by writing incessantly, and to insinuate into the people the putting down the test; and at the same time calm the storm which the letter of pensionary Fagel has raised. And his majesty must continue to make vigorous prohibitions to all booksellers in London, not to print any answers, as well to put a stop to the insolency of heretic authors, as also to hinder the people from reading them.

In short, you intimate to me, that his majesty will follow our advice: It is the quickest way, and I cannot find a better, or fitter, to dispossess his subjects from such impressions as they have received. His majesty must also, by the same declaration, profess in conscience, that, if complied with, he will not only keep his word, to maintain and protect the church of England, but will also confirm his promises by such laws as the protestants shall be contented with. This is the true politic way; for by his granting all, they cannot but consent to something.

His most Christian majesty has with great success experienced this maxim: and though he had not to struggle with penal laws and tests, yet he found it convenient to make large promises, by many declarations; for, since we must dissemble, you must endeavour all you can to persuade the king it is the only method to effect his designs. I did also, in my last, give you a hint of its importance, as well as the ways you must take to insinuate yourselves dextrously with the king to gain his good will. I know not whether you have observed what passed in England some years since; I will recite it, because examples instruct much.

One of our assisting fathers of that kingdom, (which was Father Parsons) having written a book against the succession of the King of Scots to the realm of England, Father Creighton, who was also of our society, and upheld by many of our party, defended the cause of that king, in a book intitled, The Reasons of the King of Scots, against the book of Father Parsons: and though they seemed divided, yet they understood one another very well, this being practised by order of our general, to the end, that if the house of Scotland were excluded, they might shew him who had the government, the book of Father Parsons; and, on the other hand, if the king happened to be restored to the throne, they might obtain his good will, by shewing him the works of Father Creighton: So that which way soever the medal turned, it still proved to the advantage of our society. Not to digress from our subject, I must desire you to read: the English book of Father Parsons. intitled, The Reform of England; where, after his blaming of Cardinal Pole, and making some observations of faults in the council of Trent, he finally concludes, that suppose England should return (as we hope) to the catholic faith in this reign, he would reduce it to the state of the primitive church: and to that end all the ecclesiastical revenue ought to be used in common, and the management thereof committed to the care of seven wise men, drawn out of our society, to be disposed of by them as they should think fit. Moreover, he would have all the religious orders forbidden on religious penalties, not to return into the three kingdoms, without leave of those seven wise men to the end, it might be granted only to such as live on alms. These reflections seem to me very judicious, and very suitable to the present state of England.

The same Father Parsons adds, that when England is reduced to the true faith, the pope must not expect, at least for five years, to reap any benefit of the ecclesiastical revenue; but must leave the whole in the hands of those seven wise men, who will manage the same to the benefit and advancement of the church.

The court goes this day for Marli, to take the divertisements which are there prepared: I hope to accompany the king, and will entertain him about all business; and accordingly as he likes what you hint to me in your letter, I shall give you notice. I have acquainted him with his Britannic majesty's design, of building a citadel near

'He did write a paper which had a tendency that way, and which is still extant.-Orig. Note..

Whitehall; Monsieur Vauban, our engineer, was present: after some discourse on the importance of the subject, his majesty told Monsieur Vauban, that he thought it convenient he should make a model of the design, and that he should on purpose go over to England to see the ground. I have done all I could to suspend the designs of our great monarch, who is always angry against the holy father: both parties are stubborn: The king's natural inclination is, to have all yield to him; and the pope's resolution is unalterable.

All our fathers most humbly salute your reverence. Father Roine Ville acts wonderfully about Nismes amongst the new converts, who still meet, notwithstanding the danger they expose themselves to. I daily expect news from the frontiers of the em pire, which I shall impart to your reverence, and am with the greatest respect, Paris, March 7, 1688.

From the Earl of Oxford's Collection.

Yours, &c.

Father La Chaise's Project for the Extirpation of Heretics. In a Letter from him to Father P-rs.

This is an arrow from the same quiver which produced the former supposititious letters, but is not so well conceived, the irony being too grossly apparent.

Worthy Friend,

I RECEIVED Yours of the 20th of June last, and am very glad to hear of your good success, and that our party gains ground so fast in England. But, concerning the question you have put to me, that is, What is the best course to be taken to root out all the heretics? To which I answer: There are divers ways to do that; but we must consider which is the best to make use of in England. I am sure you are not ignorant how many thousand heretics we have in France, by the power of our dragoons, converted in the space of one year; and by the doctrine of those booted apostles, turned more in one month than Christ and his apostles could in ten years. This is a most excellent method, and far excels those of the great preachers and teachers that have lived since Christ's time. But I have spoke with divers fathers of our society, who do think that your king is not strong enough to accomplish his design by such kind of force, so that we cannot expect to have our work done in that manner; for the heretics are too strong in the three kingdoms, and therefore we must seek to convert them by fair means before we fall upon them with fire, sword, halters, gaols, and other such like punishments: And therefore I can give you no better advice than to begin with soft easy means, wheedle them in by promises of profit and offices of honour, till you have made them dip themselves in treasonable actions, against the laws established, and then they are bound to serve for fear. When they have done thus, turn them out,

12

and serve others so, by putting them in their places; and by this way, gain as many as you can. And for the heretics that are in places of profit and honour, turn them out, or suspend them on pretence of misbehaviour, by which their places are forfeit, and theysubject to what judgment you please to give upon them. Then you must form a camp that must consist of none but catholics; this will make the heretics heartless, and conclude all means of relief and recovery is gone. And, lastly, take the short and the best way, which is to surprize the heretics on a sudden; and to encourage the zealous catholics, let them sacrifice them all, and wash their hands in their blood, which will be an acceptable offering to God. And this was the method I took in France, which hath well, you see, succeeded, but it cost me many threats and promises before I could bring it thus far, our king being a long time very unwilling.

But, at last, I got him on the hip; for he had lain with his daughter-in-law, for which I would by no means give him absolution, till he had given me an instrument, under his own hand and seal, to sacrifice all the heretics in one day. Now, as soon as I had my desired commission, I appointed the day when this should be done, and, in the mean time, made ready some thousands of letters, to be sent into all parts of France in one post-night. I was never better pleased than that time; but the king was affected with some compassion for the Hugonots, because they had been a means to bring him to his crown and throne; and the longer he was under it the more sorrowful he was, often complaining, and desiring me to give him his commission again; but that I would by no persuasion do, advising him to repent of that heinous sin; and also telling him, that the trouble and horror of his spirit did not proceed from any thing of evil in those things that were to be done, but from that great wickedness which he had done; and that he must resolve to undergo the severe burden of a troubled mind for one of them or the other, and if he would remain satisfied as it was, his sin being forgiven, there would in few days be a perfect atonement made for it, and he perfectly reconciled to God again. But all this would not pacify him, for the longer the more restless, and therefore I ordered him to retire to his closet, and there spend his time constantly in prayer, without permitting any one to interrupt him; and this was in the morning early, when the evening following I was to send away all my letters. I did indeed make the more haste, for fear he should disclose it to any body, yet I had given him a strict charge to keep it to himself, and the very thing that I most feared, to my great sorrow, came to pass; for just in the nick of time the devil, who hath always his instruments at work, sent the Prince of Conde to the court, who asked for the king; he was told that he was in his closet, and would speak with no man; he impudently answered, That he must and would speak with him, and so went directly to his closet; he being a great peer, no man durst hinder him. And being come to the king, he soon perceived, by his countenance, that he was under some great trouble of mind, for he looked as if he had been going into the other world immediately. Sir, said he, what is the matter with you? The king, at the first, refused to tell him; but he pressing harder upon him, at last the king, with a sorrowful complaint, burst out, and said, I have given Father La Chaise a commission, under my own hand, to murder all the Hugonots in one day, and this evening will the letters be dispatched to all parts by the post for the performing it; so that there is but small time left for my Hugonot subjects to live, who have never done me any harm: Whereupon this cursed rogue answered, Let him give you your commission again. The king said, How shall I get it out of his hand, for if I send to him for it, he will refuse to send it? This devil answered, If your majesty will give me order, I will quickly make him return it. The king was soon persuaded, being willing to give ease to his troubled spirit, and said, Well, go then, and break his neck, if he will not give it you; whereupon this son of the devil went to the post-house, and asked, if I had not a great number of letters there? and they said, Yes, more than I had sent thither in a whole year before; then, said

the prince, By order from the king, you must deliver them all to me; which they durst not deny, for they knew well enough who he was. And no sooner was he got into the post-house, and had asked these questions, but I came also in after him, to give order to the post-master, to give notice to all those under him in the several parts of the kingdom, that they should take care to deliver my letters with all speed imaginable. But I was no sooner entered the house, but he gave his servants order to secure the door, and said confidently to me, You must, by order from the king, give me the commission which you have forced from him: I told him, I had it not about me, but would go and fetch it, thinking to get from him, and so go out of town, and send the contents of those letters another time; but he said, You must give it me, and you have it not about you, send somebody to fetch it, or else never expect to go alive out of my hands, for I have an order from the king, either to bring it or break your neck: And I am resolved either to carry back that to him in my hand, or your heart's blood on the point of my sword. I would have made my escape, but he set his sword to my breast, and said, You must give it me or die, therefore deliver it, or else this goes through your body.

if

So when I saw nothing else would do, I put my hand in my pocket and gave it him, which he carried immediately to the king, and gave him that and all my letters, which they burnt: And being all done, the king said, Now his heart was at ease. Now, how he should be eased by the devil, or so well satisfyed with a false joy, I cannot tell: But this I know, that it was a very wicked and ungodly action, as well in his majesty as the Prince of Conde, and did not a little increase the burden and danger of his majesty's sins. I soon gave an account of this affair to several fathers of our society, who promised to do their best to prevent the aforesaid prince doing such another act; which was accordingly done, for within the space of six days after the damned action he was poisoned, and well he deserved it. The king also did suffer too, but in another fashion, for disclosing the design to the prince, and hearkening to his counsel. And many a time since, when I have had him at confession, I have shook hell about his ears, and made him sigh, fear, and tremble, before I would give him absolution; nay, more than that, I have made him beg for it on his knees, before I would consent to absolve him. By this, I saw that he had still an inclination to me, and was willing to be under my government, so I set the baseness of the action before him, by telling the whole story, and how wicked it was, and that it could not be forgiven till he had done some good action to balance that, and expiate the crime. Whereupon, he at last asked me what he must do? I told him, that he must root out all the heretics from his kingdom: So, when he saw there was no rest for him without doing it, he did again give them all into the power of me and our clergy, under this condition, That we would not murder them, as he had before given orders, but that we should, by fair means or force, convert them to the catholic religion; to which end, he gave us his dragoons to be at our devotion and service, that we might use them as we saw convenient, to convert them to the true religion. Now, when we had got the commission, we presently put it in practice, and what the issue of it hath been, you very well know. But now in England the work cannot be done after this manner, as you may perceive by what I have said to you, so that I cannot give you better counsel, than to take that course' in hand wherein we were so unhappily prevented; and I doubt not but that it may have better success with you than with us.

I would write to you of many other things, but that I fear I have already detained you too long; wherefore I shall write no more at present, but that I am, Your friend and servant,

Paris, July 8th, 1668.

'To put them all to the sword, and murder them.-Orig. Note.

LA CHAISE.

THE CATHOLIC ALMANACK FOR THE YEAR 1687;

New M. 3 d. 55 m. aft. 7 ni.

First q.

Antonii Ab. Dup.

18 Cat. S. Pe R. dup. Prisc.