Concerning the Congregation of jesuits held at London April 24. 1678. which Mr. Oates calls à Consult.  
AS no one thing seems to have given more colour to the calumnies of Mr. Oats against Catholics, & alarmed the nation, than à Congregation of jesuits held in London, Apr. 24. 1678. where in he swears Treasonable things were treated; so no one thing can more conduce to the Clearing of those jealousies raised by these Calumnies, than à true account of the intent of that Congregation: for this being the foundation of a great part of his Accusations, if it falls to the ground, the rest can scarce subsist.  
Provincial Congregations all over the Society are called in each Province by their respective Provincials every three years. Ad eligendos tertio quoque anno Procuratores. Say their Constitutions, Formula Congreg. Prov. c. 1. p. 51. And the last year 1678. was of course assigned for them. Hence about that same time, the Flemish jesuits held a like Congregation at Antwerp, the Walloons at Lile, the French at Paris, the Gascons at Bourdeaux, the Languedocians at Toulose, those of Champagne at Rheims, those of Provence & Dauphine at Lions, & those of Spain, Italy, & Germany, in their respective chief towns, & Colleges. So that this Congregation was nothing particular to Ingland, but common to all Europe. And a like Assembly had been held by Inglish jesuits every three years, ever since they were made à Province by themselves, under à Provincial of their onne Nation.  
The intent of these Congregations is specified in the Constitutions above cited, viz, to choose as Procurator, one of them to go to Rome, to inform the General of their particular, & private affairs. Which Constitutions are in the hands of Several Protestants in Ingland.  
The Persons capable of entering into it, are first, Actual Superiors. Secondly the Procurator of the Province. Thirdly so many of the ancientest Professed Fathers, as with those others may make up the number of forty persons. That number is prescribed by the Constitutions: to which, for the Confirmation of all this I appeal.  
M. Titus Oates was not present at that held an. 1678. first because he was all that time at S. Omers, as appears, by the Oaths of Several persons, who dwelled with him all that time there. Secondly because he never wore a jesuits habit one hour, he never was so much as Novice amongst the jesuits: And by consequence was not capable of assisting in such an Assembly. He pretends to have been capacitated to it by a Particular Patent from the General of the jesuits: but this pretence is ridiculous to understanding men, how plausible so ever it seems to some in Ingland: for first it is not in the power of the General to act so much contrary to the Constitutions, & secondly if his Power had reached to that, yet certainly he would never make use of it in favour of a person, who for his misdemeanours had been turned out of one College by the jesuits, & had carried himself so ill in the other, that upon great complaints, the Superiors were then actually resolved to turn him out of a nother, where he then resided.  
The Place for the Congregation was London, rather than any place beyond seas: because only the ancientest men of their body being to meet, (besides the actual Superiors, & Procurator) & the greatest part of these being in Ingland, it could not without very great difficulty, & danger, be held beyond seas. The present calm, they then enjoyed, through the Indulgence of the Government, seemed to permit it: yet seeing all their Persons were obnoxious to the Law, Secrecy was enjoined, as necessary for their security.  
M. Tonstall by his Antiquity of his Profession having Ius Suffragii, right to à voice in the Congregation, Mr Edward Peter his neigh bour had order from the Provincial to summon him to it. And this was the occasion of that Letter dated 23. Feb. 1677. But Mr. Oates very falsely makes Mr. Peter say, that he had writ to the jesuits in Warwick's hire, and Worcester shire: for with these he had as little to do, as with the jesuits in France, Spain, or Flanders.  
This is enough to uncypher that Letter of Mr. Edward Peter, to Mr. Tonstall, which was thought so mysterious, & so great à Conviction of the pretended Plot. I will add à word to explicate the Latin, Lest those wise & learned men, who turned it into Barbarous Language should hereafter use it as another Evidence of à more Barbarous Conspiracy. The true import of the words are: Tria pro Domino N. N. (the Person's name) benefactore Provinciae N. Which is the ordinary form of Commanding Prayers for such persons, who by their Charity to any part of the Society, deserve such à return of gratitude from the whole body.  
Sir Samuel Baldwin, in the try all of Mr. Irlande pag. 54. thought it à Confirmation of Mr. Oates his Evidence, that he hit on the day of the Congregation, before that letter was found. Yet at S. Omers where Mr. Oates all that time was, without any revelation, it might be known to all, as soon as the thing was over: for those who returned that way, made no difficulty to speak of it, Little apprehending, that so Innocent an Assembly, as to its end, & the things handled in it, could be so maliciously represented, as they have since experienced, to their astonishment & the wonder of all men, who know the jesuits, & their Government: or that such malicious calumnies, could find such credit in à civilised nation.  
The place of their meeting was not at the white horse Tavern, nor in the Strand. I have enquired of Several, who were present: & most said, they knew not so much, as that there was à White horse Tavern in all that street: all unanimously assured, they never met there.  
The Congregation was ended at the second meeting, on the 26. April. (The first was on the 24.) & several of those, who met, that same day, the 26. April, returned towards their Several Residences. The Rector of Liege, who had the longest journey yet was at Liege on the 16. May Stilo vet: although he had à slow passage by sea, stayed one whole day at Rotterdam, another at Antwerp & athird at Brussels, on his way. Now after the ending of the Congregation, that is after the 26. April, nothing Can be done in the name of it, all such attempts being illegal, invalid, & never attempted by jesuits any where.  
Hence all that M. Oates Says, of the jesuits dividing into several Clubs, Treasonable things proposed in them, Resolutions taken upon those Propositions, Rewards promised to the Attempters, the Execution commended to, & undertaken by several persons, etc. all these things, I say, are absolutely false, & improbable: as appears by what is said already, & shall be further evidenced by undeniable Proofs, both of Authentical Attestations, & Oaths of honest men, when it shall be required, & à free hearing permitted, with security to the witnesses.