A Present for a Papist, Frontispiece – Preface
A Woman Pope (as Hiſtory doth tell)
In High Proceſſion Shee in Labour fell,
And was Deliuer'd of a Baſtard Son;
Thence Rome ſome call The Whore of Babylon.
A Preſent for a Papiſt: OR THE LIFE and DEATH OF POPE JOAN Plainly Proving Out of the Printed Copies, and Manuſcripts of Popiſh Writers and others, that a Woman called JOAN, was really POPE of ROME;
And was there Deliver'd of a Baſtard Son in the open Street, as She went in Solemn Proceſſion.
By a LOVER of TRƲTH, Denying Human Infallibility.
LONDON, Printed for T.D. and are to be ſold at the Ship in St. Mary Axe, and by moſt Bookſellers, 1675.
The PREFACE.
THe Author of this following Treatiſe is many years ſince deceaſed; a great Lover of Truth, and one who had been highly prefered in the Church of Rome, could he have diſpenſed with her Sons profitable Sin of lying and equivocation. In his time he was lookt upon as a man of a very acute Wit, a great Virtuoſe, yet of a meek and modeſt temper, one who valued Truth ſo much, and the World ſo little, that all that knew him, could do no leſs than approve and applaud his writings before they read them; and truly, as to the confirmation of his aſſertion, proving that there was a Woman called Joan, who was Pope of Rome, he needed not the uſe of Lying, ſince he had ſo great a cloud of Witneſſes to manifeſt the Verity of the Story, and not a Proteſtant among them, but all eminent Pontificial Writers, (Propugnacula Romanae Eccleſiae) whoſe Volumes he laboriouſly read over, and hath quoted them faithfully, in which quotations you will find none of the meaneſt of the Sons of the Romiſh Church have acknowledged, that there was a Woman Pope, and ſeveral to this day, to their own ſhame and confuſion, muſt confeſs the truth of this Story.
The Book was firſt publiſhed in the year 1602, Dialogue wiſe, between a Proteſtant and a Papiſt, wherein all the arguments that can be produced to prove the nullity of a Pope Joan, are fully and plainly anſwered; but the Book proving exceeding ſcarce; and the Reprinting thereof much deſired, I have taken the pains to alter the method only, but not the matter, and the only addition (in a manner) is Pope Joans life tranſlated, as it is briefly deſcribed by B. Platina in his lives of the Popes; and indeed, all who have writ of her, have done it in ſo few words, that you muſt not expect the Tith of this Lady Errants Story in this ſmall Volume; not but that I am apt to believe that a Woman of ſuch eminent learning and excellent parts, wherewith ſhe was endued, muſt perform many memorable actions in the World, beſides what were contein'd in her laſcivious Ramble with her luſty Gallant to the City of Athens, and from thence to Rome, in which place ſhe behaved her ſelf in all reſpects, in maſculine apparel, like a learned and a Holy Man, till female frailty diſgraced her Papal Dignity with a Baſtard, of which ſhe was ſhamefully delivered in the open ſtreet, as ſhe was going in Proceſſion, and both ignominiouſly died inſtantly thereon.
Our Author hath given no very large account of her Life, ſuppoſing a full Relation would take up more Paper than learned Toſtatus his Works, who hath troubled the World with two ſheets for each day in his Life. But I conceive he writ this (as one wittily obſerves) to undeceive ſuch as took Rome for the model of the Heavenly Jeruſalem, and the Pope and Cardinals, for the Mayor and Aldermen of the Corporation. The proofs herein alledged for the Vindication of this Story, ſeem ſo apparently undeniable, that not only I, but many more of good credit, are clearly perſwaded there was ſuch a Woman. If matters then have gone thus at Rome, (the people there having been moſt intollerably abuſed, not only by this Female Pope, Donna Olympia, Siſter in Law and overruling Miſs to Pope Innocent the Tenth, and others of the like Maſculine Gender) what hopes of Infallability? Let Children and Fools be pleaſed with Baubles, I hope the more rational ſort of men will not be impoſed on, and exempt the Pope from the determination in the Text, Every man i… encompaſſed about with Infirmities. He that believes the contrary, to his peril let him do it, and to the obſtinate, who ſhall perſiſt in this folly, I ſhall only ſay, Si Populus vult decipi decipiatur. He that will be an Aſs may; I wiſh all good Chriſtians to have a care of being ſuch credulous Cocks-combs, and ſo
Farewel