A Defense of the Catholic Faith, Book 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Of the Ieſuites.
THE Ieſuites now follow in their rancke, who by this their vnaccuſtomed title hauehave taught vsus, that Ieſus and Chriſt are two diuers things, ſince that now a dayes it is one thing to be a Ieſuite, and another to be a Christian.
The King of great Britaine ſaith in his Apology, that the principall of the Ieſuites were dealers in this treaſon, wherof ſome fled, others, as Garnet and Ouldcorne were apprehended and executed.
Hereupon Mr. Coeffeteau with a good grace exhorteth the King of great Britaine, to hauehave a good opinion of theſe fathers, and ſaith, that the Ieſuites would giuegive their liues for his conſeruation; affirming that they are vniuſtly calumniated, and for their full iuſtification, alleadgeth the teſtimony of the French King, who ſince hee hath come to the true knowledge and vnderſtanding of them, hath called and receiued them about his perſon. And as for ſuch as hauehave attempted againſt his Maieſties life; he ſaith, that if they did amiſſe (yet not confeſſing that they did ſo) all their ſociety ſhould not be lyable to the reproach of their offence.
The anſwere.This Diſcourſe being thus ſweetned, doubtles cannot but much pleaſe the King of great Britaine; for now he may hereafter ſleepe in ſecurity, ſince the Ieſuites are become his ſo ſure friends, as to be ready to die for his conſeruation; neyther is it a ſmall point of charity to haſten a Prince, and ſend him the ſooner to Paradice. The Patron of their order (which was a Spaniſh Captain) gaue it them in their Inſtitutions, to be faithfull and true hearted towards Fraunce and England: and doubtleſſe the generall of their order (which ſhould alwayes be a Spaniard) nouriſheth them in that good …nclination: and men doe them wrong, that ſay, they enterpriſe any thing againſt Kings, that are excommunicated by the Pope, ſince it is a Tenent amongſt them, that after ſuch excommunication, they are no longer Kings; as alſo, they doe them wronge, that ſay, they incroach vponupon the temporall, ſince what they hauehave, by their hauing of it becommeth ſpirituall: And by this it is likewiſe to be preſumed, that when the Court of Parliament by pronounced ſentence of all the chambers there aſſembled, declared them to be Heretiques, perturbers of the Kingdome, and corrupters of youth: it is to be preſumed, that this was done by the aduiſe and plotte of the Miniſters of Geneua, as likewiſe thoſe Ieſuites which hauehave beene executed in England, are not to be blamed, ſince they were ledde and carried to theſe attempts by a Catholike zeale; and that at Rome, where Saints are made, they hauehave beene matriculated into a roule of Martyrs: And indeede Iohn Castell in his examination (whereof the original is yet to be ſeene) confeſſeth, that he was put into a Chamber of Meditations all full of pictures of Diuels, into which they ſhut the greateſt ſinners, there making them to become wilde & fierce with faſting and darkeneſſe: And ſo hauing cracked & turned their brains, imprint and fix in them theſe deſperate reſolutions. But now we hope that they being made gētle & milde by peace & proſperity, wil imploy theſe chambers for grammer Meditations: and for this I do not thinke that the other Ieſuites doe approue that which the IeſuiteaMariana imprinted at Toledo, apud Petrum Rodericū. An. 1599. And ſince at Mena by Balthaſar Lippius. 1605. Mariana the Spaniard writeth in his booke, De Rege & institutione Regis, in the 6. Chap. where he greatly commendeth the paricide of Iames Clement, & ſayth, that he was incyted therunto by thebCum cognito à Theologis quos erat ſciſcitatus, tyrannum iure occidi poſſe. Deuines: & the ſame Ieſuite (as it were correcting of himſelfe)cHoc tamen tem peramento vti in hac diſputatione licebit, ſi non ipſe qui perimitur, venenum haurire cogitur, ſed exterius ab alio ad ibeatur, vt ſella eo aut veſte delibutauini interficiendi habeat. ſaith, that he (in his meat or drinke) alloweth not the poyſoning of a Tyrant (for ſo he ſtileth al Princes that the Pope approues not) but wiſheth that this be done by the impoyſoning of his garmēt or chaire by ſome violent poyſon; neyther is that of the IeſuitedClerici rebellio in regem non eſt crimen laeſae maieſtatis, quia non eſt ſubditus regi. Emanuel Sâ in his Aphoriſmes of Confeſſions in verbo Clericus, by the aduiſe of the reſt of his fellowes, where he ſaith, that the rebellion of a Clergie man againſt his King, cannot be treaſon in that he is not ſubiect to the King, which agreeth with that which is written by the Ieſuite Saunders in his ſecond booke of his viſible Monarchie, whereof the King of great Britaine in his firſt booke cyteth many paſſages. Now whereas the Ieſuites of France did make a booke, intituled*In the pag. 70. of the Edition of the bigger print, 1595. you ſhall finde theſe wordes. The Pope pretendeth nothing ouer Souerainty but to correct as a father & as a Iudge ſuch as are pernitious to the Church. For then he may not alone, but he is bound to ſhew himſelfe their Superior. Security wold make thee peruerſe & froward, but thou muſt be kept down, & be made to confes, that thou haſt neyther reaſon nor conſcience. For it is fit that Princes ſhold be often held in and curbed by feare of their temporalities The defence of the truth againſt the pleading of Anthony Arnold: In which they maintaine at large, that the Pope may as Iudge, depriue Princes of their temporalties. This is wholly to be imputed to the times; for then it was fit to ſpeake in that manner; but now they reſerue thoſe Maximes for fitter ſeaſons: Diuinity is to be applyed as occaſions ſerue; and wee are now in an age, that if wee would know how wee were to teach and moue the people, we muſt firſt looke into the A…minake, and accommodate our ſelues to the affaires of the Common wealth; and therefore it is to be hoped that ſuch*The which are produced in the Chapter following. paſſages of Bellarmine that do make the liues and Crownes of Kings ſubiect to the Pope, will be mended in the next Edition. And as for the troubles and ſeditions which theſe Fathers hauehave ſtirred in Polonia, which hath coſt Demetrius his life: and as for the cauſes which hauehave moned the Venetians to baniſh them out of their eſtate: this a thing wholly to be imputed to the Climate, or to the ſtrange humors of the Country, which is farre differing from Fraunce. All this being conſidered, it is to be hoped that the King of great Britaine following the counſell of Doctor Coeffeteau will take them to be neare about his perſon.
The other Reaſons which are brought to recommend them, ſeeme not to me of any great weight: It is ſaid that they carefully inſtruct youth: if it be ſo, how commeth it to paſſe, that ſince they hauehave vndertaken to teach, learning is ſo much decayed? I would willingly that one could ſhew mee in Fraunce any of their Diſciples, that were of exact and exquiſite learning: or whom hauehave they in their ſociety that may bee compared with thoſe that were the Schollers of Turnebus or of Cuias? Who are yet (as many of them as are left) the very lights and ornaments of the Court; where is now the Vniuerſitie of Paris, which had wont to hauehave in it thirty thouſand ſchollers? but hath declined towards barbariſme euer ſince this kinde of people hauehave vndertaken to teach by their abridgements and Epitomies; the which hauehave beene framed and compoſed by a rable of Pedants that teach all by rote, in ſtead of drawing their inſtructions from the Fountaines of the Greeke, and in ſtead of…etling their iudgements by the courſe of auncient Philoſophy. And as for humane learning, Scaliger, Caſaubon, Paſſerate, Lipſius, and diuers like vntounto them, were they brought vp in their ſchooles? Or indeede whom hauehave they brought vp comparable to them?
But Coeffeteau ſaith, that the moſt Chriſtian King is ſerued by them, dealeth well with them, and taketh them neere vntounto his perſon: our condition is too low, and our vnderſtanding too weake, to ſearch out the Counſels of ſo great a King, whom God hath endued with an incomparable wiſedome: but yet I thinke that this ſerues not to iuſtifie them; for who can tell whether his Maieſty doth this onelyonly to put in practiſe that rule of the Goſpell, which is, To doe well to thoſe that hate vsus? Or whether he endeauoureth by his goodnes, to maſter and ouercome their wickedneſſe, and ſo by that meanes to binde them to fidelity? Or who can tell whether his Maieſtie herein imitateth the example of God, who imployeth the wicked ſpirits for ſuch cauſes, and to ſuch purpoſes, as are beſt knowne to his diuine wiſedome? Or who knoweth whether in this, he doth like Vliſses, who for auoyding of tempeſts, would keepe the winds with him ſhut vp in a leather bagge. This great King whoſe paines and induſtry procureth our generall repoſe, whoſe vigilancy makes vsus to ſleepe ſecurely, who bereaueth himſelfe of himſelfe, and beſtoweth himſelfe on the publique, and who maketh peace to flouriſh vnderunder the ſhaddow of his victories: Long may hee enioy that quiet and repoſe which he hath broght, euen to thoſe that hate him. Let his Counſels be euer bleſſed with happy ſucceſſe, his life with ſafety, his ſubiects with fidelity, his Crowne with glory, and his Kingdome with proſperity.