XXVI. 2.

King James's Apology.

JAMES himself now entered the lists,-and published, Triplici nodo Triplex cuneus, or an Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance, against the two Breves of pope Paulus quintus, and the Letter of cardinal Bellarmine to the archpriest. To this apology several answers were published. The most remarkable were, one, published by the cardinal, and another, by father Parsons.

XXVI. 3.

Cardinal Bellarmine's Reply to King James's Apology.The Cardinal's system of the Temporal Power of the Pope..

THE cardinal was, at this time, the most illustrious champion of the roman-catholic faith; and the ablest, and most judicious, of the defenders of the papal prerogatives. He had been recently engaged in a controversy concerning these, which had called forth all his powers. In consequence of the refusal of the senate of Venice to release two ecclesiastics, who had been thrown into prison, for murder, Paul the fifth laid the whole territory of Venice under an interdict; and continued it in force, for a year. The senate paid no regard to the interdict; ordered all ecclesiastics within their dominions to continue the celebration of the divine mysteries; and the exercise of their other func

tions; and banished the refractory. Through the interference of Henry the fourth, the pope recalled the interdict. The Venetians received the ambassador of the pope, when he announced the recall, with the greatest outward demonstration of respect; but, absolutely refused to make the slightest excuse, or apology; or even to accept of an absolution from the pontiff. During the whole of the contest, Italy was inundated with publications, on each side;— the celebrated Fra. Paolo, led the Venetian, and cardinal Bellarmine, the pontifical array; the former, by his Considerations on the Censures of Paul the fifth against the republic of Venice; by his Treatise on Interdicts, and the Rights of Asylums; the latter, by his Treatise de Romano Pontifice. All the works of Bellarmine are distinguished by their precision, their lucid order, and by the fairness, with which he states the objections, and proposes the answers to his doctrines. In the controversy with the Venetians, the good sense of the cardinal showed him that the time was come, when the lofty language, with which the popes urged their temporal pretensions, would no longer be endured. Rejecting, therefore, the pope's claim of a right to interfere in concerns, merely temporal, and in no wise affecting the cause of religion,-he asserted for him, a right to the use of temporal power, both in temporal and spiritual concerns, provided the good of religion required the exercise of it. Perhaps, the distinction is merely verbal; but his softening the language of the claim revealed its falling fortune. Under the name of Matthias

Tortus, he published Responsio ad Librum Jacobi Regis Magna Britaniæ, de juramento Fidelitatis, Col. 8vo. 1610.

XXVI. 4.

Father Parsons's Reply to the Apology of King James.— Observations on his Character; and on the work, on the succession to the Crown, which he is supposed to have published, under the name of R. Doleman.

FATHER Robert Parsons, the other antagonist of James, was a man of uncommon endowments; and wanted only a larger scene of action, to have had his name enrolled amongst those, who are most renowned in history for political talent. As a writer, it is not going too far to say of him,--that he excelled all his contemporaries. Even at this time, whoever wishes to attain the perfection of the real English style, may usefully give days and nights to the study of the writings of this extraordinary man.

As a spiritual writer, he is chiefly known by his Christian Directory. The editions of this work are numerous. Two, with some alterations, were published by divines of the church of England, for the use of protestants. The works, which particularly relate to the subject of these pages, are,-His Treatise on the three conversions of England, is now become scarce. As an account of the sectaries of the middle ages, and particularly, as a confutation of Fox's Book of Martyrs, the English catholic justly deems it invaluable. As a politician, the extent and accuracy of his knowledge are eminently

displayed, in the works, entitled, A Conference about the next Succession to the Crown of England, under the name of R. Doleman, 8vo. ; and Leicester's Commonwealth, 8vo. Neither of these books were, however, acknowledged by him; and it seems probable, that both cardinal Allen, and sir Francis Englefield, had some concern in the former*. Still, there can be little doubt that father Parsons held the pen. The Conference on the Succession turns upon these positions,—that the claim of succession to any government, by nearness of blood, is not established by the law of nature, or by the divine law, but only by the human, and positive laws of every particular commonwealth; and consequently may, upon just causes, be varied ;that this is clear from history :-that the want of the true religion is a just cause for excluding the heir apparent ;-and that, under all circumstances, the infanta of Spain had the fairest pretensions to succeed queen Elizabeth in the throne of England. Every true whig, must admire Doleman's discussions of the first point ;-every man of learning, and every antiquary, must be pleased with his discussion of the second: The king of Spain could not have rewarded, too munificently, his discussions of the third and fourth.

But the work of father Parsons, to which the subject of the present pages now leads us to advert, is his "Judgment of a catholic Englishman, living in banishment for his religion, written to his pri

* Answer to the Memoirs of Panzani, p. 152.

vate friend in England,-concerning a late book set forth, and intitled, Triplici nodo, Triplex cuneus, or an Apologie for the oath of allegiance against two breves of pope Paul the fifth, to the catholics of England, and a letter of cardinal Bellarmine to Mr. George Blackwell, archpriest,whereby the said oath is showed to be unlawful unto a catholic conscience, for so much as is contained in sundrie causes, repugnant to religion," 8vo. 1608.

This elaborate, elegant, and eloquent, composition assumes*, as unquestionable,-that it is consistent with the integrity, and sincerity, of true, catholic doctrine and faith, to deny, that the pope hath authority, without just cause, to proceed against temporal princes;-and equally consistent with them to deny, that, with just cause, he hath directly, such an authority to proceed against them; but, that it is inconsistent with the integrity and sincerity of true catholic doctrine, and faith, to deny, that, with a just cause, he hath such authority, indirectly.

Assuming this proposition, he proceeds to the discussion of his majesty's apology; and, to do it with greater freedom, professes to believe, that the apology was the composition, not of his majesty, but of some underling writer. The following sections are extracted from it, for the perusal of the reader. He will find, that they contain a noble assertion of the right to liberty of conscience ;-some just remarks on the Gunpowder conspiracy; and an affect

Sect. xxx.