THough Reason tell us, that only New Revelations want New Miracles to Evidence them Divine. And holy Scripture Teaches, That the Doctrine of the Gospel stands not in need of any further Miracles, since it hath long since been so sufficiently Confirmed: That if an Angel from Heaven should Teach otherwise, and offer Miracles to Vouch his Doctrine, he were worthy to be Accursed; yet the Church of Rome to prop up her Traditions, pretends these Miraculous Operations to be far more frequent now, than in the Primitive Times: Well may the Hereticks (saith she) pre­tend Miracles Ceased, being conscious of their own dull Inefficacy and confessed Disability to perform them, whilst the Catholick Church has in all Ages given visible Marks of her Infallible Authority, and Unlimi­ted Jurisdiction, by multitudes of Incredible, as well as unpara [...]lel'd Miracles.

Of these wonderful Operations, that certainly deserves to Lead the Van (though ordinarily and constantly wrought) which every pitiful Hedg Priest by virtue of his Office, dares chal [...]enge to Exercise, even to Create his Maker, and fetch down the Body of the Glorified Jesus from Heaven to the Altar, as suddenly as the Sun can diffuse his Be [...]ms of Light: And though he Consecrate a Thousand Wafers at a time, and a Thousand such Consecrations be made in several places at the same time, yet the whole Christ is there Bodily in every place, in eve­ry of the Wafers, at the same instant, and yet nothing to be seen, felt, [Page 4] nor tasted, but plain common Wafers still. For not believing this heap of Absurdities, how many Thousands have suffered cruel Mar­tyrdom?

In the next place deservedly Marches St. Francis (Christs Standard-bearer they call him, and Jesus Typical) Heaven and Earth are fill'd with Astonishment at his Wonders: What should we Talk of his puny Miracles, as instructing of a Sheep to go to Church with him, to kneel devoutly there, and bear a part when he Sung the sacred Anthems: Of his swallowing a Spider at Mass, which crept out again whole at his Thigh: Of Water fetcht in an instant out of a Rock, for an Honest man that had lent him an Ass (for you know one good Turn requires another;) or of a Lock of his Hairlaid in the Crack of a Wall, which made up the Breach without Morter. It would be endless to stand Re­tailing his Stock of Miracles, since the History of his wonderful Con­formitys to Christ, lately published with great Authority, doubts not to tell you in gross, that whatever Christ did, Francis has done the same: And that he has Transcended Christ in his Miracles. Our Sa­viour turned some few Vessels of water into Wine, but Francis turned a whole Fountain so. (I know an hundred Good Fellows wish it had been Lambs Conduit, but it seems he carried it with him into th [...] [...] World, for there is no such thing to be found in this.) Our Sav [...]our Raised some few from the Dead, but St. Francis raised a Thousand more out of Purgatory: Attended with all which Train, his Soul was visibly seen march to Heaven in the shape of a Fl [...]er-Mo [...]k, but by the way was Triumphantly met by Christ, and his blessed Mother, &c. and placed amongst the highest Order of Serap [...]i [...]s, in the vacant S [...]at formerly belonging to Lucifer.

What say you to St. Fingare, who Sailing from Ireland on a broad Leaf (supposed to be a Cabbidge Leaf) into Cornwell; being Mar­tyr'd by the Tyrant, carrried her head in her arms (just as the great French St. Denis did) up to a Hill not far off, intending to bury it there; but being disturbed with the Scolding of some B [...]insgate Gossips, trudg'd with it down again into the Valley, and washing it in a spick and span new VVell that sprung up there just then on purpose; quietly buried both it and her self.

Can the Hereticks shew such a merciful Saint as the Abbot of Willar, who to save a poor womans Longing, kill'd his Ox, and gave the poor Soul almost a quarter of it, which yet was found next morning a [...]ive and whole, Grazing in his Pasture. Or such a patient Saint as Mistresse [Page 5] Clare, who stood stone still from Holy Thursday in the afternoon, till the Saturday night, thinking of just nothing at all; or rather, As ano­ther Sister Saint in Ireland; who putting her hand by chance out of a Window, a Thrush came and laid her Eggs in her Hand, where the good woman stood without moving hand or foot till those Eggs were Hatch'd, and in all likelihood, stir'd not till the pretty Birds were Fledg'd.

Saint Brendan, for seven long years together, celebrated his Easter upon a VVhales back, which he at first mistook for an Island; But find­ing his Error, with a prayer or two he fixed the Sea monster from start­ing, and at last VVhipt and Spur'd him as far as the Earthly Paradize; from whence (as Luck would have it) they both came safe home. But whether afterwards the VVhale lay Lieger all the seven years, or came courteously every Easter to find out St. Brendan, and offer the Service of his back to so holy a purpose (because the Earth could not afford Room enough for such a precious business) we cannot certainly inform you.

VVonderful is the Legend of Fryer Tony of Padua, who finding his Labour lost in perswading Hereticks, went to the Sea-side, and call'd the Fishes together, who suddenly in whole Shoals assembled them­selves; and lifting up their Heads above VVater, Listned most atten­tively to his powerful Preaching, and no doubt turned good Catholiques, As appeared by their silence: VVhich success stirring no sma [...]l Envy in the peevish Hereticks; They inviting the Holy man to Supper, Set before him a great ugly Toad, Urging him with that precept in the Gospel, (VVhatsoever shall be set before you Eat.) But what does he, but makes a Cross over it with his finger, and turns it immediately into a brave fat Capon, piping hot from off the Spit.—And now Reader, if thou hast a stomach to such Miracles as these, fall to and welcome.

Augustine (I mean the Monk not the Venerable B [...]shop of Hippo) by Reading one Mass, raised up two Souls out of Purgatory; one a Laymans, who dyed Excommunicated for not paying his Tyths 150. years before; The other that of the Priest who excommunicated him, but at the Monks Entreaty, the priest who excommunicated him, but at the Monks entreaty, the priest absolved the Lay-man, and away they Marcht to Heaven good Friends.

And now we talk of Excommunication, let me tell you not a few Mi­racles have been done by that trick. The Abbey of Fusniack, was hor­ribly infested with Flies, St. Bernard comes and solemnly Excommuni­cates [Page 6] the saucy Inserts, whereupon next morning these noysome Guests are found all dead on the floor. A white leaf do (but let a Priest repeat the words of Excommunication over, it) shall t [...]rn as black as a Coal. And when Robert Brooks was Excommunicated by St. Thomas Becket, (and thereby become Jumentum Diabelt) the very Dogs refused to take the bones from his hands, and as readily snatcht them away being tendred by others.

A Synoa being assembled at Wilton in England heretofore, to debate the lawfulness of the Clergy's Marrying. The very Crucifix (if it were not some knavish Priest behind it) cryed out, Ye shall never yield that the Clergy shall Marry; And so the bus [...]ness was determined.

Can any of the silly Protestants boast such a Favourite of Heaven as Fryer Benedict; who having it seems a particular kindness for the Pro­phet Daniel, had a Moneths mind to visit his Tomb in Babylon, but be­ing somewhat disheartned with such a tedious [...]ourney, and fear of a Dragon, that he was told had the Custody of it: One day as it hap­pily fell out, comes me a huge terrible Dragon (bigger than that from which St. George rescued his fair S [...]brina) and wrapping him up in the Curls of his long sweeping Tayl, flies away with him to rights to Ba­bylon (was not the poor Saints heart at his mouth think you all this while) And set him down there as gently as if it had been his Mistress, close by the said Tomb; where he viewing the Sacred Corps, made so bold out of his deep Devotion, as to cut of a finger and steal it away for a precious Relique; which done, the friendly Dragon is ready to take him up a pick-pack, and return him sound as a fish to his Cell.

St. Christina dying in her Childhood, was most kindly welcom'd into Heaven; but withal, was offer'd the civility to take her choice, whether she would stay there still in Happiness, or return to Earth again, for her greater Merits, in delivering Parboil'd S [...]uls out of Purgatory Torments. She like a good natured Girle chuses the latter, and down soop she comes again into this Lower World; but not enduring the stench of mens sins, still keeps her residence at some distance aloft, perching on the Tops of the Tallest Trees and highest Pinac [...]es; where she satisfies her Hunger with the Milk of her own Breasts, no matter though she were a Virgin. Dionysius the Carthusians had seen her at it a Sucking of her self a hundred times.

There is indeed a World of like Miracles, whereby the Romish Re­ligi [...]n is Honour'd and Confirm'd. St. Bridget having given (out of Charity you must know) a good piece of Bacon to a fawning Cur, yet found it again after he had eaten it, restored in her Kettle and eat it her [Page 7] self. Another time signing a new born infant with a Cross, she caused the Child to disown its supposed Father, and cry out a loud. The Bishop of Broen is not my Fa­ther, but yonder poor man that fits at the lower end of the Table: Truly I think the Child was almost as Miraculous as the Saint, that he could know his own Father so readily; If the sign of the Cross did retain the same V [...]rtue still, perhaps few of our Women now adayes would care to have it used at their Children Baptisme.

To conclude, who would willingly cross the Alps, though always Perriwig'd with Snow, barefoot in a devout Pilgrimage, to see that holy building of our Ladies Chappel, That (God knows why or when) travelled Miraculously two thousand miles at one Stage, all through the Air, from Palestina to Loretto, or to behold a thou­sand more notable Monuments of both Ancient and Modern Saints, and their Sacred Reliques; As St. Joseph's Breeches (And if you please Lipsius, his that he offered to our Lady too Boot) St. Anns Comb, Judas his Lanthorn, &c. but especially who would not be greedy to view those Immortal Reliques, The Feather of the Angel Gabriel; and the Red Velvet Buckler, still reserved in a Castle in Normandy, which the Arch-Angel Michael made use of when he Combated the Dragon: In all which Monuments, there is not so much Miracle in their Preservation, as in their Super­natural Multiplication, That the same Cross which Simon of Cyrene bore on his back, should now be able to Load a Ship. And whereas John the Baptist, lost but one Head, there are now two to be seen, one at Amyens in France; the other at St. Sil­vesters Abbey in Rome; And these both whole. Besides, a multitude of Parcels and Fragments of it elsewhere.

But of all this we may have a Reason in the Story of the Nails, wherewith our Saviour was fastned to the Cross; at first they were but three in all, and Constantine caused one of them to be put in his Horse Bridle which he used in the Wars; the Se­cond in his Helmet to stick his Plum of Feathers in; The Third he flung into the A­driatique Sea, in a Tempest to Calm the Raging Waves: yet now in Several Churches, you shall see a Do [...]en or Sixteen of those Nails, for which Catholick Doctors give this Reason, That the Nail cast in [...]o the Sea, took upon it the Nature of a Fish and Spawn'd a great many other little Nails, which has produced this multitude. And now I hope your Curiosity is satisfied in the Point.

Further you are to know that all those Holy Reliques, you have their peculiar Miracles, as the Saints above have their peculiar Imployments. For as the Heathen Romans, Erected Temples to the Green Sickness and Ague for want of Wit: So these Catholick Romans for want of Grace, have suited their Canonized Patrons to all occur­rences. Thus on St. Johns day, they implore that Saint for a Blessing for their Wine, St. Stephen looks after their Pastures. St. Mark their Corn, and for Sea-Deities they have made good store to pray to, least some of them should not be at leisure, or otherwise imployed in that vast Element: As St. Andrew, St. Clement, St. Nicholas, &c. So that certainly if the Saints in Heaven do know what is now faigned of them on Earth; and could be capable of Hmuane Affections, in that blessed Region of Im­possibility, they would Blush for shame at such Prodigious Fables, and as Socrates when he read Plato's Dialogues, cry'd out, Quam Multa de me mentitur Adolescens. So surely would they say, How many gross and abominable Lyes, do those Idle Cloysterer's raise of us. But by this Craft we get our Living, cry the Popish D [...]metriusses.

These Stories were all raised to Cheat the Common people, first of their VVits, and then of Money, and creat an esteem for the Priests and Monks, as Instrumental in these Miracles, and having all the Sacred VVonderworking Reliques in their Custody: Whereas indeed notwith­standing all their Brags of Miracles, most true is that Blunt Repartae of [Page 8] Thomas Aquinas, to Innocent the Fourth (whom he found surrounded with vast Heaps of Gold) Loe! Thomas, saith the Pope, The Church cannot now say as of Old, Silver and Gold have I none: No truly, re­plied the surly Doctor. Neither can she say to the Lame man, Arise and walk. Considering the great Dishonour of God and sincere Religion, with the danger poor deluded Souls are drawn into by such Impostures of the Romish Clergy, we hope we may without offence, conclude this Sheet with a Story borrowed from Father Bromiard (a Catholick, and therefore we hope an undeniable Author) which if it should be true, not a few poor Ignorant Lay-papists, that use to Reverence their cheat-Priests as Demy-Deitiyes, will certainly think it a greater Miracle than any we have yet related. And thus it is: A certain Priest returning Home one Night very late from an Harlot, which he kept Abroad (to do, which the Cannons vote less Criminal by far, then to have an honest Wife) hearing a most lamentable Noise of a Ghost not [...]ar [...]rom him; after he had Crost himself once or twice, askt what, or who he wa [...]? The Ghosts answers hIm by asking, VVho art thou that woul [...]st know? I am a Priest quoth the man, fencing still with the Sign of the Cross: A Priest, quoth the Ghost, A Priest, A Priest? which made the Priest en­quire the reason why he redoubled that word with such vehemence. To which the Ghost replied, That there came daily such Swarms of Popish Priests to Hell, that he verily thought there had been None left alive upon Earth.