IF peraduenture thou hast not knowne ( good Reader ) the booke which is inscribed , A sober and quiet Reckoning , wherein M. Parsons hath bespotted his Aduersary T. M. with the blacke markes of Falsifications ; I shall now desire thee to take some notice thereof , and to compare it with this Encounter , and then to iudge what interest I may haue in that saying , a a Aug. Qui volens detrahit famae meae , nolens addit mercedi . In the Reuiew of which Reckoning I called to minde a short b b Lib. Verisimil . Theolog. &c. ex Gilb. Cogn . lib. 1. Narrat . History of a man , who farmed a custome and tallage , which was taken at a bridge of all such passengers as were either diseased , or else notoriously deformed : So it was that one , that passed ouer the bridge , who had distortum vultum , was called vpon to pay a peny ; which the passenger refused to pay : The Toller caps the fellow , and with that perceiueth that he had an other disease on his head , called Alopecia , and therefore he demaundeth of the party an other peny ; but the Trauailer resisteth , and struggleth with the Toller , yet being not able to make his part good , is laide along on the ground , where , by some disaduantage , he bewraied an other disease , which he called the Hernia , and thereupon was charged to pay a third peny : there was no remedy , the custome must be paid .

In some like sort shall my Reader ( in the perusall of this Encounter ) finde the matter to fall forth betweene me and M. Parsons , wherein may be obserued , that the more he contendeth and struggleth , the more he intangleth himselfe , and bewrayeth his owne diuers kindes of defaults . As first , to inueigh against me , as a passionate and intemperate man , whome his owne c c M. Brereley , and his fellow in their booke called , The Protestants Apology , &c. the second Edition Praefa . to the Reader . pag. 10. Apologists haue held to be a man not intemperate : and for him to giue that censure , whome his owne d d Quodlib . pag. 236. fellow noted to be a man of a very violent and vnquiet spirit ; and who himselfe , confesseth as it were his own intemperancy , by wishing that in his Mitigation he e e Reck pag. 669 had not vsed such asperity of speeches against me . This sheweth that he had some cause to betake himselfe to a more sober and quiet Reckoning : wherein , notwithstanding , he dealeth so violently with me , ( as my Reader will easily perceiue ) that he often falsifieth the Title of his booke , not only by heaping vp more grieuous Acerbities , then formerly he had done , but also by setting against me Gretzerus to plow vpon my backe , who is a stranger and a Iesuit , and so profuse and professed a railer , that f f Cùm vnum tantùm exemplum tuae defensionis ( he speaketh vnto Gretzer ) in Frisiam allatum esset , hocipsum propter nefandam maledicentiam non inueniret emptorem . Lubbertus Replic . lib. 1. cap. 1. whereas but one of his bookes was to be sould in West-Friesland , no man would buy it , because of the horrible slanders and railings which are therein . In all which kinde of raging tempests , I haue learned to cast this Anchor ; Non qui patitur , sed qui facit iniuriam , miser est : And so I leaue this default of M. Parsons to receiue that name , which our Reader shall thinke to be most properly agreeable therevnto .

In further examining of him hee bewrayed an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both by absurdities in Syllogizing ; as concluding of Are , in steade of Make ; and being earnestly charged therewith , hath not yeelded so much as one of his bare-faced groates for discharge ; And also by certaine Grammatical quiddites , whilest as he maketh Verè , being ioyned with Celsus ( as it signifieth a proper name ) to be no true Latine ; and the translating of Praesidium , Praeseruation , and not Defence , to be false English ; and diuers other the like crotchets hath be inforced in this his new Reckoning .

Thirdly , there appeared a far greater fault , euen that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby he chargeth me with no lesse then fifty wilfull falshoods ; as though he had learned of the Steward in the Gospell to g g Luc. 16. v. 6. Sit downe and write fiftie , whom for that cause his Lord termed wise , but yet vniust , vniust to his Master , and wise for himselfe . Such vniust wisedome haue I found to abound in M. Parsons , who both in his booke of Mitigation , and in his new Reckoning obiecteth wilfull falshoods so vnconscionably , that he himselfe ( as is proued in this h h The marginall notes will point almost at euery one . Encounter ) is intangled in farre more then fiftie witting ( except some had rather I should say witlesse ) vntruths .

Of this kinde of dealing I haue more cause to complaine perhaps , then some others , because I finde strange measures offered vnto me by my Aduersaries . For M. Parsons his bent to traduce me hath beene such , as sometime to condemne me for omitting wordes , which were by me expresly set downe ; being in one place so violently transported with passiont , as to lay to my charge the word Fortasse , for not translating it , perhaps , although in the very same place I translated and englished it twise , Peraduenture ; which he could not but see , because once in the same place he repeated it accordingly : But it seemeth that in leuelling at me , as at his marke , he was onely left-eyed .

Also ( which is a profound step of malignity ) he diuers times obiecteth for wilfull falsities the Omissions of such clauses , which , if they had beene alleadged to the full , might haue made much more for the aduantage of my cause . This was no more honest dealing then was that of the wife of Putiphar against Ioseph ; He , for fear to bedrawnby her pulling him by the cloak to her vnchaste bedde , hastened away , and left his Cloake , a pledge and token of his chastitie : she , vpon his flight , cryeth out , and complaineth that he came to abuse her , and for proofe she saith , i i Gen. 9. Beholde his garment ; turning the same Cloake contrarily into an argument of his villany , and a Cloake of her owne dishonesty .

Againe , whereas vpon the finding out of mine owne Escapes , I gaue my Reader Aduertisments therof in the end of my books , and added Corrections thereunto ; there my k k The Romish Apologists in their second Edition of their Protestants Apology , concerning the testimony of Delrius And their Moderate Answerer in his late patterne of a Protestant , about the legitimation of Q. Mary and Q. Elizabeth . Aduersaries ( yet I cannot accuse M. Parsons of this guilt ) being directed to my errour by mine owne Aduertisement , doe forthwith vpbraid mee with it , neuer giuing any notice that it hath beene corrected . So dealt the enemies of Sampson , who first plowed with his owne Heifer , then ( which is spoken of the same men ) l l Iud. 10. 20. The Philistimes are vpon thee Sampson . I pray God that they fall not vpon the imprecation , which was extended vnto the imprecation , which was extended vnto the enemies of Dauid , who not regarding his repentaence for his fault , and the amendment of his life , did point onely at his escape , saying , So , so would we haue it .

But yet M. Parsons is in another point no lesse inexcuseble , whilst ( which is his common guise ) when foure or sixe , and sometimes nine testimonies of his owne Authours are obiected against him , for matter of a point in Controuersie , he singleth out some one allegation , wherin he laboureth by art to make at least some shew and colour of misprision , and then dismisseth all the other witnesses as dumbe men , and passeth ouer the whole cause it selfe without mention at all ; and so diuers times Altercando res non dirimitur , sed perimitur . Can this be a tollerable manner of proceeding , in the disquisition of any truth ? This is not all , but ( especially of late times ) when our Aduersaries are muzzelled , as it were with the confessions of their owne Doctors , obiected for the iustification of our cause , they ( as the AEgyptian Dogges are said to lappe here and there of the riuer Nilus , and runne their way ) doe catch and snatch onely at peeces , and carpe at some allegations , crying out ( although neuer so falsly ) against Falshood , and then beholde The Booke , forsooth , is answered . In all these proceedings they are , I confesse , in their generation , wise , but still vniust Aduersaries : And all uniust wisedome ( we know ) is before God iust nothing else , but miserable and damnable folly .

Fourthly and lastly , by much wrastling we haue discouered two other euils , the one is an Hernia , euen the disposition of disloyaltie in very extraordinary maner brusting out , and betraying diuerswhere euident Symptomes thereof : And the other is his Mentall Equiuocation , which we may call Alopecia ; the rather because M. Parsons himselfe doth take an argument , for iustification of it , from the Foxe , which , by instinct of nature , can turne and skip forward and backward , to secure himselfe . Vpon which occasion I haue in one place intreated my Reader to accompany me in the Hunting of this Foxe .

Howbeit , thou maiest not imagine ( good Reader ) that this whole Encounter is spent in vying and reuying of imputed falsehoods , or in our wrastlings together , and laying one the other in the dust : but here are inserted many other points of better consequence ; as first , An answere to their challenge , for 〈◊〉 some Romanists to be 〈◊〉 which is performed by examples in their chiefest Writers , by the confessions and complaints of their owne men ; together with an acknowledgment of their art in corrupting of bookes . Secondly , an answere to the slaunders which Cardinall Bellarmine fasteneth vpon Protestants , by imputing sundry Heresies vnto them . Thirdly , an answere to a Challenge made by Mr. Parsons , concerning the Romish abuses of the testimonies of Fathers , for proofe of Purgatory , and that by the confession of their owne Writers ; which is amply discharged , both against the allegations of Bellarmine , and of Iodocus Coccius . Fourthly , an answere to a late Pamphlet , intituled A patterne of a Protestant ; wherein the Authour maketh himselfe the Patterne of an arrogant , ignorant , intemperate , and vnconscionable man . Fiftly , there are diuers large Tracts , in confutation of Mentall Equiuocation ; especially in the answere to his Appendix , wherein there is displayed the egregious forgery of an Equiuocation , in that memorable Yorke-shire case ; together with a freeing of the holy Scriptures , the Oracles of truth , from that prophanation , which he draweth vpon them , by pretending that they patronize this blacke art . Sixtly , and lastly ( to omit many other important coincidents ) their doctrine of Rebellion is handled ; In consutation whereof ( for this was the cause of all their malignancy against me ) I was contented to be condemned for a most false accuser of them , vpon condition that they by the euents would not iustifie their former Assertions . But alas , still they set their Practizes as seales to their Positions .

Yet as when Bees beginne to cast , men vse to throw vp dust in the aire , to hinder their sight , least they should flie from their homes , and set in some other place , so deale our Aduersaries ; for whensoeuer by any not orious practise they become so obnoxious , as to cause their people to suspect their doctrin , and to incl . ne to our Profession : then , for staying of their departure , they in policy cast abroad in the ayre some forged Reports of some strange Miracles wrought in the honour of their cause ; thus the fame of Garncts Straw was 〈◊〉 to alley the smoak of the Powder-treason ; and late the noyse of Diuels ( 〈◊〉 it is said ) carrying English Ministers away in a Coach , hath been raised to hinder the last sbrill sound of that Royall blood .