ARTICLES PROPOSED  
To the Catholics of England, whereunto it was required they should subscribe their negative answers, whereby it might be understood, they profess that there is nothing contained in these three Articles which doth necessarily belong to the Catholic Faith and Religion; insomuch, that they may and will abjure (if it be thought needful) the practice and execution of them all.  
1. THat the Pope or Church hath power to absolve any person or persons from their obedience, to the civil and political Government, established, or to be established in this Nation, in civil and political affairs.  
2. That by the command or dispensation of the Pope or Church it is lawful to kill, destroy, or do any injury to any person or persons living within the King's Dominions; because, that such a person or persons are accused, condemned, censured, or excommunicated for error schism, or heresy.  
3. That it is lawful in itself, or by dispensation from the Pope, to break promise or oath made to any of the aforesaid persons, under pretence that they are Herètiques.  
Fifty English Catholic Gentlemen have subscribed negative answers to these three Articles, upon certain conditions secretly agreed upon for the good and freer exercise of the Catholic Religion, they being assured by divers Priests, both Seculars and Regulars, under their hand writings, that it was lawful for them so to do. Which since a Congregation in Rome, hath ordained and decreed, was not, nor is not lawful. Whereupon a Priest writeth out of England to his friend, a Doctor of Divinity of Paris, and sends him a copy of this congregational Decree, earnestly desiring him that he will let him freely know his sentiment and opinion in this business, which Doctors answer to the question ●ere followeth.  

Most dear Brother in Christ,  
HAving seriously considered the three Articles you sent me, with their little Preface (which you say contains in brief the substance of what was intended both by the proposers and yourselves) I cannot refuse, neither in charity nor friendship, to give you my opinion concerning your subscription thereunto. Yet being unwilling you should rely upon my private and particular judgement, in a matter of such moment, I have consulted with several great and learned men of our Nation, but especially some of the most ancient and learned Doctors of Divinity of our faculty here, whose constant sentiments are, that not only in their opinions your Act is lawful, just and true, but that it is also the general and universal believe of all the learned and judicious men of this Kingdom. So that I see not upon what grounds you need sear or apprehend the censures which the Decree of the Congregation in Rome pretends you have incurred. Were your Kingdom or State settled, and that your liberty depended only upon your giving assurance of your fidelity, I should easily procure you such Sovereign Antydotes against your timorous apprehensions, and such public Declarations of your duty in this kind, as that none but either weakly scrupulous, or busily factious, would be any whit moved at the interressed proceed of the Court of Rome. Me thinks you should not be ignorant how such Decrees of those Congregations are slighted and rejected in the supreme Courts of this Kingdom, by the most learned and most virtuous secular Judges of the Christian World. Even those who bear the most dutiful respect to his Holiness, as well Seculars as Regulars will openly profess, that the cabals and interests of the Court of Rome are now so generally known, that the Decrees of their Congregations are scarcely taken notice of out of the Pope's Territories. We had no● many months ag●e such a Decree sent hither from Rome to the Pope's Nun●o, against a late book called L●s granaeurs de L'●gise Roman, which because the Pope● Nun●io would have published & dispersed throughout the Kingdom (having obtained licence from the King to it.) The King's Advocate General Mr. Talon (a man worthy of his place) made a learn speech in open Parliament (without any relation or interest to the doctrine of the book) against the admittance of such decrees, wherein he remarked very well the different nature and quality of these con●r●gauonall Decrees (which were never received nor acknowledged as legal and authentical in France) from the Bulls of his Holiness as head of the Church. And this speech was immediately confirmed and ratified by a judgement given by this renowned Senate; and so the publication of the decree was hindered and suppressed. There was likewise in the year 1625. a seditious book written by one Garasse a Jesuit, but bearing no name, entitled Admonitio ad Regem, secretly dispersed up and down in this City, which was condemned by a genera Synod of the Clergy of this Kingdom, then assembled in this town, wherein the indispensable duty and obedience of Catholic Subjects to an heretical, and even to a persecuting King or State, was particularly declared & avouched. You may see the words themselves, pag. 12. quare id ipsum, etc. Given ut Paris in the General Assembly of the Clergy the 13. of Decemb. 1625. Whereupon one Sanctarellus an Italian Jesuit, was caused to write a book in approbation of the Pope's temporal authority to depose Kings and Princes, and to absolve their Subjects from their obedience, which was presently censured by our faculty of Divinity, and the affirmative doctrine of your first article (which is your chief difficulty) and other such like positions were improved and condemned as new, false, erroneous, contrary to the Word of God, etc. Given in the Sor●on the 1. of April, 1626. Hereupon four of the most famous Jesuits of France then residing superiors in their Colleges here, were sent to the Parliament, and being demanded their opinions in this point, they confirmed and ratified this censure under their hands; professing farther, that they did and would consent and adneer to what the Sorbon had or should declare in this or any other matter of Doctrine. I could send you the particulars of these and many such like proceed here, being partly in print, partly upon public record; but I conceive it need esse, at least for the present. However, the Court of Rome's pretensions to secular and temporal power over Kings and Commonwealths, are now grown out of date, nor was it ever authorized, but by the execution of it. The origine of the Pope's authority in temporal affairs is well enough known, the great piety and respect to the Sea of Rome of divers ancient Emperors, Kings, and Princes have made them receive their Crowns and Diadems from his sacred hands, and cast their Swords and Sceptres at his Saintly feet: Others have made use of the Pope's swaying power to settle themselves in their usurped Monarchies and Princedoms; not any versed in Ecclesiastical History, but knows the particulars of these truths. But to come back to your Decree, I perceive, that the Authors of it looking only upon the negative answers to the bare Articles, without the preface, or separated instrument, whereunto you Priests and Religious did subscribe (which was purposely made to secure the Lay-Gentlemen, that supposing they might enjoy the freedom of their Religion, they might lawfully renounce the practice of these Articles, which makes the case far different both to the one and the other) they conceived you intended to deny and destroy the probability of that opinion which they think it necessary for their ends to maintain; And therefore, to keep their hold, and conserve their pretended right, they framed this Decree in hugger mugger, and kept it private. Their chief motive is acknowledged in the Decree itself, Lest it should be said hereafter, that his Holiness did approve or connive at the subscription to such Articles, as were prejudicial to his pontificial Greatness. The same was also expressly intimated to the Pope's Nuntio here, it being signified unto him, there should be no legal publication of it, no more than there had been at Rome, nor consequently sure did they intent it should oblige. Nay, even they themselves would esteem him a very fool, that would lose his estate, or venture his life for the maintenance of this opinion or decree. Your negative answers to these Articles, are to be understood according to your and the proposers intentions, that is, to renounce the practice of them, and profeste them to be no part of your Faith and Religion, which I believe the very Court of Rome doth not pretend, witness Cardinal Peron, who after he had often averred in his Oration to the Nobles of France, in the year 1615. that the Doctrine of the Pope's power to depose heretical Kings, and absolve their subjects from their obedience, was only problematical. And in particular, that the Catholics of England were obliged to obey K. james then reigning. In his other Oration to the third State (who urged and pressed to have the contrary Doctrine received, as a fundamental Law of the Kingdom, and as holy, true, and conformable to the Word of God) having used all possible arguments to dissuade them from this design, and learnedly labouring to show a greater probability for the affirmative part. He concludes towards the end of his speech, That the Pope doth tolerate and suffer the contrary opinion to be held, so it be only maintained as problematical in matter of Faith, that is, saith he, so it be not proposed as necessary to Faith, nor the opposite declared, as contrary to the Word of God, impious and detestable. Besides, this Decree is given against th● negative subscribers to unpublished Articles, without any information or knowledge of the original instrument, whereunto you Priests did subscribe, naywithout calling any of you to acount; but only in the air against the negative subscription, supposed to be done they know not where nor how, contrary to the ordinary forms of our Law and Justice. But every man who hath negociated in the Court of Rome can tell you, that these Congregational Decrees are generally made by a few Cardinals and Prelates, who (to speak modestly) little know upon what grounds and principles the abstruse sequels of Faith are to be resolved. They say in this, they have consulted Divines, that is, perhaps some few foreign Regulars, whose interests lie wholly in that Court, depending immediately of it, and exempted by his Holiness from the ordinary and divine Hierarchichal Government of the Church; who knowing nothing of the affairs, nor of the circumstances of the question, were not like to deliver any other opinion then what their great Patrons would have them. I wish with all my heart, that with the loss of my blood I could blot out the be●●efe of all experienced men, that notning but interest and ●●●tion are prevalent in the Court of Rome. It is now in every man's mouth that understands the affairs of the World, that they seek their own ends, not the public good. Finally, I remark, that they chief direct their Decree to the superiors of their exempted Emissaries, no mention made of the Bishop or Clergy, who are the only lawful and canonical publishers (with the permission and consent of the State or civil Magistrates) of any true and authentical spiritual command. Tiuly, if such a Decree had been sent hither, and so illegally proclaimed, it would have been presently condemned to be burnt by the hands of the Hangman. In a word, I see nothing capable to beget a scruple, nor that aught to hinder any Catholic from subscribing to the Articles as you have done: Nor shall I easily persuade myself, that any wise and experienced man will shrink from so just an Act. If your State, King, or Parliament will suffer and tolerate you to live quietly under them (which I wonder such able men should boggle at) I shall quickly provide and help you with such advice from the most learned and most virtuous Divines of Europe, as will make your Ecclesia stical Government an example to all other States and Kingdoms your Neighbour's, And still conserving all due respect and spiritual obedience to the Sea of Rome, you shall free yourselves from all unnecessary and unfit dependence of the Roman Court, wherein I shall furnish you with the resolutions of such questions as will open the eyes of all your unexperienced and tender conscienced Countrymen, who have not had perhaps the means to discern and distinguish their due and necessary obedience from a superfluous and unjust obsequiousness: And which shall withal make appear to all the Christian World the now well near fourscore years hard and unfatherly dealing. of the Court of Rome over the poor persecuted and distressed Catholics of England. Let it therefore be your constant endeavour, to give the King, State, or Parliament full satisfaction and assurance of your fidelity, to the civil and political government of your Kingdom, whatsoever it shall be, which may most certainly stand with the integrity of your Religion and Consciences, for the rest fear nothing, trust to the justice of your cause, which you may assuredly believe will not want support. For my particular, according to my poor ability, you shall ever find me,  
Your most loving Brother in Christ, and obedient Servant, T. H. From Paris this 2. of April, 1648.   
FINIS.