wont to draw all the letters of the Latin and Greek alphabet with their crosier in the dust. Command them to write the Hebrew letters too, if they know them (though that does not signify much, for they do not understand Greek, and hardly Latin, and yet they can write it; and it is the same thing as if they knew them) for the reason of Christ's crucifixion was written on the cross in these three languages, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. And whereas the bishops only anoint the palms of the priest's hands, order them to anoint both the palms and backs of their hands, as well as their head and whole face.

For if that little oil has so much virtue to sanctify them, surely a greater quantity of oil will have more virtue for that purpose. Lastly, when bells are christened, they make a perfume of frankincense and other incense; appoint that musk and amber be mixed with it, to raise and increase the religion of the thing and the wonder of the people. Once more, when any bishop sets himself to officiate in any divine service with pomp and solemnity, he ought to have many ornaments to distinguish him from ordinary priests; such as (to omit the rest) the bones and relics of some dead man, which he usually wears at his breast, set in gold, in the form of a cross. Do you command him to hang a whole naked leg, arm, or head of some saint about his neck, by a good thick cord, for that will contribute very much to the increase of the religious astonishment of all that see it. The truth is, these ceremonies were all invented and continued by Popes; you therefore that are Pope, may if you please, augment them: nay, rather indeed, for that purpose and design which we mentioned, ought to do it. Besides, we would advise, that your Holiness should lay your commands on those cardinals and bishops that happen to reside in their dioceses, that they take care to have Logic, Sophistry, and the art of the Schoolmen, Metaphysics, the Decretals, Sextus, the Clementines, the Extravagants, and the rules of Chancery publicly taught and read in their cities. It had been well, if men had ever applied themselves industriously to the reading such sort of books, for then our affairs had never been in so bad a posture as they are; but despising this sort of learning, they began to employ themselves in learning Greek and Hebrew, and in a little time to examine the translation of the Bible by the true original, and to study Divinity, and the ancient Fathers of the Church; and hence sprung all the misfortunes we lie under; therefore you must endeavour, that setting these studies aside, men should again fall to the study of

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the Schoolmen and of your canon law, by which it is manifest the study of divinity was in a manner overwhelmed and buried. But let your Holiness use caution in this; for we mentioned before only the Decretals, and Sextus, and the Clementines, and the Extravagants, and not that which is called the Decretum, which ought not to seem strange, for it is a pernicious book, and lessens your authority extremely, although it seems in some places to enlarge it: for amongst other things, in several places, it denies, that the Pope can add the least tittle to that doctrine, which our Saviour declared to us, and the Apostles taught; for thus says the canon, Transferat, &c. 24. q. 3. They change truth into a lie, who preach anything than what they received from the apostles." This is a downright Lutheran maxim; for what else do our adversaries daily inculcate, than that it is not lawful to depart in the least degree, from those things that were in use amongst the Apostles. But who of us doth not every day often depart from them? Indeed in our churches we scarce retain (as we hinted at the beginning) the least shadow of that doctrine and discipline, which flourished in the times of the Apostles, but have brought in quite another of our own. Nay, we are expressly called liars by that Decretum, inasmuch as we have done this; yet we have done it by the advice and instructions of Popes; nay, by their peremptory order and command. But we wish there were not so many canons as there are of this kind, that enjoin things directly contrary to what the Popes, and all of us do every day, (we speak of matters of faith and doctrine, not of manners.) Take one or two of them for instance. Thus says the canon that begins, contra 25. q. 1. "Nothing can be established contrary to the constitutions of the fathers, nor any thing altered, no not by the authority of this see." And then another canon that begins, Ideo, &c. says. "Thus by the divine permission we are so made pastors of men, that we ought not in the least to transgress whatever our fathers in their sacred canons or civil laws have appointed; for we go against their most wholesome institutions, if we do not keep inviolably what they, according to divine pleasure have ordained." Do not Pope Zosimus and Leo the Third, (nay, and the whole Roman Church) plainly here declare aloud, that the authority of this see, can do nothing against the canons, against the law, and against the ordinances of the ancient Fathers, which ought to be religiously observed? How therefore shall we answer our adversaries, when they press and urge us with this, and turn

that of the fifth Psalm upon us? "There is no certainty in their mouth;" for they accuse us of lightness and inconstancy, who have such express canons, which forbid the Popes to alter the decrees of the Fathers, or do any thing contrary to them; and notwithstanding all this, there is nothing more frequent than the presumption of altering what has been established by the ancient Fathers and Councils. How, I say, shall we answer this, especially since the book of decrees is so celebrated and famous, and is in all schools, courts of judicature, and churches, held in the greatest honour and esteem? And besides those few which we have given you a taste of, it contains a great many others that favour the cause of our adversaries, and favour it in such a manner, that they seem to have been penned by some of them. Moreover, we shall consider of some course to be taken with these decrees; for it seems very absurd that anything should be taught which is contrary to what your Holiness does not only do, but commands to be done.

But we have reserved the most considerable advice, which we could at this time give your Holiness, to the last : and here you must be awake, and exert all your force to hinder, as much as you can possibly, the Gospel from being read, (especially in the vulgar tongue) in all the cities that are under your dominion. Let that little of it which they have in the mass serve their turn, nor suffer any mortal to read anything more; for as long as men were contented with that little, things went to your mind, but grew worse and worse from that time that they commonly read more. This, in short, is the book that has, beyond all others, raised those storms and tempests, in which we are almost driven to destruction. And really, whoever shall diligently weigh the Scripture, and then consider all the things that are usually done in our churches, will find there is a great difference betwixt them; and that this doctrine of ours is very unlike, and in many things quite repugnant to it. And no sooner does any man discover this, being set on by some of our learned adversaries, but he never ceases bawling against us, till he has made the whole matter public, and rendered us odious to all men. Therefore those papers are to be stifled: but you must use caution and diligence in it, lest that create us greater disturbance. D. John Della Casa* bishop of Beneventum, the legate of your see at Venice, behaved himself

Author of the Poem, "D ell urno."

handsomely in that business; for although he did not openly and avowedly condemn that book of the Gospel, or order it to be suppressed, yet in an obscure dissembling manner he insinuated as much; whilst in that long catalogue of heretics which he put out, he has found fault with part of the doctrines maintained in it; particularly some certain chapters which seem most to make against us. Seriously, a renowned divine action, whatever others chatter; for at first blush it seemed ridiculous to many, that he should condemn so many authors at once, who wrote about religion, when himself had never read so much as one syllable of divinity, and published I know not what, to which he gave this title, "Of the Divine Art." But this is nothing, and they who censure this in him, have little business of their own to employ them, and shew themselves to be great novices in the court of Rome for he, as he is a true and eminent courtier, spake freely what was his opinion, which we think makes much for his credit.

It now remains, most holy Father, that we should in short make a reply to what may perhaps be objected by you ; that having done this we may finish our epistle.

Your Holiness therefore perhaps may say, if it is at this time so dangerous a thing to hold a council of these bishops, though few in number, lest some of them should dare to raise a clamour, and be severe against my dignity to undermine it : how much more dangerous would it be, if besides these there were a hundred others created? We shall offer three things in answer to this. First, look (as you generally do) that those bishops who are to be created, be ignorant and unlearned, but very skilful in the affairs of the court, and addicted to the interest of your family; for that alone will suffice. Then avoid a council as much as you can, though Cæsar be very urgent, clamorous and importunate. Lastly, if only to save your fame and reputation, you desire, or would seem to desire a council, you may re-assemble that. But (as has been hitherto) let these be only admitted, who you are certain will go on your side, and let the others be kept out, and driven away. But of all things be most careful, that no embassies from any of the German princes, who are of the Ausburg Confession, come into the council. For, good God! what mischief, what damage did we many ways receive by the embassy which the duke of Wirtemberg sent to Trent? I wish Crescentius the legate had fagotted them up together, both Theodoric of Plienningin, and those two

doctors, Werner of Munchingen, and Hieronymus Gerardus, as well as those two scurvy divines, Brentius and Beurlinus, (for those were the duke's ambassadors) and so thrown them into the next river Athesis; nor should he have spared Sleidan, the envoy from the R. P. of Strasburg.

For since they could not obtain their audience of the Council (and heretics are not worthy to be heard) they returned into their countries with greater animosity against your Holiness than they had before: there they write books against us, and embroil every thing, It had been therefore much better policy not to have kept our faith with them, (as our canons order) but made them inhabitants and freemen of the river Athesis, as an example to all other heretics, that they presume not to come near our most sacred and holy councils.

These are the things, most holy Father, which in obedience to your Holiness, we thought fit to offer to you, being ready to have given better if we could; we truly have spoken freely and ingenuously what we thought; but we must again and again put you in mind, to be careful that these things be not divulged. And if you act according to our advice, we have no small hopes that your Holiness will preserve France and Italy (for as we said, we have no apprehension of Spain) in the faith, and establish and strengthen your kingdom: as for Germany, (to tell you the truth) we can by no means hope it will ever be reduced under your command: therefore we advise you to throw away all thoughts of it: for if Cæsar, when victorious, after he had granted so many articles, which are plainly repugnant to the Catholic Church, (as you may see in his interim) could not bring that nation to an agreement with us; you may be certain there is no way left to regain it. Add to this, that the people in thirty-six years are quite degenerated into another race; for they who were born and educated under your government, who had a singular sense of their duty to you imprinted on their nature, are dead; and there is, on the other hand, a succession of young men, who as they had no experience of your doctrine, neither love nor admire you; insomuch as they do not stick (oh villany!) to call you Antichrist: we know there are some indifferent good scholars, who favour us heartily, and really wish to restore those things that were delivered them by our ancestors, and reinstate you in your former power. This they endeavour with all their might, and sometimes scatter their notions in company, sometimes publish books to

VOL. I.