POPE of ROME It is not unknown, that for the space of three years, wanting lesse than seven dayes, I was held in most cruel Bonds under thy Hands; where by the mighty power of God I was borne, and car­ried through ignominious and oppro­brious scoffs and mocks, threats of Death divers wayes, and of perpetual Slavery of­tentimes: Besides other times most cruelly and inhumanely tortured, bruised, and exceedingly wounded in my fleshly Body; for none other cause (the God of Righteousnesse knoweth, and that of God in all mens Consciences in that City of Rome can bear me witnesse, which saw my Conversation from the first to the last of my imprisonment) but honestly, simply, and purely, [Page 2] for Righteousness sake, viz. because I Exhorted All men to Re­pentance; and warned them in Season, to take heed to their wayes, lest a sore Evil should come upon them; I say, for this love of my tender Soul, towards Thine, and their Souls and Bo­dies, was I so inhumanely requited both by Thee and Them, which the Righteous LORD of Heaven knoweth, and Thou in thy Conscience knowest it; as many others of the Heads, Ru­lers, Priests, Doctors, Fryars, Jesuits, and People of Rome do know the same thing; and after many Wrongs which I bare, and bruises and wounds that I suffered, shut up in a Room, where there was scarce a Breathing place, chained in Irons, mocked of the Wicked, because my natural eyes could see neither visible Sun nor Moon; where moreover, I was tempted with the World, and proffered all the Pleasures which ever my Heart could desire, so that I would be, but as thy Priests were, which dayly tempted me unto Idolatry. (I say) all which I suffered, until at length my Innocent patient Soul had worn out, and overcome, all the Cruelty towards me, which was Exercised upon me, by the Ʋnreasonable Hands of Sinners: and that the Lord arose to plead my Cause for me, and stirred up such, as I neither desired, nay, nor in the least outwardly knew, to appear in my Behalf; and made some of his Servants to offer up their lives for my Redemption, which were known to be freely sacrificed in Rome; for whose Live unto me, they were also Imprisoned by Thy power, who, below the Law of Heathens, stood not openly to shew us any cause of our Sufferings.

Yet, after all this, (though I am a man wholly given unto my God, having given all things else unto Him who made them) if it were the will of my Father, commanding me unto Silence, and to sit down as him that is Dumb, and never to open my mouth, nor lead on my Pen on Paper, to Remonstrate the things that are past, concerning my Suffering dayes, verily, I should Obey, and say Good is the Will of my God, who teacheth me Sub­jection. But being commanded unto this thing, I can of a pure heart, in the sight of my Almighty God, say, that I write not to take a Revenge of my Cause, having committed Vengeance unto him that repayeth in Righteousnesse. (Whom, I pray for mercy, to be manifested unto you All, having a long time stood in the Gap for Rome; with many Tears, offering my Life for the In­habitants of that City, which the God of Heaven knoweth, and [Page 3] that I can at [...] to serve them all in the way wherein my Father leadeth me But O Pope for thy [...]ouls sake, and the peoples Souls sakes which have a dependance upon thy Power, I am contrained to write this time unto thee in this manner, shewing that in the Name and holy Fear of the Lord God of Hea­ven and Earth, who hath led me in my Pilgrimage, by his Right Hand of Power, and pleaded my Cause with my Enemies, by reigning down fire from Heaven upon them, and by diverse Judgements in Rome, whilest there the people oppressed my Inno­cent Soul with Cruelty; which may as is needful hereafter) be more at large spoken of. I proptmd it unto Thee, (as being the HEAD of that people, which are called the Roman Catho­lick Church) to Constitute, Order, and appoint one hundred of thy Chiefest and Propoundest Iesuits or Doctors of Divinity, (so called by thee) to give me a fair, open and publick Meet­ing, in England, Germany, France, Italy or Turkey, (viz.) in the most expedient place, for the advantage of the Glory of God (who Created the whole earth for that end as a way may be made to attain a Licence from the Powers of the said Nations, to effect the said Meeting. I say, chuse thee thy hundred or more persons for thy defence, and in the Name of the Lord God and in his Councel, I shall stand in the face of a Nation, or many Nations, to prove to that of God in every Conscience upon the face of the Earth, That thy pretended power of Remission of Sins, is of the old Serpent the Devil, drowning Souls in the Lake of Hell and Perdition.

• 1st. By the time of the comming in of Popes.
• 2dly. By the manner of chusing Popes.
• 3dly. By the matter of the precepts of Popes. viz.

First, That the Doctrine of teaching people to pray unto the Virgin Mary is damnable, drowning the Soul in the pit Hell.

Secondly, That the Doctrine of teaching of the people to call on more Advocates, Mediators, and Intercessors, Than looking upon the One MEDIATOR JESUS, is of the pit of [...] blinding and binding souls in the blackness of the night of death.

Thirdly, That the Invention of Pictures and Images in [Page 4] your Worships, is of the destroying Spirit, of the power of Darkness, chaining Souls in the Pit.

Fourthly, That your manner of Consecrating Waffers, Wine, and Water, praying upon Beads, worshipping in Idols Temples, your divers Fryars Garments, and Titled Orders, your observations of Dayes, and Meats, your Penance and Pro­cessions, are not of God; but contrariwise of the Spirit of Delusion, Heresie, Deceit, and Iniquity, which drowneth Souls in perdition.

For which Cause, if thou lovest the Salvation of Souls, more than their Damnation, through a Covetous end of an Earthly Kingdom in thy Heart, then I am sure Thou wilt not scruple, to send such persons as Thou mayest appoint, to Meet me accor­ding to this Proposal; which else, All Nations will see thy Cloak to be Rent a sunder, and no longer able to cover and hide the Abominations which are concealed under Thy Skirts: for ex­cept Thou sendest me an Answer, or causest an Answer to be sent unto me, in the space of Four Months after the Date of this, then must I Manifest it unto All Nations, as far as it can be conveniently Spread, even unto the ends of the Earth; which, until then, I may not do, that Thou mayest Know, that my End, is not to Infamize Thee, and Thy Authority, but Righ­teously to Glorifie the Lord God Almighty, my Holy Father of Life.

THy Letter and Propositions (bearing date the 20th. day of the 7th. month) came not to my hands till the 10th. day of this, therefore I hope thou wilt not proscribe me, for elapsing the time limited in thy Letter, which was not through my fault; And because I know thou hast a per­verse unbelieving Spirit in thee, I forbear in usual form to salute thee with Apostolical Benediction, but without fur­ther Ceremony apply my self to answer thy Letter.

1. 'Tis true thou wast detained in the Pazzarella here, a place most fit for thee, and thy mad Brethren, where had both thou and they been timely put, as you might have been in Justice, and should have been in Prudence, all the late miseries and abominable wickednesses of England, had in all likelyhood been prevented; Nor was it without evi­dent reason, That my Officers shut thee up in Bedlam; Thou cam'st out of a Rebellious Countrey, (where thou and thy Fanatick Brethren committed a Wonderful and Hor­rible thing, Jer. 5.30. Ezek. 11.2. Murther'd your lawful King) to devise mischief and give wicked Councel in this City; Thou didst pretend a Spiritual Call, and I know not what Revelation, which [Page 6] prov'd a false vision and divination, Jer. 14.14. a thing of naught, and th deceit of thy heart, far surpassing the frenzy of the more ancient Enthusiasts; When thou wast soberly admonished to abandon that deluding Spirit (which leads thee and thy Brethren into so many exorhitancies) and set thy face to­ward London, Ezek. 21.2. thou didst [...]ost pertinaciously contemn that good Councel, and persist in thy ways of Abomination, refusing to depart out of my City, Rome; forgetting those words, Rev. 18.4. thou hast so often misinterpreted, Go out of her my people, lest thou partake of her sins, and receive of her punish­ments. Why could'st thou not take heed and more warily understand a Text so plainly fore warning thee to flye from her, Ezek 13.3 left she should punish thee? Thus saith the Lord God, woe unto the foolish Prophets that follow their own Spirit and have seen nothing. While thou wert kept in the Roman Bedlam, was not the Discipline of the place, exactly obser­ved to thee, Jer. 4.18. Ezek. 14.10. aswell as to the rest of thy fellow Bedlams, didst thou want any thing there, but thine own wire? Thus therefore it came to passe that thy way and thy doings pro­cured these things unto thee; it being just that thou shouldst bear the punishment of thine iniquity.

2. Thou sayst my Priests did daily with all the pleasures thy heart could desire, tempt thee to be as they were▪ And were they not very courteous to make thee so kind an of­fer? were they not very patient to treat with thee thus daily? Ingrateful John! why dost thou complain of those who us'd thee so civilly? and all this, only to make thee be as they were; Verily, verily, John, thou wert shrewdly hurt, dost thou not usually (though falsly) charge them to lead lives of ease and honor, and canst thou take it ill, they should offer thee a share with themselves, to be as they were.

Moreover I say unto thee, thou dost me and my people very great wrong, by affirming in thy Letter, that my Priests did daily tempt thee to Idolatry; yet I commend thee John, for hating that, which I abominate with all my Soul; Do'st thou think I adore a carved stone, as my God, or a painted canvas, as my Saviour? or is any thing Idolatry, [Page 7] but the adoring a Creature, as our Creator; and the ma­king to our selves a God of a graven Image? which if I did I were as mad as thou. No, John, I worship only one God, I acknowledge onely one Mediator betwixt God and Man, the God-and-Man JESUS CHRIST; though I believe it both lawful and profitable to desire the Prayers of his Holy Saints, who raign with him, and continually assist at his holy Throne; and the Charity of his glorious Angels, Heb. 1.14. who be­hold his face and are sent forth as ministring Spirits for the good of the Elect.

As for Pictures, I believe neither any Divinity nor Sancti­ty to be in them, but I consider them as fit Instruments to help the memory, to recollect the fancy, and stir up the af­fection; giving them such respect as thy soberer Neigh­bour Protestants do to their Communion Table, whom I hope thou art not so bold to charge with Idolatry, or if thou do'st, convert them first, and then come again to me. Thou know'st 'tis one of the great Commands, Exod. 20. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour. Isay. 5.23. And 'tis written, woe be to you that r [...]b the just man of his justice, for as fire devoureth the stubble, so shall the root of these men be ashes.

3. For the power of remitting Sins, which thy serpen­tine spirit so much stumbles at, what more plain in Scri­pture? where our Saviour sayes expresly to his disciples; Whatever yee shall bind on Earth, shall be bound in Heaven, Mat. 16.19. John 20.23. and whatever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven; And again. Whose sins ye shall forgive they are forgiven; and whose ye retain, they are retained. What can be said more clear and plain? doest not thou thy self hold many doctrines lesse evidently in Scripture than this? tell me thy thoughts of this point in thy next Letter. But thou hast chosen three strange Mediums to disprove this Power.

• 1. By the time of the coming in of Popes.
• 2. By the manner of choosing Popes.
• 3. By the matter of the Precepts of Popes.

[Page 8]Truly John, thou deserv'st, for these three lines of nonsence, at least three moneths more of the Pazzarella, Too little Learning I see hath made thee mad. Acts 26.24

The other Points, when thou and my Champion meet, shall be at large discussed.

4. Now to thy Challenge of mee, to send a hundred of my profoundest Jesuites, or Doctors, to meet thee at any place of Christendom or Turky; since thou art so civil to leave the nomination of the place to me, I do, for thy ease, appoint AMSTERDAM, an indifferent place, to all Profes­sions, where thou shalt have as fair play as I, and any body else, as either of us. And since thou hast presum'd thus proudly to defie the Armies of the living God, and, confiding in thy weavers beam, provokest us to Battel, I promise to send one onely Jesuit, the youngest of my Children, to meet thee there on the 20th. day of the sixth moneth, vulgarly called August; 1 Sam. 17. Despise not his little stature, for know, he has slain the Lion and the Bear, and the unbaptized Quaker shall be as one of them. He shall come down to thee with the light armour of a sling and a few smooth stones and smite thee on thy fore­head, and thou shalt fall on thy face to the earth; he shall be arm'd with the dreadful weapons of Excommunication, and with Bell, 1 Cor 5.5. Book and Candle, deliver thee to the Devil, for the destruction of thy fleshly body, that thy Spirit may be sav'd in the day of the Lord JESUS. The hearty wish of him—