Inprimis,

THe Popes old Decrees and Decre­talls which are very usefull for Ci­vilians and Canonists, who study the Popes old Canon law, and thereby get great wealth, and likewise they are of singular use for Prelates to teach them church government after the fashion of Rome and church policy, after the Popes own most holy manner, how to frame Church-War­dens articles to bring in great store of Present­ments and money to uphold the pompe and state of the Prelates Officers and Followers.

2. The old booke of Canons which for their antiquity are now something stale, yet they have been of singular use for Chancellors, Registers, Proctors, Pa [...]a [...]ors, Promoters and such like, and the only thing whereby they have got their li­vings by citing, presenting, informing, sus­pending excommunicating and molesting many [Page 2] of the best ministers and people, untill their pur­ses come off handsomly, which is the finall cause of making this book of Canons, which lucky book hath been gainfull to Prelatists as ever Pur­gatory was to the popes Kitchin.

3. The new book of Canons which for want of wit and skill in the makers (who were some of them no better then doults) were made cleane Kam contrary to expectation, and something too boisterous and violent, so that at the first shoot­ing off they recoiled upon the authors and knockt down their makers, and being neither made of bell mettall nor Parliament proofe they burst in the discharging being over charged with Altar­wise pouder amunition shot and leaden et cetrae whereby their mettall is marred so that it is held but vain for the Convocation to mould or cast them anew: yet they are worth their weight of browne paper at any time for Grocers, Chand­lers, Tobacco-shops, and Physitians; for such patients as have laxes and trotting agues going often to thee stool; if they have but a new Ca­non in their hand they may come off more cleanly then the Convocation did who marred them in the making:

4. The new Canon Oath, or Oath for Prela­cy, which Oath was intended for many singu­lar uses as the sinfull sinod knew very well; as, 1. To sweare up the Bishops though the divell himself cannot do it. 2. To sweare down all the honest ministers in England who for refusing this periurious Oath should presently be depri­ved [Page 3] of their livings though their wives and chil­dren were beggerd, so that there might be great store of church livings void whereby his little Grace & the rest of the reverend Fathers might have choice for their chaplains and preferre their mad kindred crackt Chambermaids light kinse­women and younger brother (as Oxford petiti­oned) & might put in such idoll shepherds dumb doggs and Baal Priests as should be sworn slaves to the Prelates and they to forswear and periure all the fatbelly Prelatists who should take this Oath and must swear to take it willingly (though no man in the world would not rather be free then bound) so that they being become odious to God and good men might stick faster to the Bishops on whom they depend both for bodies soules and estates, but this Oath being now ca­shiered by some criticall fellows of the Temple who have proved wiser then the sinod it will hardly be valied as it might have beene.

5. A numberles number of many hundred thousand weight and an infinite multitude of yards and ells of length and breadth and many millions of fathoms deep of an et cetra, a most precious thing in the Canon oath a thing of so great weight, worth, length, breadth deepnesse, thicknesse and bulke, that it is beyond all exten­sions dimensions so that the goodly wise fathers of the late more than holy sinod (though they put it in with both hands) yet all those mon­strous wise and hugely tearned men themselves never knew either the quantity, quality, value, [Page 4] worth or weight of this, et cetera, it may be said of this; that Datur processus in infinitum, it may be di­vided in semper divisibilia & expounded in semper exponenda, they and their successors might from time to time and at all times make of it what they would so that if the Bishops should lose theier Bi­shopricks and all but this, this alone were riches enough for them and theirs for ever, and tis pitty but that they should take them this and be pack­ing.

6. A most rare and super excellent thing cal­led the oath Ex Officio or the Beneficiall oath, for never was auricular confession so usefull and gainfull to the iugling priests of Rome as this hath bin to Prelates, for that did but onely make woman and people to confesse their relapses and maids their backslidings: and onely touched deeds done and the Priests would pardon them but this Oath makes men to confesse their thoughts, for which sometimes the Bishop will make them pay deare, and if at any time either the Bishop or any of his shavelings have not their bags crammed by Church Wardens present­ments or Parrators information, then they send for some minister of honest man whom they know to be not so desperatly wicked, as their in­iurious maintainers, & tender him this oath, w ^ch if he refuse, to prison he goes if he were as good as George a Greene, and if he take it, he must either forswear and damme himself as the Bishop doth, or else betray himself and confesse his most pri­vate matters, words, & the very thoughts of his [Page 5] heart which he poore man chooseth rather to do, and so puts himself in the mouth of the wolfe, than to periure and damme himself, and to go to hell with Bishops, where upon he cōfessing, the Bishop suspends, excōmunicates, deprives, degrades, imprisons or punisheth the poor man at his plea­sure, then he being in this wofull case will be very glad to speake with some of the Bishops Officers, who will shew him so much friendly honesty as to take a great bribe to speak a small word for him, and so perhaps meets with the man who for that purpose first caused him to be questioned and so he seeing his friend, and the Bishop feeling his mans pulses, gives the poore man some releasement, though he will not quite discharge him, but that his servants may at other times have some feeling of him, and thus this Oath Ex Officio hath formerly been wondrous beneficiall though now it grow something old and rotten, and begins to stink and putrefie, yet it will passe currant in some countreys, as Italy and Spain, and some part of France, but by all meanes carry it not into Scotland, for they be such resolute fellows they will put it in a poke mantle and hang it on blind Ba­laams Nagge and send it packing to Rome where is no neede of it because there is already great plenty of this and many such like.

7. A Most profitable and gainfull piece of Prelaticall policy, to wit, the rubrick of the Liturgie or Service, for the most wise and politick prelates, knowing that men are of divers mindes and dispositions, have so framed the ru­brick of the service book that it is improbable that all men should like of it, and almost impossible, that all man should follow it so strickly as the Bishops inioyn it, and among some good things, taken out of the Bible, they have min­gled some bad things taken out of the Masse book, and then if any honest minister do but omit by oversight some [Page 6] things least necessary, or passe by other, some things most offensive or leave out any thing which is most fabulous, he is to be had before the Bishop either by the Church Warden, who are sworne to present him, or by the Para­rors or some such like who are ready to informe against him and the Bishop (who taketh himself to be the Lord of the church) perceiving him to be a man of some great con­science (which is an odious thing to some Bishop to have some care to discharge his duty uprightly, he hates him and persecutes him and brands him with the nicknames of Puritan Brownist scismaticke and precise fellow, and never leaves him till he either make him forsake all conscience and honesty, or else his living and country and such exam­ples as these there have been many thousands so that this is an excellent and gainfull rubrick to the Bishops Officers who while these things are in agitation have many a good feeling, whom here I leave to feele the justice of our happy Parliament.

8. Certaine things of great antiquity and almost as an­cient as the subtilty of the Serpent; so wit Ceremonies, which though it might be thought that Bishops might spare them without preiudice to themselves, yet those po­litick Prelates (for what reason themselves know best) hold that no Ceremony, no Bishop, and they are so little in their defence, that before they will loose one corner of a cap, theyle throw the whole Miter off for it, or one end of a Crosse, theyle breake all the crosier to shivers, or one sleeve of a Surplice, theyle burne their Lawne sleeves, and 'tis pitty but that Bishops and Ceremonies should both be sent packing to Rome the place of their originall.