degnira intendere dall agente mio, alla quale con la debita reverenza bacio i santissimi piedi preguando il Sig. Iddio che la conservi longamente a servitio della sua chiessa. Di Bruxelles alli 13 d'October 1554.

Reginaldus Card. Polus.

A Letter of Cardinal Pool's to Philip the Second, complaining of the Delays that had been made, and desiring a speedy Admittance into England.

Serenissime Rer,

JAM annus est cum istius regiæ domus fores pulsare cœpi, nedum quisquam eas mihi aperuit. Tu vero, rex, si quæras, ut solent qui suas fores pulsare audiunt, quisnam pulset? atque ego hoc tantum respondeam me esse qui ne meo assensu regia ista domus ei claudere. tur, quæ tecum simul eam nunc tenet, passus sum me domo et patria expelli, et exilium viginti annorum hac de causa pertuli. An si hoc dicam non vel uno hoc nomine dignus videar cui et in patriam reditus et ad vos aditus detur? at ego nec meo nomine nec privatam personam gerens pulso, aut quidquam postulo, sed ejus nomine ejusque personam referens, qui summi regis et pastoris hominum in terris vicem gerit. Hic est Petri successor : atque adeo ut non minus vere dicam, ipse Petrus, cujus authoritas et potestas cum antea in isto regno maxime vigeret ac floreret, postquam non passa est jus regiæ domus ei adimi, quæ nunc eam possidet, ex eo per summam injuriam est ejecta. Is regias per me fores jampridem pulsat, et tamen quæ reliquis omnibus patent ei uni nondum aperiuntur. Quid ita ejus ne pulsantis sonum an vocantis vocem non audierunt, qui intus sunt? audierunt sane, et quidem non minore cum admiratione divinæ potentiæ et benignitatis erga ecclesiam, quam olim Maria illa affecta fuerit, cum, ut est in Actis Apostolorum, Rhode ancilla ei nunciasset Petrum quem rex in vincula conjecerat, ut mox necaret, et pro quo ecclesia assidue precabatur, e carcere liberatum ante ostium pulsantem stare. Ut enim hoc ei cæterisque qui cum illa erant magnam attulit admirationem, ita nunc qui norunt eos qui Petri autoritatem potestatemque in isto regno retinendam esse contendebant, in vincula Herodiano Imperio conjectos, et crudelissime interfectos fuisse, quin etiam successorum Petri nomina e libris omnibus sublata in quibus precationes ecclesiæ pro eorum incolumitate ac salute continebantur, qui inquam hæc norunt, facta ad omnem memoriam Petri autoritatis a Christo traditæ penitus ex animis hominum delendam, qui fieri potest ut non maxime admirentur hoc divinæ benignitatis et potentiæ pignus ac testimonium, Petrum nunc quasi iterum e carcere Herodis liberatum, ad regiæ domus fores unde hæc omnia iniquissima in eum edicta emanarunt, pulsantem stare, et cum hoc maxime mirandum est, tum illud non minus mirum, a Maria regina domum hanc teneri: sed cur illa tamdiu fores aperire distulit. De ancilla quidem illud Mariæ scriptum est, eam Petri voce audita prænimio gaudio suæ quasi oblitam, de aperiendo

non cogitasse: rem prius, ut Mariæ aliisque qui cum ea erant nun` ciaret, accurrisse, qui cum primo an ita esset dubitassent, mox cum Petrus pulsare pergeret aperierunt, neque illum domo recipere sunt veriti, etsi maximam timendi causam habebant, Herode ipso vivo et regnante. Hic vero quid dicam de Maria regina, gaudeo ne eam an timore esse prohibitam quominus aperuerit; præsertim cum ipsa Petri vocem audierit, cum certo sciat eum ad domus suæ januam jamdiu pulsantem stare: cum admirabilem Dei in hac re potentiam agnoscat, qui non per Angelum, ut tunc Petrum e carcere Herodis, sed sua manu eduxit, dejecta porta ferrea quæ viam ad regiam ejus domum intercludebat: scio equidem illam gaudere, scio etiam vero timere; neque enim nisi timeret tam diu distulisset. Verum si Petri liberatione gaudet, si rei miraculum agnoscit, quid impedimento fuit quo minus ei ad januam lætabunda occurrerit, eumque meritas Deo gratias agens, introduxerit, Herode præsertim mortuo, omnique ejus imperio ad eam delato? An fortassis Divina Providentia quæ te dilectum Petri Filium et ei virum destinarat, illam timore aliquo tantisper effici permisit, dum venisses, ut utriusque ad rem tam præclaram & salutarem agendam, opera atque officium conjungeretur: equidem sic antea hunc Mariæ reginæ conjugis tuæ timorem, quod etiam ad eam scripsi, sum interpretatus: ac propterea ad te nunc, virum ejus, principem religiosissimum, scribo, et abs te ipsius Petri Christi Vica. rii nomine postulo, ut illi omnes timoris causas prorsus excutias: habes vero expeditissimam excutiendi rationem, si consideres eique proponas, quam indignum sit si dum te illa corporis sui sponsum accerserit, cum non deessent quæ timenda viderentur, tamen omnem timorem sola vicerit, nunc te tanto principi illi conjuncto, timore prohiberi quominus aditum ad se aperiat sponsæ animæ suæ, mecum una & cum Petro tamdiu ad fores expectanti; qui præsertim tot & tam miris modis custodem ejus se, defensoremque esse declaraverit. Noli enim, rex, putare, me, aut solum ad vestram regiam domum, aut uno tantum Petro comitatum venisse; cujus rei hoc quidem tibi certum argumentum esse potest, quod tamdiu persevero pulsans: nam sive ego solus venissem, solus jampridem abiissem, querens & expostulans quæ aliis omnibus pateant, mihi uni occlusas esse fores; sive una mecum solus Petrus, jampridem is quoque discessisset, meque secum abduxisset, pulvere pedum excusso, quod ei præceptum fuit a Domino ut faceret quotiescunque ejus nomine aliquo accedens non admitteretur. Cum vero nihil ego, quod ad me quidem attinet con querens, perseverem, cum Petrus pulsare non desistat, utrumque scito ab ipso Christo retineri, ut sibi sponso animæ utriusque vestrum aditus ad vos patefiat. Neque enim unquam verebor dicere, Christum in hac legatione, qua pro ejus vicario fungor, mecum adesse: quamdiu quidem mihi conscius ero me nihil meum, me non vestra, sed vos ipsos toto animo omnique studio quærere. Tu vero, princeps Catholice, cui nunc Divina Providentia et benignitate additum est alterum hoc præclarum fidei defensoris cognomen, quo reges Angliæ Apostolica Petri autoritate sunt aucti atque ornati, tecum nunc considera quam id tuæ pietati conveniat, cum omnibus omnium principum ad te legatis aditus patuerit, ut tibi de hoc ipso cognomine adepto

gratularentur, solum successoris Petri qui hoc dedit, legatum, qui propterea missus est ut te in solio regni divina summi omnium regis quam affert pace et gratia, confirmet, non admitti? An si quidquam hic ad timorem proponitur, quominus eum admittis non multo magis Christi hac in re metuenda esset offensio, quod ejus legatus qui omnium primus audiri debuit, tamdiu fores expectet, cum cæteri homines qui multo post venerunt, nulla interposita mora, introducti auditique sint & honorifice dimissi. At hic conqueri incipio; con queror quidem, sed idcirco conqueror, ne justam tuæ majestati causam de me conquerendi præbeam, quam sane præberem, si cum periculi, quod ex hac cunctatione admittendi legati a Christo vicario missi, nobis vestroque regno impendet, reginam sæpe admonuerim, nihil de ea re ad majestatem tuam scriberem ; quod officium cum tibi a me pro eo que fungor munere maxime debeatur, id me satis persoluturum esse arbitror, si his literis ostendero quantum periculi ei immineat, cui illud vere dici potest, distulisti Christum tuum.' Is autem Christum differt, qui legatum missum ab ejus vicario, ad requirendam obedientiam ecclesiæ, ipsi Christo debitam, ex quo nostra omnium pendet salus, non statim admittit. Differs vero, tu princeps, si cum accersitus fueris ut pro munere regio viam ad hanc divinam obedientiam in tuo isto regno restituendam munias, ipse alia agas.

COPIES OF TWO PAPERS

WRITTEN BY

THE LATE KING CHARLES THE SECOND,

OF BLESSED MEMORY.

Folio, containing four Pages.

The First Paper.

THE discourse we had the other day, I hope, satisfied you in the

main, that Christ can have but one church here upon earth; and I be lieve that it is as visible, as that the Scripture is in print, that none can be that church but that which is called the Roman catholick church. I think you need not trouble yourself with entering into that ocean of particular disputes, when the main, and, in truth, the only question is, where that church is, which we profess to believe, in the two creeds? We declare there to believe one catholick and apostolick church; and it is not left to every fantastical man's head to believe as he pleases, but to the church, to whom Christ left the power upon earth, to govern us in matters of faith, who made these creeds for our directions. It were a very irrational thing to make laws for a

country, and leave it to the inhabitants to be the interpreters and judges of those laws; for then every man will be his own judge, and, by consequence, no such thing as either right or wrong. Can we therefore suppose, that God Almighty would leave us at those uncertainties, as to give us a rule to go by, and leave every man to be his own judge? I do ask any ingenuous man, whether it be not the same thing to follow our own fancy, or to interpret the Scripture by it? I would have any man shew me, where the power of deciding matters of faith is given to every particular man. Christ left his power to his church, even to forgive sins in heaven; and left his Spirit with them, which they exercised after his resurrection; first, by his apostles in these creeds, and many years after by the council at Nice, where that creed was made, that is called by that name; and, by the power, which they had received from Christ, they were the judges even of the Scripture itself, many years after the apostles, which books were canonical, and which were not. And, if they had this power then, I desire to know how they came to lose it, and by what authority men separate themselves from that church. The only pretence I ever heard of, was, because the church has failed, in wresting and interpreting the Scripture contrary to the true sense and meaning of it; and that they have imposed articles of faith upon us, which are not to be warranted by God's word. I do desire to know who is to be judge of that: whether the whole church, the succession whereof has continued to this day without interruption; or particu lar men, who have raised schisms for their own advantage.

bro.

This is a true copy of a letter, I found in the king my ther's strong-box, written in his own hand. JAMES R.

The Second Paper.

IT is a sad thing to consider what a world of heresies are crept into this nation; every man thinks himself as competent a judge of the Scriptures, as the very apostles themselves; and it is no wonder that it should be so, since that part of the nation which looks most like a church, dares not bring the true arguments against the other sects, for fear they should be turned against themselves, and confuted by their own arguments. The church of England, as it is called, would fain have it thought, that they are the judges in matters spiritual, and yet dare not say positively, that there is no appeal from them; for either they must say, that they are infallible (which they cannot pretend to), or confess, that what they decide, in matterss of conscience, is no further to be followed, than it agrees with every man's private judgment. If Christ did leave a church here upon earth, and we were all once of that church, how, and by what authority, did we separate from that church? If the power of interpreting of Scripture be in every man's brain, what need have we of a church or church-men? To what purpose, then, did our Saviour, after he had given his apostles power to bind and loose in heaven and earth, add to it, that he would be with them, even unto the end of the world? These words were not spoken parabolically, or by way of figure;

Christ was then ascending into his glory, and left his power with his church, even unto the end of the world. We have had, these hun. dred years past, the sad effects of denying to the church that power, in matters spiritual, without an appeal. What country can subsist in peace or quiet, where there is not a supreme judge, from whence there can be no appeal? Can there be any justice done, where the offenders are their own judges, and equal interpreters of the law with those that are appointed to administer justice? This is our case here in England, in matters spiritual; for the protestants are not of the church of England, as it is the true church, from whence there can be no appeal; but because the discipline of that church is conformable at that present to their fancies, which, as soon as it shall contra. dict, or vary from, they are ready to embrace, or join with the next congregation of people, whose discipline and worship agrees with their opinion at that time; so that, according to this doctrine, there is no other church, nor interpreter of Scripture, but that which lies in every man's giddy brain. I desire to know, therefore, of every serious considerer of these things, whether the great work of our salvation ought to depend upon such a sandy foundation as this? Did Christ ever say to the civil magistrate (much less to the people) that he would be with them to the end of the world? or, Did he give them the power to forgive sins? St. Paul tells the Corinthians, 'Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building; we are labourers 'with God.' This shews who are the labourers, and who are the husbandry and building: and in this whole chapter, and in the preceding one, St. Paul takes great pains to set forth, that they, the clergy, have the spirit of God, without which no man searcheth the deep things of God; and he concludeth the chapter with this verse: 'For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct 'him? but we have the mind of Christ.' Now, if we do but con. sider, in human probability and reason, the powers Christ leaves to his church in the Gospel, and St. Paul explains so distinctly after. wards, we cannot think that our Saviour said all these things to no purpose; and, pray, consider, on the other side, that those, who resist the truth, and will not submit to this church, draw their arguments from implications and far-fetched interpretations, at the same time that they deny plain and positive words; which is so great a disingenuity, that it is not almost to be thought that they can believe themselves. Is there any other foundation of the protestant church, but that, if the civil magistrate please, he may call such of the clergy as he thinks fit for his turn at that time, and turn the church either to presbytery, independency, or, indeed, what he pleases? This was the way of our pretended Reformation here in England; and, by the same rule and authority, it may be altered into as many more shapes and forms, as there are fancies in men's heads,

This is a true copy of a paper, written by the late king my brother, in his own hand, which I found in his closet. JAMES R.