A LETTER FROM His Holiness the Pope, To the most illustrious Protestant Prince, JAMES DUKE of MONMOUTH.  
SIR,  
WE are credibly informed, not only from our undaunted Midwife, the Priests and Jesuits in Newgate, and our Trusty and well beloved Lords in the Tower, but from many others of great worth and quality, that were it not for the King and you, and that old Achitophel( as we call him) in Aldersgate-street, our access to our quondam See might with little difficulty be obtained. You are the Pillars that support the Principles of those damned heretics, called Protestant-Dissenters. In our Name and in the Name of the Virgin Mary, we desire you to forsake their Society, and timely turn to us, that your Absolution may be sealed; if not, know that we will leave no ston unturned, to work your ruin, if Godfreys Cravat will not fit your neck, nor a Musquetoon pierce your Body, we have an hundred little ways to work your overthrow; what a Dagger cannot do, poison may; and when a public attempt shall miscarry, a private Assassination may do the job. Sir, you are the Mote in our eye that must be plucked out, you are as a Thorn in our side, and we will never leave our Plots and shamplots till we either reconcile you to us, or see you safely lodged with your Comrade thin. If it be preferment you aim at, truckle to us and we will give you even what your heart desires. Be but active to destroy the Protestants and we will give you one part of our Triple-Crown. Why should you part with your preferments, and let go your Royal interest, to side with a parcel of discontented Whigs, that covet nothing more, than to see our Infallibility laid waste? See you not how the Abhorrors swarm in every City? Strike in betimes and make one amongst them, it may be the means of your preservation in the day of our Visitation, for let me tell you, we bid fair for a Footing amongst you. Have you not red our Observator, Heraclitus, and Staffords Memoirs; and a little hundred of those bold Boys, how they exalt their Heads above their fellows? and even spit in that mans Face that dare but speak kindly of an English-Protestant, or speak a word in favour of a Serious sober wellmeaning man do you not see how they jerk them and lash them even to death if they but appear in a true Protestant habit, why these are the Fellows that dreine our Coffers, these are they that will chalk you out the way to our Communion and Fellowship, these are our infallible guides, that will even do or say any thing that advantage our interest, but above all, have you not taken notice of Thompson, there's a true Popish Lad dressed up in a pair of Protestant breeches, he will say, and gain say. swear and forswear all in a breath. This hour he'l make the Papists murder Sir edmond Berry Godfrey and the next hour he'l make him murder himself, these are Hocus Pocus Artifices used for the Advancement of our Pomp, and the enlargement of our Territoryes, and be confident that their Service is Sufficiently requited, but now know, should we gain one Monmouth, he would be worth ten thousand such tools as they though they are Serviceable enough in the lower orb. we gain our point if we gain but you, you are the oil that makes the Dissenters wheels to run, you are their demi God, they admire you, they love you, they honour you, nay they almost adore you, you are their Oracle, their guid, their Bullwork of defence.  
Could we but make a breach upon you, we could readily make them strike their Topsails, to us. We could put Beads in their hands, and Crucifixes in their pockets, and when thatis done Ropes about their Necks or Knifes to their Throats, were it not for their confidence of your Love and respects to them. Could we but conquer you with love; we could conquer them with wrath: could we but make you espouse our Cause, and be Captain General over our Forces, we could make them sing Te Deum's with us and hang them for their music. Would you sleep in safety, and walk securely, without the fear of Popish designs? then turn unto us and abandon the Advice of the old Earl, and forsake the Company of the protesting Lords; if not, know we have many Moles that are digging under the very foundation of your Palace, at So Hoe, we have many little Emissaryes in England to destroy you, go you to the park. Have a care of Pickerings Gun: go you through the Strand? beware of Sommerset-House, go you to my Lord Essex? take heed of the Musquetoon, go you to Windsor? there, Ruffians are like lions in the way. Go you to Sussex? thither Thomsons Libels will pursue you. So that you shall no way be safe either in your person or repute. Our Hackney Devils shall find you at Milend Green, at every Club you go to, and when they cannot get a Seasonable opportunity to bite you, they'l bark at you at least, they'l show their Teeth and grin, when they can do nothing more. hear you not an Excommunication, are not our Bulls Sufficient to affright you, dare you venture to fall under our direful Curse, when Kings and Princes tremble at the thoughts on't? Have a care of provoking our holiness to any further displeasure, least we swear in our wrath an infallible Oath, that you shall never hereafter enter into our Society if you now neglect so kind an offer. If you do not speedily close with our tenders of mercy, woe be to you when we come to erect our Monuments in Smithfield, and make bonfires in the Protestant meetings. Woe be to you when we come to take vengeance on all those that have  shed the blood of Saint Coleman, Saint Staley Saint Plunket, &c.  
farewell.   

LONDON Printed for J. Johnson. 1682.