conſiderations the head of the Church (which is the Pope) cannot diſaproue the courſes that your Maiestie holaeth; to ſecure your authority and perſon, againſt the miſerable enterprizes, ſo that they bee not repugnant to that Religion which he is bound to deſend.
To this I ſay, Coeffeteau hath beene very ill enformed, for the conſpiracies againſt the King of Englands life, hauehave not with-held or kept him from Popery; ſince euen from his Infancy he hath made open profeſsion of the true Religion, and before this conſpiracy had publiſhed the confeſſion of his faith conformable to that which we profeſſe.
And whereas he condemnes ſuch attempts, as are made vponupon the liues of Kings, we greatly commend him for it; and thereby ſuppoſe that he no way approued the enterprize of Iames Clement, who was domeſticke with him and his companion: From thence I likewiſe gather, that when the Ieſuite Mariana in the ſixt Chapter of his booke De Regno, prayſeth the Act of Iames Clement, ſaying that he was perſwaded, and enduced thereunto by Diuines, with whom hee had conferr'd: I gather that Coeffeteau was none of thoſe Diuines, and that when this Parricide Saint, and Coeffeteau went a begging together, hee made him not acquainted with his ſecret. And further it is no ſmall vertue in this Doctor, that he feareth not in ſo iuſt a cauſe to condemne many Ieſuites, who were complices or inſtigators of this laſt conſpiracy, and hauehave been executed for it. Nay more, it ſheweth a magnanimity in Coeffeteau, that hee dares ſo couragiouſly oppoſe himſelfe to the Pope and Bellarmine, who (by their letters before mentioned) incite the Engliſh to rebellion, which could neuer take effect ſo long as the Kings life ſhould be in ſafety. By the ſame meanes he likewiſe condemneth the Authors of the Legend of S. Iames Clement, which wee hauehave ſeene with our eyes, but not without much wonder and admiration. The ſucceſſe of things hauehave grudged him this honor; and men hauehave beene nothing fauourable and propitious to this Saint, otherwiſe doubtleſſe hee had before this beene put into paradice. It is likewiſe a cauſe of iuſt ioy vntounto vsus, to ſee that a Doctor of the Sorbons dare approue the ſentence of the Court of Parliament againſt Iohn Chaſtell, though the Pope of late hath newly cenſured it; By which it dooth alſo follow that he doth not thinke it well done, that Garnet and Ouldcorne Ieſuites, and parties in the gunpowder treaſon, are at Rome inſerted in a roll of Martyres. Whoſoeuer prayſeth and approueth an acte already done, will queſtionleſſe counſel and aduiſe the doing of it; for that which is wicked in the vndertaking, cannot be good in the execution: But the Pope in his breue before mentioned, calleth the puniſhment of Treaſon and rebellion by the name of Martyrdom, which is a dangerous ſpeech, & able to make Kings tremble, when the people ſhall be taught by Murders and Treaſons to ſeeke the Crowne of Martyrdome, An abhominable and deteſtable doctrine: can there be any ſo colde and frozen zeale, that will not hereby be warmed, and moued to a iuſt anger, that this ſo ſacred name of Martyr, ſo much reuerenced in the Church, ſhould in ſuch ſort be proſtituted, that whereas the holy Scripture calleth them Martyrs, which ſuffer for the teſtimony of the Goſpell; now a dayes thoſe which hauehave their handes ſtayned and ſoyled with the blood of Kings ſhould be honoured with that Title? It is not the ſuffering but the cauſe that maketh a Martyr; otherwiſe the diuell might likewiſe hauehave his Martyrs, but ſuch paines are crymes, and are not onelyonly vnworthy of praiſe, but are likewiſe vnworthy of pardon, and ſuch pains and torments, as are againe to be puniſhed with future torments. Is it then fit that the holy ſquadron of Martyrs, where S. Stephen marcheth firſt, and S. Iames neare vntounto him, and after them the reſt of the Apoſtles; followed by ſo many of the faithfull, who hauehave bin prodigall of their bloods, but careful and thriftie of the glory of God: Is it fit amongſt them to finde Incendiaries and Parricides with fire and ſword in hand; not like vntounto S. Paul and S. Lawrence, that is to ſay, not repreſenting their puniſhments, but as teſtimonies of their crymes, not to ſignifie the death by which they died, but to declare the manner how they murdered? Vnhappy age, that ſtyleth villaines with title of vertue: and that by the corrupting of words and names, depraueth the things themſelues, and ſo by a new kinde of Grammer introducteth a new kinde of Diuinity. But God be praiſed, that he hath not permitted the Pope by his skill and arte, to plant this perſwaſion generally in the hearts of the people, but that euen amongſt our aduerſaries themſelues, there are very many that no way approue this ſeditious and bloody doctrine: Amongſt which number I would willingly place the Doctor Coeffeteau, becauſe of his proteſtations, were it not that he allayes them with ſuch modifications and reſtrictions, as giues vsus cauſe to doubt of them: And which teſtifie that thoſe Kings, with whoſe liues and Crownes he would not hauehave medled, are onelyonly ſuch Kings as are obedient to the Biſhop of Rome, for he ſaith, That the Church of Rome wiſheth to Princes an aſſured Empire, victorious Armes, and an obedient people. Now it is moſt certaine that the Pope deſireth not, that thoſe Kings which condemne him ſhould bee victorious, or that their people ſhould remain in their obedience, ſince he depoſeth them from their Thrones, and diſpenſeth to their ſubiects the Oath of their Alleageance. And a little while after he ſaith, that hee ſpeaketh of ſuch eſtates, wherein the Church (meaning the Church of Rome) ſubſiſteth, which is as much to ſay, that where it cannot ſubſiſt, there hee approueth this rebellion and murther, which he more clearely ſheweth after Fol. 6. pag. 1. where after theſe wordes: That the Pope cannot diſapproue the courſes that you hold to ſecure your Authority and perſon: he addeth, So that they be not offenſiue to that Religion which he is bound to defend. So that hereof it followeth, that if the Romane Religion doe receiue any offence in England: Then the Pope doth no longer approue the courſes, that the King holdeth for his conſeruation. But he giueth after more certaine proofes of his intention, the which wee will remarke in their due places. Beſides we doubt not, but a prudent perſon knoweth how to faſhion himſelfe to the times, and to reſerue his bloody propoſitions for fitter occaſions. And many times enterprizes are onelyonly blamed becauſe they are not ſuccesfull, and vices are turned to vertue by happy euents. Multa ſunt, quae non niſi peracta Laundantur. And the iudgements of thoſe, whoſe malice is accompanied with doubt and feare, are framed according to the ſucceſſe. But in reſpect of our friendſhip, I am rather enclined to thinke well of him, and to free him of this ſuſpition.
I will therefore conclude this Chapter with an obſeruation, which I thinke not fit to be omitted; and it is, that in the time of S. Paul Nero was then Emperour, which Monſter God eyther for the ſcorne of men, or for their puniſhment had placed in the Empire; who by his example declared to what height, abſolute and exquiſite wickedneſſe, aſſiſted with Soueraigne power could aſcend; who likewiſe was the firſt that ſtirred vp perſecution amongſt the Chriſtians. Had the Chriſtians euer greater cauſe to rebell? Or ſerued they euer vnderunder a more vnworthy Maſter? Now I would demaund of my Maſters the Papiſts, if S. Paul ſhould hauehave made a Myne vnderunder his houſe, or vnderunder colour of ſalutations ſhould hauehave ſtrucken him to the heart with a Poniard, or had beene taken in any of theſe enterprizes, and ſo put to death for them; whether had he beene a Martyr, or whether had his death beene acceptable, or tended to the edification of the Church? But becauſe this is a queſtion full of difficulties, it is fit we ſhould leaue it vndecided, and that we expect ſome reſolution from the Doctors, or ſome deciſion from his Holineſſe.
After this Coeffeteau Fol. 6. ſpeaketh by the way, of the Popes power ouer the temporality of Kings, and promiſeth afterwards to ſpeake more at large. Wee therefore to auoyde the repetition of things twice, will ſet aſide that ſubiect till he commeth to the place where hee fully handleth it. And now let vsus heare what he ſaith of the dignity of Cardinals, Fol. 8.