Shewing that the Indians wealth under a pretence of their Conversion hath corrupted the hearts of poor begging Fryers, with strife, hatred and ambition.
It is a most true and certain saying, Odia Religionum sunt acerbissima, hatred grounded in points and differences of Religion (let me adde, if ambition blow the fire to that hatred) is the most bitter and uncapable of reconciliation. Nay, it is an observation worth noting of some (see Doctor Day upon the I Cor. 16. 9. Verse) that the neerer any are unto a conjunction in matters of Religion, and yet some difference retained, the deeper is the hatred; As hee observes, a Jew hates a Christian farre worse then hee doth a Pagan, or a Turke; a Papist hates a Protestant worse then hee doth a Jew, and a Formalist hates a Puritan worse then hee doth a Papist. No such hatred under heaven (saith hee) as that between a Formalist, and a Puritan, whereof our now Domestick and Civill Warres may bee a sad and woefull experience. A truth which made Paul burst out into a lamentable complaint, I Cor. 16. 9. saying, A great doore and effectuall is opened unto mee, and there are many adversaries.
And as when the doore of true Faith once is opened, then Adversaries begin to swarme and rage; so in all points of false and fained Religion where the entrance to it is laid open, hatred and enmity will act their parts. But much more if with such pretended Religion, Wealth and Ambition as counterfeit Mates thrust hard to enter at the opened doore, what strife, hatred, and envy doe they kindle even in the hearts of such who have vowed poverty and the contempt of worldly wealth? I may adde to what hath beene observed above, that no hatred is comparable to that which is betweene a Jesuite and a Fryer, or any other of Romes Religious Orders; And above all yet betweene a Jesuite, and a Dominican. The ambition and pride of Jesuites is inconsistent in a Kingdome or Common-wealth with any such as may bee equall to them in Preaching, Counsell or Learning. Therefore strive they so much for the education of Gentlemens Children in their Colledges, that by teaching the sonnes, the love of the fathers and mothers may bee more easily gained: and their love and good will thus gained, they may withall gaine to themselves whatsoever praise, honour, glory may bee fit to bee bestowed upon any other Ecclesiasticall Person. Which Policy and Ambition in them being so patent and knowne to all the World, hath stirred up in all other Religions a hatred to them uncapable ever of Reconciliation. This hath made them all to conspire against them, and to discover their unsatisfied covetousnesse in beguiling the rich widowes of what meanes hath beene left them by their deceased husbands, to erect and build those stately Colledges beyond the Seas, the sight whereof both outward and inward doth draw the ignorant people to resort more to their Churches and preaching then to any other. Thus whilest in Venice, they got the favour of one of the chief Senatours of that Common-wealth, they politickly drew him to make his will according to their will and pleasure, leaving to his son and heire no more then what they should think fit to afford him. But they appropriating to themselves the chiefest part of the young heires meanes, and with so proud a legacy thinking to overpower all other Orders, were by them opposed so, that the Will was called for by the whole State and Senatours of Venice, fully examined, and they commanded to restore to the heire the whole Estate as enjoyed by his Father. Well did that wise Senate conceive, that as one Noble man had been cheated by them of his fortunes, so might they one by one, and so at length the riches of Venice might become a treasure onely for Jesuites to maintaine the pride and pompe of their glorious fabricks. And though those vowed servants to the Pope obtained his Excommunication against the whole Estate of Venice upon non-complying with the foresaid Will and Testament; yet such was the preaching of all other Preists and Orders against them, that they caused the State to slight the Excommunication, and in lieu of making them heires of the deceased Senatours Estate, they shamefully banished them out of Venice. Thus also have the Preists and Fryers of Biscaya in Spain prevailed against the admitting of Jesuits into San-Sebastian, though by the favour of some they have in severall occasions obtained an house and erected a Bell to ring and summon in the People to their pretended Church and Colledge. Nay the very house wherein their Patron Ignatius Loiola lived, have they often seriously offered to buy for a Colledge; yet such hath been the opposition of the Preists and Fryers of that Countrey, that they have dashed to nought their often iterated endeavours to purchase that which they esteem their chiefest Relique. But to come neerer to our owne Countrey, what a combustion did this strife betweene Jesuites and other Preists of England cause among our Papists ten yeares agoe, when the Pope sending into England Doctor Smith pretended Bishop of Chalcedon to bee the Metropolitan head over all the Clergy and other Orders, how then was it to see the pride of the Jesuites as inconsistent with any one that might oversway them, or gain more credit then themselves? who never left persecuting the Bishop, till by the Popes Letters they had banished him out of England. Which curtesie, the secular Preists gaining yet a head over them with title of Archdeacon, Doctor Champney, have ever since sought to repay home, by endeavouring alwayes to cast them out of England, as pernicious to the State of this Kingdome, more then Fryers or any other sort of Preists; Which they have sufficiently made known by discovering their covetousnesse in encroaching upon many Houses and Farmes, enriching themselves, as namely at Winifreds Well (so tearmed by them) where they had bought an Inne; and speedily fell to building there that they might make it a Colledge for Jesuites to entertaine there all Papists comers and goers to that Well, and so might win to themselves the hearts of most of the Papists of the Land, who doe yearly resort thither to bee washed and healed upon any light occasion either of Head-ach, Stomack-ach, Ague, want of children, where they blindly phansie a speedy remedy for all maladies, or wants of this World. Thus have the Preists discovered further our English Jesuites covetousnesse in the building of the Sope-houses at Lambeth under the name of Mr. George Gage their purse-bearer, and since projecting the Monopoly of Sope under Sir Richard Weston, Sir Basil Brooke, and many others names, who were but Agents and Traders with the Jesuites rich and mighty Stocke. Thus came out the discovery of the Levelling of Hils and Mountaines, cutting of rocks at Leige in the Low Countryes at the Colledge of the English Jesuites, a worke for Gardens and Orchards for their Novices recreation and pastime, which (as I have heard from their owne mouthes) cost them thirty thousand pound, which gift they squeezed out of one onely Countesse of this Land. Like to this may prove their Colledge at Gaunt, for which they have obtained already a faire beginning of eight thousand pounds from the Old Countesse of Shrewsberry, and from the greatest part of the Estate of Mr. Sackefield, whom whilst they had him in their Colledges, they cherished with their best dainties, and with hopes that one day hee should bee a Canonized Saint of their Religious Order. All these knaveries doe even those Preists of the same Popish Religion discover of them, and thereby endeavor to make them odious. And though of all, the Jesuites be the most covetous, yet may I not excuse the Secular Preists, Benedictine Monks, and the Fryers from this damnable sinne; who also strive for wealth and meanes for their Doway, Paris and Lisboe Colledges, and lose no opportunities at the death of their Popish favourites for the obtaining a Legacy of one or two hundred Pounds, assuring them their soules shall bee the better for their Masses. Thus doe those miserable wretches in the very heat of their zeale of soules seeke to suppresse one another, and having vowed Poverty, yet make they the Conversion of England the onely object of their Ambition and unsatiable Covetousnesse. But above all is this envy and hatred found between Dominicans and Jesuites, for these owe unto them an old grudge, for that when Ignatius Loiola lived, his Doctrine de Trinitate (which hee pretended was revealed to him from heaven, for hee was certainely past the Age of studying at his Conversion) was questioned by the Dominicans, and hee by a Church Censure publickly and shamefully whipped about their Cloisters for his erroneous principles. This affront done to their chief Patron hath stirred up in them an unreconciliable hatred towards the Order of the Dominicans, and hath made them even cracke their braines to oppose Thomas Aquinas his Doctrine. How shamefully doe those two Orders indeavour the destruction of each other, branding one another with calumnies of heresie in the Opinions especially de Conceptione Mariæ, de libero arbitrio, de Auxiliis? And of the two, the Jesuites is more bold and obstinate in malice and hatred. How did they some twenty yeares agoe, all Spaine over, about the Conception of Mary stirre up the people against the Dominicans, in so much that they were in the very streets tearmed Hereticks, stones cast at them, the King almost perswaded to banish them out of all his Dominions, and they poore Fryers forced to stand upon their Guard in their Cloisters in many Cities, especially in Sevill, Osuna, Antiquera and Cordova, to defend themselves from the rude and furious multitude. Much like this was that publike Conference and disputation betweene Valentia the Jesuite and Master Lemos the Dominican, before the Pope, concerning their altercation de Auxiliis; When the cunning Jesuite hoping to brand with heresie the whole Order of Dominicans, had caused Augustines Workes to bee falsly printed at Lions, with such words which might directly oppose the Thomists Opinion; and had prevailed, had not Lemos begged of the Pope that the Originall Bookes of Augustin might bee brought out of his Vatican Library, where was found the quite contrary words, to what the false Jesuite had caused to be printed; hee was forced to confesse his knavery, was harshly reprehended, and with the apprehension of that great affront, the next night gave up his ghost to his father, the father of lies and falshood.
An other reason of this mortall enmity between these two Orders, is for that the Jesuites surpasse all others in ambition or honour, credit, and estimation, whence it is they cannot indure to behold the Dominicans to exceed them in any preferment. Now it is that by the Laws of Arragon and the Kingdome of Valencia, the Kings of Spain are tied to have a Dominican Fryer for their Confessor or ghostly father; which could but the Jesuites obtain, how would they then rule and govern Spain and the Kings heart? But though they could never yet prevail to alter this established law, yet have they prevailed now lately so that Antonio de Sotomayor the King of Spains Confessor should lie at rest in the Court of Madrid, with a pension and dry title only; and that Florencia that grand Statist should be Confessor to the Count of Olivares, the Royall Issue, the Queen, and should hear the Kings confessions oftner then his chosen and elected Confessor Sotomayor. Secondly, the Dominicans as first Authors of the Inquisition (which they prove from their Martyr Peter of Verona) still enjoy the highest places of that Court, which is a wofull sight to the Jesuites to see their Religion affaires handled, their Church kept pure from what they call heresy by any but themselves. O had they (as they have often strived for it) in their hands the judicature of that tribunall, how should all Dominicans, nay all sorts of Preists but their own, presently by them be branded with heresy? Thirdly, in Rome there is an other preferment successively due to Dominicans, from the time of Dominicus de Guzman founder of that Religion, to wit, to be magister Sacri Palatii, the Popes Palace master, instituted to this purpose that about him there may be some learned Divine (for commonly the Popes are more Statists, and Canonists, then Divines) to read a daily lecture of Divinity to such as will be instructed therein, and to resolve the Pope himselfe of whatsoever difficult points in Divinity may be questioned. This is the Dominicans due with a pension to maintain Coach and servants within the Palace of St. Peter. Which the Jesuites have often by favour and cunning Jesuiticall trickes endeavoured to bereave the Dominicans of; but proving labour in vain, they continue still in their unplacable enmity and hatred against them. And thus you see the fountaines of their strife; which as here in Europe hath been well seen, so hath this contentious fire overpowered the fire of their zeal of soules in the East and West-India's; and the wealth and riches of those Countries, the ambition of honor in their Gospel function hath more powerfully drawn them thither, then (what they pretend) the Conversion of a barbarous and idolatrous nation. This was well published to the view of the whole world by a most infamous libel which in the year 1626 fryer Diego di Colliado a missionary Fryer in Philippinas and Japan set out of the unheard of passages and proceedings of the Jesuites in those Eastern parts. At that time the Jesuites pretended that mission to themselves only, and petitioned the King of Spain, that only they might go thither to preach, having been the first plantation of Franciscus Xavier, and since continued successively by their Preists. To this purpose they remembred the King of the great charges he was at in sending so many Fryers and maintaining them there; all which should be saved, might they only have free ingresse into those Kingdomes. All which charges they offered themselves to beare, and further to bring up the Indians in the true faith, to instruct them and civilize them, to teach them all liberall sciences, and to perfect them in musick and all musicall instruments, and in fencing, dancing, vaulting, painting and whatsoever els might make them a compleat, and civill people. But against all this was objected by Diego Colliado, that not zeal only and charity moved them to this offer, but their ambition and covetousnesse, which would soon be seen in their encroaching upon the silly and simple Indians wealth, bringing instances of many thousand pounds which they had squeezed from the poore Barbarians in the Islands of Philippinas; And that their entring into Japan was more to enrich themselves, then to convert the Japonians to Christianisme; that whensoever they entred into that Kingdome they conveyed from Manila whole ships laden with the richest commodities of those Islands; that their trading was beyond all other Merchants trading, their Bench for exchange mony farre more accustomed then any other whither for China, for Japan, for Peru and Mexico; and that the Viceroy himselfe made use of none other, but theirs. That to keep out all other orders out of Japan, they had ingratiated themselves so farre, under pretence of trading, into the Emperours favour by gifts of Watches, Clocks, Dials, Lockes, and Cabinets, and such like presents of most curious and artificiall Workmanship, that they had got free accesse to his Court, and counselled him to beware of Fryers, which cunningly crept into his Kingdome to preach a new law, perswading him by rigorous search and enquiries to root them out: thus politickly for their own ends hindering the increase of Christianisme by any means or instruments save themselves; and blinding the Emperors eyes with their cunning insinuations, that he might not see in them, what they desired he might discover in others, that they might appear in sheep skins, and others clothed with wolves skins; and so the Fryers might have little heart to trade, but enough to doe to save themselves from the stormy persecution, whilst they freely might enjoy the liberty of rich trading. This brand upon these cunning foxes was commanded to be printed, thankes given to Diego Colliado for discovering to the Estate their crafty proceedings, with not a few tenents maintained by them in Japan even against their owne Soveraigne; a fat Bishoprick was offered to the Fryer, which he refusing, commission was given unto him for the raising of forty Fryers out of Spain, and the conducting of them to the Islands of Philippinas, and that it should be free for all Preists and Fryers, as well as Jesuites, to passe to those parts for the preaching of Christ and the extending of Christianisme among the Heathens and Barbarians. O that this my discovery made to England of those dissembling and false Preists, would make us wise to know and discover under the ashes of their pretended Religion, the fire of strife and contention which they kindle in Kingdomes, and to rake up that covetousnesse, which we may easily find in them; tending to the ruine of many fair estates, and to the temporall and spirituall danger of this our flourishing Kingdome!
[CHAP. III.]
Shewing the manner of the Missions of Fryers and Jesuites to the India's.
All the Kingdomes of America, that have been conquered by the Kings of Spain, are divided as into severall temporall governments, so into severall spirituall jurisdictions, under the name of Provinces, belonging unto severall religious Orders, and their Provincials. These though so farre distant from Europe, yet live with a dependency and subordination unto the Court of Rome, and are bound to send thither a strict account and relation of what most remarkable passages and successes happen there, as also what want of Preachers there is in every severall Province. Which is to be performed in this manner. Every religious Order (except the Jesuites and Dominicans, whose Generall continueth till death, unlesse a Cardinals cap be bestowed upon him) maketh election of one of the same order to be the head Ruler, or (as they call him) Generall over all those of the same profession every sixth year. The subjects unto this Generall which are dispersed in Italy, Germany, Flanders, France, Spain, East and West-India's are divided into sundry Provinces, as in Spain there is one Province of Andaluzia, another of Castilia nueva, new Castile, another of Castilia vieja, old Castile, another of Valencia, another of Arragon, of Murcia, of Catalonia; So likewise in America there is the Province of Mexico, of Mechoacan, of Guaxaca, of Chiapa and Guatemala, of Comayagua, Nicaragua and the like. Every Province of these hath a head named the Provinciall, chosen by the chief of the Province every three years; which election is called a Provinciall Chapter, and the former a Generall Chapter, which also is allotted to be in some chief City, commonly in Italy, France, or Spain. When the Provinciall Chapter is kept, then by the consent of all that meet in it is there one named by name of Procurator or Diffinitor, who is to goe in the name of the whole Province to the next election of the Generall, and there to demand such things as his Province shall think fit, and to give an account of the State of the Province from whence he is sent. Thus from the West-India's are sent Procurators, who commonly are the best prizes the Holland Ships meet with, for that they carry with them great wealth, and gifts to the Generalls, to the Popes and Cardinals and Nobles in Spain, as bribes to facilitate whatsoever just or unjust, right or wrong they are to demand. Among other businesses their charge is this, to make known the great want of laborers in the aboundant and plentifull harvest of the India's (though not all Provinces demand Preachers from Spain, as I will shew hereafter) and to desire a number of thirty or forty young Preists, who may be fit for any Indian language and to succeed the old standers.
The Order of the Province being read to the Generall, or his Generall Chapter, then are Letters Patents granted unto this Procurator from the Generall, naming him his Vicar Generall for such a Province, and declaring his sufficiency and worthy parts, (though none at all in him, as I have beene witnesse of some) the great paines hee hath taken in the new planted Indian Church, and how fit hee hath been judged to convey to those parts, a Million of such as shall voluntarily offer themselves for the propagation of Christianity amongst those Barbarians. Then the tauny Indian Fryer being well set out with high Commendations, and fairly painted with flattering Elogies, presents these his Patents (and with them peradventure a little wedge of Gold, a Box of Pearles, some Rubies or Diamonds, a Chest of Cochinill, or Sugar, with some boxes of curious Chocolatte, or some feather works of Mechoacan, some small fruits of his great paines and labour) to the Pope; who for his first reward gives him his Toe and Pantofle to kisse, seconding this honour with a joyfull countenance to behold an Apostle, judging him worthy of the best of the Indian wealth, and his soule peradventure fit for the title of a Saint; This complacency in the gift and the giver, breeds immediately a motus proprius in his Holinesse to grant a Bull with a degree of the Popes Commissary, wherein this poore Mendicant Fryer is inabled to runne over all the Cloisters of his Profession in Spain, to gather up his thirty or forty yong Preachers. Who for their better encouragement are at their first listing by the Popes Authority absolved à culpa et à poena, from all sinne, and from their Purgatory and Hell due unto it, by a plenary Indulgence. And whosoever shall oppose, or any way discourage this Popes Commissary, or those that are or would be listed by him, are ipso facto excommunicated with an Anathem reserved only to this Commissary or his Holiness himself. O what is it to see, when such a Commissaries coming is knowen, how the young birds, that as in Cages are shut up within the walls of a Cloister, leap and cherish themselves with hopes of liberty? What is it to see disordered Fryers, who for their misdemeanours, and leaping over their Cloister wals in the night to find out their wanton harlots, have been imprisoned, now rejoyce at the coming of a Popes Commissary, and Plenary Indulgence, freeing them from sinnes past, and fitting them for the Conversion of souls, though there be not one averted from their Harlot, nor as yet truly and unfainedly converted to the love of God? True it is, I have knowne some that have written their names in the list of Indian Missionaries, men of sober life and Conversation, moved onely with a blind zeale of encreasing the Popish Religion: yet I dare say and confidently print this truth without wronging the Church of Rome, that of thirty or forty which in such occasions are commonly transported to the India's, the three parts of them are Fryers of leud lives, weary of their retired Cloister lives, who have beene punished often by their Superiours for their wilfull back-sliding from that obedience which they formerly vowed; or for the breach of their poverty in closely retaining money by them to Card and Dice, of which sort I could here namely insert a long and tedious Catalogue; or lastly such, who have been imprisoned for violating their vow of chastity with leud and lascivious women, either by secret flight from their Cloisters, or by publike Apostatizing from their Order, and cloathing themselves in Lay-mens Apparell, to run about the safer with their wicked Concubines. Of which sort it was my chance to bee acquainted with one Fryer John Navarro a Franciscan in the City of Guatemala, who after hee had in secular apparell enjoyed the leud company of one Amaryllis a famous Woman player in Spain for the space of a year, fearing at last hee might bee discovered, listed himselfe in a Million to Guatemala, the year 1632, there hoping to enjoy with more liberty and lesse feare of punishment any lustfull or carnfull object. Liberty, in a word, under the Cloak of Piety and Conversion of Soules, it is, that drawes so many Fryers (and commonly the younger sort) to those remote American parts; where after they have learned some Indian language, they are licenced with a Parish Charge to live alone out of the sight of a watching Prior or Superiour, out of the bounds and compasse of Cloister walls, and authorized to keep house by themselves, and to finger as many Spanish Patacones, as their wits device shall teach them to squeeze out of the newly Converted Indians wealth. This liberty they could never injoy in Spain, and this liberty is the Midwife of so many foule falls of wicked Fryers in those parts. For the present onely, I shall return again to my Fryer John Navarro, who at his comming to Guatemala, being made for his wit and learning, Master and Reader of Divinity, and much esteemed of for his acute Preaching, among many others got the estimation and love of a chief Gentlewoman, (Qua semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem, testa diu) who continued in Navarro his heart the former sent of the unchast love of Amaryllis, so far that the Fryer being blinded and wounded with Cupids Arrow sticking in his heart, ran headlong to quench his lustfull thirst upon St. James his day, 1635. for bitter memory of the Tragical event (being the Spaniards common Advocate, and speciall Patron of that City, named St. Jago de Guatemala) where cruell Mars oppressing Venus in her wanton Acts, the injured husband acting Mars, & finding Navarro Cupids page saluting his Venus upon her bed, drew his sword, cutting the Fryer first in the head and face, who strugling with death, and purchasing his life with a swift and nimble flight to a Garden, where his own brother a Fryer of the same Order, & Pander to that foul act, entertained the Motherlesse children; for the husband having missed his fatall blow (willingly as some imagined, or unwillingly as others judged) in the Fryers heart, wilfully laid it in the throat of his unchast Wife, scarce leaving way for breath to make a speedy Confession of her sinne to Navarro his Brother; who tendring her soule as much as his Brother had tendred her body absolved her from her sinne, finding signes, though no uttering speech of Repentance, while the murderer fled, and the murdered lay in the doore of her house for a sad object to all, that immediately flocked thither to see that bloody Tragedy. The Wife being the same day buried, the Husband being retired to a close Sanctuary, Navarro was carried to his Convent to bee cured; and after his Cure was banished that Country; whom two yeares after it was my chance to meet in Cartagena returning to Spain with his scard face, bearing the marke of his lascivious life, and of that liberty which hee had injoyed in America. Such are the fruits of the zeale of those wretches, who upbraid our Church and Ministers for want of zeale to labour in the Conversion of Infidels. Who when they arrive to those parts, are entertained with ringing of Bells, with sounding of Trumpets most part of the way as they travaile, and as Apostles are received by the Indians, though soon like Judas they fall from their calling, and for pleasure and covetousnesse sell away Christ from their Soules. England may here learn to beware of such Converters, who are daily by name of Missionaries sent hither by the Pope to preach among us Popery; but like Navarro come to feed and cherish their wanton lusts, as I could give many instances, might I not be censured for long digressions in mingling English Histories with my American Travailes.