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have as sure friends, and as good intelligence about the king as he hath, and the same post, that perhaps brings a pacquet from the king to him, brings another from their abettors to them, acquainting them with the whole proceedings and counsels, and preparing them aforehand for opposition: this I know for truth, and this I rejoice in, as concerning much the catholick good. But, quoth the nuncio, are there none of the heretical preachers busy about this match? Methinks their fingers should itch to be writing, and their tongues burn to be prating of this business, especially the puritanical sort, howsoever the most temperate and indifferent carry themselves. The truth is, my lord, quoth the ambassador, that, privately what they can, and publickly what they dare, both in England and Scotland, all, for the most part, except such as are of our faith, oppose this match to the utmost, by prayers, counsels, speeches, and wishes; but, if one be found longertongued than his fellows, we have still means to charm their sauciness, to silence them, and expel them the court, to disgrace them, and cross their preferment with the imputation of pragmatick puritanism. For instance, I will relate this one particular; a doctor of theirs, and a chaplain in ordinary to the king, gave many reasons in a letter, against this marriage, and propounded a way, how to supply the king's wants otherways; which I understanding, so wrought underhand, that the doctor was committed, and hardly escaped the danger of his presumptuous admonition, tho' the state knew his intent honest, and his reasons good; whereas we, on the other side, both here, and with the archduke, have books penned, and pictures printed, directly against their king and state, for the which their ambassadors have sought satisfaction of us in vain, not being able to stay the print, or so much as to touch the hem of the author's garment. But we have an evasion, which hereticks miss, our clergy being freed from the temporal sword, and so not included in our treaties and conditions of peace, but at liberty to give au heretical prince the slip, when they list; whereas theirs are liable to account and hazard, and are muzzled for barking, when ours may both bark and bite too the council-table and the Star-Chamber do so terrify them, as they dare not riot, but run at the stirrop with excellent command, and come in at the least rebuke. They call their preaching in many places standing up, but they crouch, and dare not stand up, behaving themselves like sitters silent; creeping upon their bellies, lick the dust, which our priests shake from their beautiful feet. Now, quoth the Duke of Lerma, satisfy me about our own clergy, how they fare, for there were here petitions made to the king in the name of the distressed, afflicted, persecuted, and imprisoned priests, that his majesty would intercede for them, to free them from the intolerable burdens they groaned under, and to procure them their liberties, and letters were directed from us to that end, that you would negotiate that demand with all speed and diligence.

Most excellent prince, replied Gondamore, I did your command with a kind of command myself, not thinking it fit to make it a suit in your name, or my master's; I obtained them liberty to walk freely up and down, to face and outface their accusers, judge magistrates, bi

shops, and to exercise their function, almost as freely, altogether as safely, as at Rome.

Here the nuncio replied, that he did not well in his judgment, in procuring their liberty, since they might do more good in prison than abroad, because in prison they seemed to be under persecution, and so were pitied of others, and pity of the person prepares the affection further; besides, then they were careful over their own lives to give none offence, but abroad they might be scandalous in their lives, as they use to be in Rome and Spain, and other catholick countries, and so the opinion of their holiness, which upholds their credit and cause against the married clergy, would soon decay.

But the ambassador answered, he considered those inconveniencies; but besides, a superior advantage arose from the profit of liberty, more than restraint, for now they might freely confer, and were ever practising, and would doubtless produce some work of wonder; and besides, by reason of their authority, and means to change places, did apply themselves to many persons, whereas in prison they could only deal with such as came to be taught, and were their own before. And this (quoth he) add as a secret, that as before they were maintained by private contributions to denounce catholicks even to access; so much more now shall they be able to gather great sums to weaken the state, and furnish them for some high attempt, by the example of Cardinal Woolsey, barreling up gold for Rome. And this they may easily do, since all catholicks rob the heretical priests, and hold tithes from them by fraud and force, to give to theirs of their own, to whom it is properly due; and, if this be spied, it is an easy matter to lay all upon the Hollander, and say, He carrieth the coin out of the land' (who are forward indeed in such practices) and so ours shall not only be excused, but a flaw made betwixt them, to weaken their amities, and to get suspicion betwixt them of each other's love.

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But amongst all these priests (quoth the inquisitor-general) did you re member, that old Reverend Father Baldwin, who had a finger in that admirable attempt made on our behalf against the parliament-house? Such as he, deserving so rightly, adventuring their lives so resolutely for the catholick cause, must not be neglected, but extraordinarily regarded, thereby, to encourage others to the like undertaking.

Holy father (quoth Gondamore) my principal care was of him, whose life and liberty when I had with much difficulty obtained of the king, I solemnly went in person, attended with my train, and divers other wellwillers, to fetch him out of the Tower, where he was in durance. As soon as I came into his sight, I behaved myself after so lowly and humble a manner, that our adversaries stood amazed to see the reverence we gave to our ghostly fathers; and this I did to confound them and their contemptuous clergy, to beget an extraordinary opinion of holiness in the person, and piety in us, and also to provoke the English catholicks to the like devout obedience; that thereby, at any time, their Jesuits (whose authority was somewhat weakened since the schism betwixt them and the seculars, and the succeeding powder-plot) may work them to our ends, as masters their servants, tutors their scholars, fathers their

children, kings their subjects; and, that they may do this the more boldly and securely, I have somewhat dashed the authority of their high commission; upon which whereas there are divers pursuivants (men of the worst kind and condition, resembling our flies and familiars attending upon the inquisition) whose office and employment is to disturb the catholicks, searching their houses for priests, holy vestments, books, beads, crucifixes, and the like religious appurtenances. I have caused the execution of their offices to be slackened, that so an open way may be given to our spiritual instruments, for the free exercise of their faculties. And yet, when these pursuivants were in greatest authority, a small bribe in the country would blind their eyes, or a little greater at court, or in the exchequer, frustrate and cross all their actions; for that their malice went off like squibs, made a great crack to fright children and new-born babes, but hurt no old men of catholick spirits. And this is the effect of all other their courses of proceedings in this kind, in all their judicial courts; whether known catholicks committed, as they stile them, or often summoned and cited, threatened and bound over; but the danger is past, so soon as the officer hath his fee paid him; then the execution goeth no further: nay, upon my conscience, they are as glad, when there are offenders in that kind, be cause they are bountiful; and the officers do their best to favour them, that they may increase, and so their revenue and gain come in freely. And, if they should be sent to prison, even that place, for the most part, is made a sanctuary to them; as the old Romans were wont to shut up such, by ways of restraint, as they meant to preserve from the people's fury; for they live safe in prison, till we have time to work their liberty, and assure their lives; and, in the mean time, their place of restraint is, as it were, a study to them, where they may have opportunity to confer together, as in a college, and to arm themselves in unity against the single adversary abroad.

But, quoth the inquisitor-general, how do they for books, when they have occasion either to write, or to dispute?

My lord, replied Gondamore, all the libraries belonging to the Ro man catholicks, through the land, are at their command; from whence they have all such collections, as they can require, gathered to their hands, as well from thence, as from all the libraries of both universities, and even the books themselves, if it be requisite. Besides, I have made it a principal part of my employment to buy all the manuscripts, and other rare and ancient authors, out of the hands of the hereticks; so that there is no great scholar dies in the land, but my agents are dealing with his books; insomuch as even their learned Isaac Casaubon's library was in election to be ours, had not their vigilant king, who foreseeth all dangers, and hath his eye busy in every place, prevented my plot. For, after the death of that great scholar, I sent to request a catalogue of his books, with the price, intending not to be outvied by any man, if money would have fetched them. Because, beside the damage that side should have received by the less prosecuting the cause against Cardinal Baronius, we might have made a good advan

*These are two of the meanest officers in the inquisition.

tage of his notes, collections, castigations, censures, and criticisms for our party, and framed and put out others under his name, at our pleasure. But this was foreseen by their Prometheus, who sent that torturer of ours, the Bishop of Winchester, to search and sort the papers, and to seal up the study, giving a large and a princely allowance to the relict of Casaubon, with a bountiful pension and provision for her and her's. But this plot, failing at that time, hath not ever done so. Nor had the university of Oxford so triumphed in their many manuscripts, given by that famous knight, Sir Thomas Bodley, if either I had been then employed, or this course of mine then thought upon; for I would labour, what I might, this way, or any other way, to disarm them, or either to translate their best authors hither, or, at least, to leave none, but in the hands of Roman catholicks, who are assuredly ours; and, to this end, a special eye would be had upon the library of one Sir Robert Cotton (an ingrosser of antiquities) the most choice and singular pieces might be gleaned, and gathered up by a catholick hand. Neither let any man think, that descending thus low to petty particulars is unworthy an ambassador, or a small avail for the ends we aim at; since we see every mountain consists of several sands, and there is no more profitable conversing for statesmen, than amongst scholars; especially the king, for whom we watch, is the king of scholars, and loves to live altogether almost in their element. Besides, if we can by any means continue differences in their church, or make them wider, or get distaste betwixt their clergy and common lawyers, who are men of greatest power in the land, the benefit will be ours, and the consequent great, opening way for us to come between; for personal quarrels produce real questions. As he was prosecuting this discourse, one of the secretaries, who waited without the chamber, desired entrance; and, being admitted, delivered letters, which he had newly received from the post, directed to the president, and the rest of the council, from his catholick majesty; the contents whereof were to this effect:

Right trusty and well beloved cousins and counsellors, we greet you 'well: Whereas, we had a hope, by our agents in England and Germany, to effect that great work of the western empire; and likewise, on the other side, to suppress Europe, at one instant, and, infolding it in our arms, make the easier road upon the Turks in Asia, and, at length, reduce all the world to our catholick command; and, whereas, to this end, we had secret and sure plots and projects on foot in all those places, and good intelligence in all courts; know 6 now, that we have received late and sad news of the apprehension of 6 our trusty and able pensioner Barnevelt, and of the discovery of other 6 our intendments; so that our hopes are at present adjourned, till some other more convenient and more auspicious time; we therefore will you presently, upon the sight hereof, to break up your consulta tions, and repair straight to our presence, there to take further directions, and proceed as necessity of time and cause shall require.' With that his excellency, and the whole house, struck with amazement, crossed their foreheads, rose up in a sad silence, and brake up this treaty abruptly; and, without tarriance, took horse, and posted to court, from whence expect news, the next fair wind.

In the mean time, let not those be secure, whom it concerns to be roused up, knowing that this aspiring Nebuchadnezzar will not lose the glory of his greatness, who continueth still to magnify himself in his great Babylon, until it be spoken, The kingdom is departed from thee,' Daniel iv.

BELVOIR:

BEING A

PINDARICK ODE UPON BELVOIR CASTLE THE SEAT OF THE EARLS OF RUTLAND,

MADE IN THE YEAR 1679.

MS.

ACRED Muse, the queen of wit,

SA

Born and belov'd of mighty Jove,
Take thy harp, and touch the strings,
While melting airs and numbers move;
Sing godlike words for godlike things.
Call thy sisters all, that sit
By flow'ry banks of Helicon;
All their stores and treasures get,
And their artful garbs put on;
All from extasies do flow,
Or slumbers on Parnassus' hill;
All that raptures can bestow,
All lofty fancy and deep judgment know.
Learned rage, poetick fire,

Such as the sybil doth inspire,
And her distorted limbs doth fill,
When the furious God doth come:

Make ready the Pindarick steed,

The fiery headstrong horse;

Hot and fiery tho' he be,
And, in his unbridled course,
Over rocks and mounts doth roam,
And th' unskilful rider throws,
That cannot sit his headlong steed;
Belvoir's height will tame his rage;
Belvoir's hill his pace asswage;
Belvoir! neighbour to the sky,
That with light doth deck its brows,
All his proudest force will need,
Tho' he be with ambrosia fed,
And of Helicon drinks high,

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