News FROM Dunkirk. BEING A special Relation of certain Passages there.  
Wherein is discovered the Intentions and Agitations of divers of this kingdom, endeavouring to engage Don Francisco de Mela, Commander general of the King of Spain's Forces in those Countries, to set forth sundry Dunkirk frigates into our Seas.  
AS ALSO, Of divers Priests and Jesuites, that lying there for transportation hither, were taken at Sea by some of the statesmen of War, with 3 barks sent by the said Jesuits for their transportation, and the Carriage of much Ammunition and Money intended for Newcastle, to relieve the Malignants against the Parliament, which Priests are now imprisoned by the States at Rotterdam.  
By G. H.  
LONDON, Printed for John Johnson.   

News from Dunkirk.  
DUnkirke is a town of Flanders of great strength and circuit; some five leagues or hours going from Calais in France, being indeed the only considerable Port of Flaunders, gravelling, Newport, Ostend and sluice, though all bearing the name of Havens, being indeed rather mere Fisher-Townes, then worthy of that title, ships of above sixty Tun, being debarred entertainment into them. When over the sandy bar of Dunkirk, at a high tide safely may pass Vessels of four and five hundred Tun into the very town walls, nay within their outworks, or safely ride if not in very great tempests, under the protection of the Forts of Mardike, and the wooden Fort, which being a miraculous fabric of timber, extended far into the main Sea, secures all there with its commanding Ordnance, at least a large league and a half before you come to Dunkirk. This then is the rendezvous for all the King of Spain's ships; this is that town which makes a benefit of that which is destruction to others; they are g●owne abundantly wealthy by their spoils, taken both from the Hollander and French; this is that town which in our lusts and former contentions with Spain, has infested so obnoxiously our Seas with the excursions of their nimble frigates. To conclude▪ this is a town which for plenty of mariners of all Nations, multitudes of soldiers, and light, nimble, and serviceable Ships and frigates, gives place to never a town of Christendom of its dimensions; Here constantly have those disturbers of our public peace and seducers of our people from the true Religion, those fugitive English Jesuites. Constantly in the Dutch college of the same Society there, their Agents resident, who lie as it were intelligencers there, to receive news from their pernicious brethren in England of their succeeding there: For though the care of this present sacred Parliament have taken what possible order can be thought on for extirpation of that brood of Vipers; yet in all this Session has there not one o● the Jesuites been apprehended or brought to condign punishment, the sword of justice lighting only on the less hurtful branches of that poisonous Romish Tree, that would shadow all the corners of the earth; the friars and secular Priests, the Pope's Assasine Champions, the Jesuites, though certainly many of them are obscured in this kingdom, nay in this very City, under strange names and habits, being as full of craft as their generality in the devil; keeping themselves not only from detection but surprision: But to our purpose, these base bastards to their country, and m●screants to Heaven and truth; having these Agents in Dunkirk, do constantly give notice to their superiors at their fore-neighbouring colleges, Watton and Saint Omers; the former being the Noviship or Domus probationis of their order, three leagues and a half from Dunkirk, the other their Seminary, where they teach children only the rudiments of Gramaticke learning, a league and a half further off▪ All accidents that have happened in this kingdom, in these lamentable and distracted times, they again transferring that notice by their Emissaries to their Agent at the Court at Brussels, who is now their Vice-Provinciall (their provincial being here in England) Father Sibesden, right●y Bedinfield, a man of much precious sanctity, but inward and real craft, who makes what use he can of those advertisements to the advancement of the Catholic cause, as they call it, hearing therefore as quae regio in terris nostri non plena laboris, of the still emergent distractions between His Majesty and the Parliament, which certainly took their original from some jesuitical counsellors. This Sibisdin or Bedinfield, call him whether you please, has lately been very urgent with Don Francisco De Mela, the Spanish perfect now in Flaunders, and with his council, in which the Jesuites have no small party to command of the Dunkirk frigates, to be made ready and fraught with such soldiers as are there of our Nation, under the Regiment of colonel Guy, with such Ammunition as the Jesuites his fellows could provide at their own charge to be sent into the North of England, to be landed there for the assistance of the malignant's against the Parliament, intimating to him how acceptable that service would be to his holiness, and the Conclave at Rome, how advantageous to the advancement of the Catholic cause, and re-establishment of their Religion here in England; nay, that he was even in part of his honour engaged to return these soldier's back: His Majesty the King of England now he had need of them, himself when he had been so courteously permitted to condescend to the Spaniards assistance, and lastly, that this action would not only be unpre judicial to the league now in force with England, but rather an additament to cement it faster. It being made with the King of England, to whom the Parliament was refractory, and with open arms sought to diminish His Royalty, and bring in instead of the Protestant Religion (which was less opposite to theirs) Puritanism, Brownism, or Anabaptism. So malicious are these miscreants, and apt to traduce the Parliaments honourable, just and religious proceedings. Don Francisco de Mela, a Portuguise by Nation, a person of a sound and solid judgement, not easily to be misled by such Ignes faetui, or false fires, mildly answered his reverence, that though he wished as well to the Catholic cause as any, and ought His Majesty of England as much service as any foreign Prince whatsoever; yet that he durst not without express command of the King his Master, send any of his frigates to their places, or employ them to other uses, than to the guard of the Flemish Coast against their inveterate adversary the Hollanders who, for the alliance they have to the State of Engl. to which they were engaged, would be sure to interrupt them in their passage, that for the English Regiments, though they were King Charles his Subjects, they were King Philip's soldiers there, ere he came to the government, and that he was resolved to leave all things in those Provinces as he found them; that he could not with the safety of his wisdom or allegiance to his Master's service, dimisse so many able and experienced soldiers, dangers both from neighbouring France, and not far distant Holland, threatening on every side those Countries, that for the quarrel or contention between his Majesty of great Britain and his Parliament, as he was unconcerned in it, so he was resolved not to intermeddle in other men's business, but to preserve the league nnviolate, and for their reuerences, the Fathers of the society, purchasing ammunition to transfer hither, Don Francisco told Father Silisden, that they might Con muy buena gana, with all his heart use their own discretion, do with their money what they please; he would neither give them commission for transportation, or laying any such provision, nor yet impeach their purpose, and so desired to be excused from any further trouble in the motion of that business which he could neither in honour nor salva obedientia to his Master, put in practice; Father Silisden intimating this unexpected resolution of Don Francisco, to Father Jarret and Father Worsley the Rector of Watton and Saint Omers, and by the counsel of Father Freeman the Rector of Gaunt, and Father Spencer, the Rector of liege (these being all the Rectors and colleges of those demy-Divels in those Countries, out of their common treasury levied the sum of ten thousand pounds, and from their great friends and intimates, the wealthy Benedictine Nuns at Buxels, Gaunt and Cambray, all English votaries, they borrowed six thousand pounds more, which sums delivered into the hands of one Coldwell an English man of ability in Dunkirk, and a Brewer; after he had purchased therewith much match▪ Pistols, Carabines, Powder, and other ammunition, and waited for an opportunity to transport it into the North of England in the Coleships, which bring that much esteemed jewel from Newcastle hither, but failing of those intentions by directions from his great Patrons the aforesaid Jesuits, he made purchase of three good tall barks, (which are very good cheap at Dunkirk) French bottoms, that they might pass without examination from the Hollander, and in them landed this Ammunition: committing the care thereof, and the Barks to some English mariners, of which there are plenty always at that town, and so with a good Gale of wind, they set forth for the Coast of England, and after two days being at Sea, off from the Coast of Holland, some of the statesmen of war, continually hovering about those Coasts, had espied them, and taking them for French, both by their building and Colours, friendlily had permitted them to pass, had not they had an express command to stay all Vessels, passing along those coasts; and examine them whither they were bound, and how laden, lest they might either be Danes, or bound thither with ammunition, so being haled aboard, they knowing it was in vain to resist, struck their tops, and came in, affirming themselves French, bound from Saint Maloes, to Boston in Lincolnshire, but they having examined their lading, and found most of its Ammunition, began to ask for their Cockets, which produced, testifies what they had declared, but one of the States Soldiers, an Englishman, running between Decks, found there in their admiral, some twenty young and middle-aged men▪ which by their complexion appeared rather French, then making bolts therefore to search some of their pockets by divers letters he found, both what they were, whence they came, and whether they, and their ladings wert bound, giving notice of it with certain, that the men were Priests, for so indeed they weet, most of them new-made-ones, that this Micha●lmachado startet out of their colleges at Rome Civil, and Valladolid in Spain, out of a desperate bravery intending hither to defy our just laws, and seduce the people with their false Doctrine, and die as they believe instead of Malefactors, which indeed they are Martyrs: the captain instantly conjecturing, and they upon examination, confessing whither they were bound, and from whom sent with those Provisions, made lawful prize of them, sending them after to Rotterdam, where both the mariners and Priests are in prison Thus we may see what plots the wicked have against us, and how the Lord in his mercy bring the practices of the heathen to nought, so that we may hope he will give us peace and safety in our dwellings, which God grant, Amen.  
FINIS.