THE COPY OF A LETTER SENT FROM THE Cardinal du Perron ambassador for the French King at Rome, CONCERNING THE Divisions of the Papists of England, their difference in Government, whether by Bishops or Jesuits, with the Care of his holiness in the agreement, and his Judgement in placing of Bishops in England, for making Priests to increase the Catholic Number. Whereunto is added a certain Conjecture of the use both Prelates and Papists have made of the Cardinal's counsel to augment and establish their greatness.  
Printed in the year, 1641.   

IT is not long since accidentally I did fall upon a Book written in French of the Negotiations and Embassages of the famous and learned Cardinal du Perron. Where amongst many notable passages which happened in his Embassage at Rome, and wherewith he acquainted the French King Henry the fourth his master, he has one in one letter to the King his master concerning the divisions of the Papists in England, and the means to be used for their reconciliation. With his judgement of the Bishops of England. Which after I had read and considered, I was induced thereby not without reason to believe that it had served for a counsel to both the Bishops and Papists to ground their greatness upon and to advance both the one and the other to that height they were in before the Parliament began. Now imagining that it might serve to inform the judgements of many, and help them to rip up the arcana principia, and hid maxims the Prelates and Papists have used these many years to increase their own greatness, oppress all those that should dare to oppose them. I have set down the true copy (not varying from the original) so truly as I could, to which I have added my conjecture in few words of the advantages Prelates and Papists have taken from it, as also of their complying together to uphold one another.   

The copy of a Letter sent from ROME by the Cardinal Du Perron to HENRY the fourth King of France, his Master; extant in the second volume of his negotiations and Embassages, being this Argument.  
He communicated to the Pope, that which it had pleased his Majesty to write to him, of the estate of affairs in England, and of the dispute betwixt the Fathers Jacobines and Jesuits there: that which his holiness spoke to him, and desired him to do: a dissension amongst the English Papists: the means proposed to appease them: contrary difficulties and remedies to be used.  
TO HENRY the Great.  
Sir,  
I Shall supply in this Letter, my shortness in the last I sent to your majesty by the ordinary. On Tuesday the 23. of the last month, I had audience of the Pope, and did communicate to his holiness, that which it pleased your majesty to impart to me of your opinion concerning the affairs in England, and the dispute betwixt the Fathers, Jacobines and Jesuits: he was much satisfied with both the one and the other advise, and often thanked your majesty for the good duties your majesty had done him, in blotting out of the King of England's imagination the sinistrous impression divers had moved him to conceive of his intentions. Concerning the dispute, he seemed highly to approve of your majesty's opinion, which was to endeavour by all means to end that difference by one agreement; to which purpose, he gave me charge that at the first Congregation of the Cardinals, which should be holden for that effect, I should propose somethings to try if possibly that expedient might be used. I did communicate also to his holiness, concerning the affairs of England two Letters sent to me from Venice, the one from Mounsieur De Beaumont to Mounsieur De Fresnes; the other from Mounsieur De Fresnes to me, accompanied with a third sent from a certain Doctor of England, (by their means) to his holiness. The end of all those Letters was, that the divisions amongst the English Papists might be taken away, some of them obeying one archpriest governed by the Jesuites: others appealing from the unlawfully administered authority of the archpriest. Their common opinion for removing that difference was, to establish a good number of Bishops, to whom neither the appealers nor the Jesuits could lawfully refuse obedience. I read those Letters gladly to his holiness, as being written with great wisdom and discretion, evidencing also the care your majesty's servants had for the advancement of Religion in that kingdom, and especially because the Letters of the English Priest heretofore well known to his holiness, was filled with the praises of your majesty's prudent carriage in the matter of the Catholic Religion there, and much blaming that of the Spaniards: as also because myself had proposed the same things to the Pope at his first Inauguration, esteeming it profitable, not only for the good of the Church, but also for your majesty's service: because the faction of the Jesuites in that kingdom dependeth on Personius, and other instruments of the Spanish faction. His holiness made me answer, that Pope Clement had continually made scruple to harken to that expedient, fearing lest it should stir up a greater persecution in England against the Catholics, I answered him that on the▪ contrary, it would rather diminish then augment it, because that in general the heretics did not carry so much hatred against the Bishops, as against the Jesuites, who (as they believe) do meddle themselves much more with the estates and lives of Princes, nor any other of the ecclesiastical orders. Morever that the name of Bishops was yet in great reverence amongst them, and where as they do reject and abhor the title of Priest, because they believe there is no sacrifice in the Christian Religion: they do honour and respect the name of Bishops, and by this means they should moderate and diminish their persecutions against Bishops, much more against the simple Priests or Jesuites. To which I added, that there being no Bishops in England, there could be no Priests consecrated there, and that it behoved those who desired to be promoted to the order of Priesthood, should come take their orders here beyond the Seas: whence did arise two notable inconveniences. First, that it did hinder the multiplication of ecclesiastic persons in England, inregard of the expense, perils, and incommodities it behoved them to undergo in passing and repassing the Seas. The other, that this communication and acquaintance they came to make here with strangers, made them afterwards suspected to their country men, as having been corrupted and suborned of them, by whose means they had obtained those orders; so that I did foresee great utilities in the proposed advice, and did only find one incommodity, which was that the Protestant Bishops of England (Whereof many do secretly favour the Romish Religion, allured possibly in hope to be confirmed by the Catholics in their dignities) should fall from all such hopes, when they should perceive his holiness had consecrated others in their place. But the remedy that might be used, was to consecrate only some Bishops in place of those who were married, and already out of hopes they should keep their wives and bishoprics together in the Catholic Religion. His holiness took time to think upon it: after which according to the commandment I shall receive from your majesty, I shall continue, or leave off to present the business further; and thus much from that Letter.   

NOw I hope ye see clearly from the Cardinal's Letter, what his judgement was of our Bishops, wherein if he was deceived or not, I will not judge, only this I may say confidently, if he spoke falsely of Bishops of his time, he hath been an oracle of truth concerning the Bishops of our time, as may easily appear to those, who will inform themselves but slenderly of their doctrines and practices so well known to most sorts of men, that it is wonder they should find so much as one, to speak but one word in their defence, for have they not used all violent courses to suppress the truth of the gospel by pilloring, scourging, imprisoning, fining, banishing, and confining numbers of the most zealous professors of the truth, for no other known offence, but because they would not submit themselves to the superstitions, tyrannies, and oppressions of those bloodthirsty persecutors? Did ever any of that cruel society hitherto, publicly disapprove either by word or writing the barbarous rage of their tigerlike fellows, the misery of those injustly persecuted men, the deplorable c●lamities of their distressed Mother the Church, oppressed by the too too prevalent factions of Papists and Arminians to this day? But for all this, some will not spare to aver that divers of the Bishops had never any hand in those businesses, but on the contrary cherished piety, abhorred cruelty, resisted superstition to the utmost of their power, and endeavoured (as they were able) to conserve the peace of the Church, and State. My only desire is, that those men would consider, that neither love, affection towards the one party, nor hatred towards the other doth so much move me as the love to the truth, which ought to be freely spoken at all times, but especially when men seem as it were to dote on those Bishops who seem innocent to divers, and it may be they neither did contrive nor desire those abominations; which charity would make me believe, if I should find reason to persuade me, that they did either disapprove or reject them being once urged by their fellow companions; nay on the contrary, divers reasons induce me to believe that they did approve all, without any the least opposition; as first, suffering all things to be imposed upon them without any repining. Secondly, urging the practice upon all men punishing severely the refractory. Thirdly, their unanimous consent to the late diabolical Canons (whence I Imagine all things to have been done in the same manner) Lastly, their prodigious silence which is one infallible sign that even to this day they allow of them, for qui tacet, consentire videtur.  
But the end of introducing those superstitions, and setting those persecutions on foot, is most probable, as I can conjecture to curry favour of the Papists, and seek by their means and assistance to raise their monstrous greatness, and boundless ambition to such an height as they might easily crush and ruin all those who should attempt to oppose their superstitious, cruel, bloody, and hellish designs. As for the Papists, human policy could never have invented one surer foundation (Than the Cardinal's counsels) for them to have builded their greatness in this kingdom, all things wisely considered; for hath not the pacifying of discords amongst the Papists here, and the sending over of Bishops, been the chief instruments, and in a manner the sole causes of the excessive increase of the Romanists in these kingdoms? Let Papists themselves speak, who tell us plainly, that the dexterity of the Romish Bishops (who are no fewer than the Protestant Bishops in number) hath been such, that in complying the one with the other, they have equally shared in the divisions: for if we may believe some of their catalogues, there be above 6000. Priests in England, which number being compared with that of the preaching Ministers, shall not come far short, if not equal them, as I suppose. And truly this council of the Cardinal hath been received by his part with as great policy and good success, as it was given with solidity and wisdom. Now if the number be so excessive in England, what shall we expect of Ireland, where the most part of the Natives hath known no other Religion from their infancy; truly the prodigious multitude of that whore's sons (who in blind zeal to that Idolatrous strumpet and blasphemous beast) can, finding opportunity, devote themselves to murder Kings and Princes, blow up Parliaments, betray their country, and bring all to confusion without fear of God, or reverence to man, as woeful experience, the master of fools, hath too too often taught by lamentable examples, to the infinite damage of the Christian world.  
The sympathy and affinity of those men with our Bishops, is such as I conceive, would not require much labour to make in most things a notable parallel, which I leave to some other, contenting myself only to show that their correspondency hath been such these many years, that the Bishops have taken all things done against Papists as done against themselves, and the Papists all things done against Bishops, as done against their head the Pope and them; but this hath been so cunningly performed, as few could heretofore perceive it, whilst at last the Papists seeing both themselves and the mitre of Bishops wronged (as they thought) by the factious covenanters of Scotland, could contain themselves no more, but burst out in rage against those heretics, and openly undertook to defend, that our Bishops were Iure Divino tales, more I am sure then ever they would have said for their infallible head the Pope, whom they defend only to be Iure Ecclesiastice Pope: but this they did, perceiving that if ours should not be proved to be Iure Divino tales, no ecclesiastic or human constitution could hinder their mitres to be fallable, although themselves believe all that the Church the Pope believeth, who will never believe any thing to his own disadvantage. And lest our Bishops should seem to be behind with the Papists in mutual courtesies, I assure you, they have rendered them tenfold the league being offensive and defensive; for they will have us believe that the Pope is not Antichrist, but the true successor of Peter; that the Romish Church as it is presently, is the true Church; that in it they defend no material or substantial errors; that our Religion differeth from the popish in matters of small or no consequence; that invocation on Saints, prayer for the dead, worshipping of Images, crucifixes, and other relics, with more than seven mountains of other abominations of that blasphemous beast, and her whorish Locusts, are not only lawful, but expedient and profitable to be used. I may further aver that Papists have been the men of greatest esteem with our Bishops, and that they went free being convicted by the Laws of the land, when Godly and laborious Ministers, zealous professors, and sound Christians were most barbarously martyred, and that for obeying the Laws of God, and the King; all this undoubtedly to please that man of sin, who under promise of assistance caused them to sin. But I can tell them that he hath {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} written on the triple crown, which covereth his blasphemous head: and though this seem a mystery to most men, yet they may persuade themselves it is true, that the Pope would redeem their dignities with millions, & furnish them all with competent maintenance, only to cover under their wings, the nest of his newly cleked vipers, not without reason, suspecting that their fall shall be his ruin in this land. And although divers will affirm, that signior Conne and Rosseti brought bags full of apostolical benedictions, to all those who would spend their lives & estates, where the mitre was so much concerned, yet their infallibility ●ea●ed them, all those things not being capable to save from censure C. C. and some others, who received a yearly pension of angelical and Pistolicall benedictions from the P. his H. and the K. of S. to advance their affairs in England.  
And now diverse Merchants assure me that Gregory is to have the bill of exchange to pay them the last wages for their service, who (as I am informed) will be so ready upon the first receipt thereof to show them the same courtesy he useth to others, that they shall have no just occasion to complain of his sound dealing, more than others have done before; for my part, I am so confident, he will do them right, even behind their backs, that I could heartily wish all such as their Lordships to address themselves to him who can certainly end their desires.  
FINIS.