The Catholic ballad, or, An invitation to popery upon considerable grounds and reasons. Pope, Walter, d. 1714. 1674 Approx. 8 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2004-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A55421 Wing P2906 ESTC R8617 13736795 ocm 13736795 101633 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A55421) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 101633) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 847:15) The Catholic ballad, or, An invitation to popery upon considerable grounds and reasons. Pope, Walter, d. 1714. 1 sheet ([1] p.) Printed for Henry Brome ..., London : 1674. Written by Walter Pope. Cf. BM. "To the tune of 88." Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Catholic Church -- Controversial literature. 2003-09 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2003-09 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2003-10 Judith Siefring Sampled and proofread 2003-10 Judith Siefring Text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-12 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion The Catholick Ballad : OR AN INVITATION TO POPERY , Upon considerable Grounds and Reasons . To the Tune of 88. Since Popery of late is so much in debate , And great strivings have been to restore it , I cannot forbear openly to declare , That the Ballad-makers are for it . We 'l dispute no more , these Heretical men Have exposed our Books unto laughter , So that many do say , 't will be our best way To sing for the Cause hereafter . O the Catholic Cause ! now assist me my Muse , How earnestly do I desire thee ! Neither will I pray to St. Bridget to day , But only to thee to inspire me . Whence should purity come , but from Catholic Rome ? I wonder much at your folly : For St. Peter was there , and left an old Chair , Enough to make all the world holy . For this sacred old wood is so excellent good , If Tradition may be believed , That whoever sits there needs never more fear The danger of being deceived . If the Devil himself should ( God bless us ) get up Though his nature we know to be evil , Yet whilst he sate there , as divers will swear , He would be an infallible Devil . Now who sits in this Seat , but our Father the Pope ? So that here 's a plain demonstration , As clear as noon-day , we are in the right way , And all others are doom'd to damnation . If this will not suffice , yet to open your eyes , Which are blinded with bad Education ; We have Arguments plenty , & Miracles twenty Enough to convince a whole Nation . If you give but good heed , you shall see the Host bleed , And if any thing can persuade ye , An Image shall speak , or at least it shall squeak In the honour of our Lady . You shall see without doubt the Devil cast out , As of old by E●ra Pater ; He shall skip about and tear like a dancing Bear When he feels the Holy Water . If yet doubtful you are , we have Reliques most rare , We can shew you the sacred Danger ; Several loads of the Cross , as good as ere was To preserve your souls from danger . Should I tell you of all , it would move a stone-wall , But I spare you a little for pity That each one may prepare , and rub up his ear , For the second part of my D●tty . The Second Part to the same Tune . NOw listen again to those things that remain , They are matters of weight , I assure you , And the first thing I say , throw your Bibles away , 'T is impossible else for to cure you . O that pestilent Book ! never on it more look , I wish I could speak it out louder : It has don more men harm , I dare boldly affirm Than th' Invention of Guns and Powder . As for matters of Faith , believe what the Church saith , But for Scripture , leave that to the Learned ; For these are edge tools , & you Laymen are fools , If you touch them y' are sure to be harmed . But pray what is it for , that you make all this stir ? You must read , you must hear and be learned : If you 'l be on our part , we will teach you an Art , That you need not be so much concerned . Be the Churches good son , and your work is half don , After that you may do your own pleasure : If your Beads you can tell , and say Ave Mary well , Never doubt of the heavenly treasure . For the Pope keeps the Keys , and can do what he please And without all peradventure , If you cannot at the fore , yet at the back-door of Indulgence you may enter . But first by the way you must make a short stay At a place called Purgatory , Which the Learned us tell , in the buildings of Hell , Is about the middlemost Story . 'T is a monstrous hot place & a mark of disgrace In the torment on 't long to endure : None are kept there but fools & poor pitiful souls Who can no ready money procure . For a handsom round sum you may quickly be gon , For the Church has wisely ordein'd , That they who build Crosses and pay well for Masses Should not there be too long detein'd . So that 't is a plain case , as the nose on ones face , We are in the surest condition , And none but poor fools & some niggardly owls Need fall into utter perdition . What aileth you then , O ye great and rich men , That you will not hearken to reason , Since as long as y'have pence , ye need scruple no offence , Be it Murther , Adultery , Treason . And ye sweet-natur'd Women , who hold all things common , My addresses to you are most hearty , And to give you your due , you are to us most true And I hope we shall gain the whole party . If you happen to fall , your Penance shall be small , And although you cannot forgo it , We have for you a cure , if of this you be sure to confess before you go to it . There is one reason yet , which I cannot omit , To those who affect the French Nation , Hereby we advance the Religion of France , The Religion that 's only in fashion . If these reasons prevail , ( as how can they fail ? ) To have Popery entertain'd , You cannot conceive , and will hardly believe , What benefits hence may be gain'd . For the Pope shall us bless ( that 's no small happiness ) And again we shall see restored The Italian Trade , which formerly made This Land to be so much adored . O the Pictures and Rings , the Beads and fine things , The good words as sweet as honey , All this and much more shall be brought to our door For a little dull English money . Then shall Traffic and Love , and whatever can move Be restor'd again to our Britain , And Learning so common , that every old woman Shall say her Prayers in Latin. Then the Church shall bear sway , and the State shall obey , Which is now lookt upon as a wonder , And the proudest of Kings & all temporal things Shall submit and truckle under . And the Parliament too , who have tak'n us to do And have handled us with so much terror , May chance on that score ( t is no time to say more ) They may chance to acknowledge their error . If any man yet shall have so little wit As still to be refractory , I swear by the Mass , he is a mere Ass , And so there 's an end of a Story . FINIS . LONDON : Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun at the West-end of St. Pauls Church-yard . MDCLXXIV .