MAISTER Thomas Morton vpon the yeare 1606. tooke vpon him to write a malicious Dis●o●erie against Catholicks , and their doctrine about Rebellion presently vpon the powder-treason : and the Pamphlet was soone after confuted and returned vpon himselfe by the Moderate Answerer : he replyed with a discourse intituled , A full Satisfaction : adding therunto another Treatise against Equiuocation . To this opposed himselfe P. R. Author of the Treatise tending to Mitigation : and handled in the same both the one and other subiect , charging him further with many foule faultes of witting falsehood ; wherunto M. Morton hath exhibited now lastly a large new Preamble , with promise of another booke to follow in time , that is to say , he hath presented a great head without a body ; and this with no small signes of extraordinary impatience .

For pacifying wherof P. R. hath taken the paines to reuiew o●●er againe the accompts , and findeth him farre more faultie then before . For that in lieu of clearing old debts , he contracteth new , and in excusing former falsities , he multiplieth many other . So as now ,

THE first conteyneth the Answere to M. Morton his first Inquiry , about the Wit , Learning , Memorie &c. of his Aduersary P.R.

2 The second answereth the second Inquiry , about some points touching the subiect of Rebellion and Equiuocation .

3 The third handleth a part of the third Inquiry about many falsities obiected by M. Morton against Cardinall Bellarmine .

4 The fourth discusseth like imputations of falsities obiected by him against his Aduersary P. R.

5 The fift examineth how substantially M. Morton endeauoureth to ●●●are himselfe from many wilfull vntruthes , obiected against him by P.R.

6 The sixt layeth forth a great number of vntruthes , obiected to M. Morton , which he pretermitteth without answere or mention .

7 The seauenth , wherin are handled diuers other sorts of voluntary omissions of M. Morton , aswell in defending himself , as the credit of his Clients commended vnto him ; and namely of Syr Edward Cooke , now Lord Chiefe Iustice .

8 The eight treateth diuers seuerall points with the sayd Syr Edward Cooke , about two new Prefaces of his lately set forth in print .

9 The ninth , returning to M. Morton againe , layeth togeather another choice number of new falsities and falshoods made in excuse of the old .

10 The tenth and last handleth twelue new Challenges made by M. Morton , after the Victory lost .

There is added for an Appendix in the end , a Case of Equiuocation newly written from England to be resolued , about the false Oath of two Ministers : Wherin there is mention also made of D. Kings Sermon at the Court , vpon the fi●th of Nouember 1608.

MVCH more then one yeare is not yet past ( learned Country-men ) since I presented vnto you a Treatise , intituled of Mitigation , in answere of an other most bitterly written by M. Thomas Morton Mini●●er , about Rebellion & Equiuocation . In which Treatise of myne , besydes the two said poynts of principall argument handled at large ( especially the later , as more capable of varietie in the Treatise therof ) a great multitude of falsities were layd open , as vttered by M. Morton ; and those so frequent , grosse , and palpable , as they must needes be thought to haue beene both willfull and witting : the censure wherof notwithstanding , I was content to remitt vnto yow , as presuming more of the integrity of your iudgments in poynts of learning , and matter of fact , then distrusting the sequele of your vnequall , affections , by reason of our difference in religion .

2. This Treatise M. Morton perusing & fynding himselfe , as it seemeth , not a litle strayned therein , was carried therby into so great & exorbitant a streame of passion , as neyther he could stay himsel●e from answering somewhat out of hand ( therby to preuent the Readers preiudice , as himselfe confesseth ) nor yet daring to ioyne yssue vpon my booke and argument therof as it lay ; In his Epistle dedicatory . did after a strange new fashion● deuise to set forth a Preamble ( for some present remedy ) accompanied with a promise of a larger booke , & Reioynder to ensue afterwards . And I do call this a strange deuise , not only , for that I haue not seene the same often practized by any writer lightly , except Syr Edward Cooke ( who perhaps by this mans imitation hath answered of late with a Preface of lesse then foure leaues in quarto , La preface de la sixiesme pa●t des Reports . his Aduersaries booke of more then two hundred against him : ) but also for that in this Preamble , which inlargeth it selfe to aboue two hundred & twentie pages , there is not the tenth part bestowed vpon the two chiefe Questions of Rebellion , & Equiuocation , but rather vpon other matters & subiects framed by himselfe of n●w , whe●of th● most may ius●ly be de●med wholy impertinent .

3. As for example , to p●●termitt his two ●pistles , the one to my L. of Salis●urie , the ot●er to my selfe ( wherof I may chance to haue occasion to speake more in my next ensuing Epistle to him ) he d●uideth this whole Preamble into three seuerall parts , Preamb. pag. 2. which he termeth Inquiries . I do deuide ( saith he ) this Preamble into three Inquiries : M. Mort. diuision of his worke The first is , what sufficiency & excellency there is in P. R. to make so great an insultation : the second , whether he may be thought a sufficient Proctor in this case or no : the third , whether he hath sufficiently performed his taske , eyther for the defence of his cause , or iustification of his conscience ; with a Challenge against him for them both .

4. This is the diuision of his Worke , wherby I doubt not , but you will discouer also the vani●ie , though I should say nothing therof . For ●hat he being pressed with a Worke of such ●eight , as the argument of my former booke did import , & vrged therin , not only with an ouerthrow of his whole cause , but charged furthermore with a monstrous number of playne wilfull vntruthes , not possible , as they seemed , to be answered , or excused ; the iudicious Reader will easily consider , whether this were a tyme to tryfle as he doth , making himselfe an Inquisitour ( without commission ) & to ●rame his first Inqui●y of the sufficiency & excellency of his Aduersarie , and to spend eyght whole Paragraphes , as he doth , therin : Impertinent proceeding . Inquiring first of his witt , then of his memorie , thirdly of his learning in Logicke , fourthly of his skill in Greeke & Hebrue , fifthly of his kind of charitie , sixtly of his modestie , with other like poynts , spending large discourses vpon euery one of them . Is there any man ( I say ) so simple or sottish , as not to see the impertinency of this manner of proceeding ?

5. His other two Inquiries are as wisely imploied , and prosecuted as this . For that the second , Whether P. R. may be iudged a competent Aduocate or no , is but a silly discourse , conteyning not full two leaues in all : and the argument therof is a ridiculous Dialogue feigned between the Mitigator , and the Moderate Answerer● The third comprehendeth the rest of the booke ( which is , of foure partes , three ) which may be not vnfittely deuided into the termes of offensiue and d●fensiue warres . For that first to impresse some opinion of manhood in defending himselfe from the imputations layd against him of wilfull falshoods , he taketh vpon him ( quite from the argument of the controuersy in hand ) to impugne others of like dealing , as namely Cardinall Bellarmine , my selfe , and others : and then hauing made this florish , he commeth lastly to his owne defence , in fourteene vntruthes layd against him , and culled by himselfe out of more then fourty obiected by his aduersary , and no one of them well dissolued by him , as after will appeare . And after all ●his , he imagining the feild to r●mayne wholy to himselfe , he concludeth all with a new vaunt and fresh Challenge in the ninteenth , and last Paragraph of this his booke , phantasying himselfe to haue had the victory in euery thing that he hath taken in hand to treat . And this being the summe of M. Mort. new worke , I shall breifly lay forth to your iudgment the methode which I haue thought good to vse for his confutation .

6. First I haue bin content to follow him into those follyes of his first Inquiry , The methode vsed for M. Mort. confutation . about my wit , memory , learning ; skill in Logicke , and the like , confessing willingly the mediocrity therof in all things : but yet shewing by the substance of the po●nts handled , if I be not de●eyued , First Inquiry . that if M. Mortons wit had byn excel●ent , or learning eminent , he would neuer haue ●yn drawen to haue leapt ouer grauer matters , to handle such light toyes as these be . For what ●mporteth me the disestimation , which M. Mort. ●rofesseth of my wit , memory , or learning ; for ●o much as the things themselues that are handled ( wherin wit and learning are to be shewed ) will be better witnesses , Witlesse contention about wit . and of more credit with the prudent Reader , then eyther his or my bare wordes or vaunts ? Wherfore to them I remit me .

7. In the second place , Second Inquiry I haue had pacience in like manner ( for without pacience it could not be done ) to peruse ouer his second Inquirie consisting of a meere idle fancy and fiction of a Dialogue ( as hath bene said ) deuised betweene me , & his Aduersary the Moderate Answerer , as though he had fallen out about answering his booke : and me he bringeth in speaking very rudely and vnciuilly thus : See his Preamble pag. 31. Nay , I haue not beene arrogant , but thou hast beene rash and pr●cipitant . For is thou by thy former Answere mig●test haue beene thought sufficient for a reply , what needed such posting to me beyond the seas , for a supply of a more exact , and learn●d Reioynder ? Thus goeth his fiction , and it is a very fiction indeed . For the truth is , that when I began my Treatise of Mitigation against M. Mortons fi●st exasperating discouery , I knew of no other that was in hand to answere the same : as more largely I haue shewed in the third Chapter of my sayd Treatise .

8. Moreouer he feigneth vs to reason togeather about itching and scratching , as though the Moderate Answerer had vsed these wordes : Preamble pag. 32. I thinke yow are troubled which the dis●ase of s●me of our Catholicke lawy●rs , of whome you haue said , they itch to be doing and answering M. Attorney : this was also my disease , but I after found a scratch , and so may you . Wherby he seemeth to insinuate as you see , a certayne threat of scratching his aduersarie , Threates of scratches . w●en other weapons of more force do faile him . But this I haue answered afterwards in due place , & shewed , that aswell these scratches ( meant perhaps of those scolding skirmishes before mentioned about witt , m●morie , learning , and the like ) as also deeper wounds of conuiction of falshoods , and manifest impostures , are like to fall vpon himselfe : and that in so euident a sort , as all the standers by may cleerly see it , and take compassion on him , and of his manner of fight : wherof I am content to make your selues also , my learned Countrymen , both Iudges and vmpires .

9. Wherfore fynding so litle substance in these two former Inquiries ( for what is added and brought in by me in the second , which are but two particuler cases only concerning our subiect and argument of Rebellion and Equiuocation , was borrowed from the third to make vp some matter wherof to treate : ) I do passe to the said third Inquirie , wherin one only exploit being requi●ed on M. Mortons behalfe , two are attempted , ●ut with very euill successe in them both . The ●xploit required was , that for so much as M. Morton in this his last Preamblatory reply by abā●oning the principall argument and subiect of ●ur former controuersy , What was principally required of M. Mort. and what he performeth . had changed the whole state of the Question by occasion of great multitudes of witting vntruthes obiected against him , he should now haue gone roundly to the matter , and directly , plainly , & substantially haue answered the said imputations : but I found him to take a farre other course , allowing to himselfe a more large feild to walke and florish in . And this was first , to seeke out , what likelihood or appearance of falsities he could fynd in any Roman writer whatsoeuer : then of what Popes in particuler ; then of Councels , & their Interpreters : after this againe , against Cardinall Bellarmine , and that in diuers kindes , as namely for calumniating his aduersaries for false allegation of the Fathers , for differing in his opinions from sundry writers of his owne religion , wherof notwithstanding no one can be proued as after you will see .

10. Fynally then after all this , he falleth vpon my selfe , pretending to shew that in fourteen seuerall poynts at least he hath taken me tardy , which if he could proue , ( as in no one he can ) yet all this while , as you see , he walketh without the list of our controuersy concerning the defence of his owne falshoods , which he driueth of as long as may be , according to the fashion of those that hauing many deepe woundes are loath to discouer them , or haue them handled . Wherfore this poynt of his owne defence or excuse , which was first in his intention ( for this was the cause that made him so hastily to shape out this Preamble ) was the last in execution , as least gustfull vnto him : and so he dispatcheth it only in one Paragraph , of ninteene , that he hath in this Preamble , to wit the eyghtenth only : and by all liklyhood would haue pretermitted it wholy if handsomely he might .

11. But perhaps you will imagin , that he hath holpen somewhat his cause by seeking these diuerticles from the purpose , in that he hauing weakned first his aduersaries credit may find better passage to the defence of his owne . But indeed this reckoning falleth not out so , but rather the quite contrary , The cont●ary succes●e of M. Mort. expectation . for that not being able when it commeth to the tryall to fas●en any one vntruth vpon his aduersary , I meane in that nature that it may be thought witting and willing , which is our only question ; he commeth by consequence to confirme , and authorize extraordinarily the credit of their integrity in their writings , who haue not giuen place to any least touch of iust reprehension in that behalfe : and by this meanes contrary to his meaning he becommeth their Encomiast or Prayser , who endeauored to be their calumniatour , rectum ab errore , as oftentimes by Gods prouidence it falleth out .

●2 . Wherfore I seeing M. Morton take this ●ourse , The sūm● of all this my Answere in 10. Chapters . after I had examined the first two In●uiries in two seuerall Chapters of mine , I was ●orced to bestow seauen or eight more vpon his ●hird . Wherfore the first is to answere all the ●articuler obiections , which he hath against other Catholick writers , namely Card. B●llarmine and others . The second , for answering the like obiections , and calumniations made by him against my selfe in fourteene seuerall imputations layd against me . The third , how insufficiently M. Mort. defendeth himself in other fo●rteen charges produced against him , which he thought good to choose out as defensible amongst a farre greater number . The fourth how he pretermitteh more then other twice fourteene , farre more vrgent and eminent then the rest , without euer so much as once mentioning them . The fifth contayneth sundry other important omissions or pretermissions of his , aswell in slipping ouer matters belonging to himselfe , as to the defence of sundry Clients of his , whome he ought to haue defended , especially Syr Edward Cooke now L. Chiefe iustice of the Common Pleas : with whome there is made a peece of a ●euerall reckoning in like manner in a seuerall Chapter , aswell about some things of his set forth before , as also concerning two new Prefaces lately published and prefixed to the sixt and seauenth parts of his Reports . The seauenth , how in place of clearing himself from aboue fourty old imputations of falshood , he is conuinced of more than fifty new , superadded to the former . And fynally , my eyght Chapter , ( which is the tenth and last as they lye in order ) doth handle new strange vauntes and challenges of M. Morton , after all this battery , as though nothing had byn sayd against him : wherin I can commend nothing , but his courage , remitting the rest to your better discretions , when ye shall haue read both parts , this being the summe of our whole Concertation .

The reason of the tytle of this booke . 13. There remayneth to say a word or two , concerning the reason of the tytle of this my Answere , which is , A quiet & sober Reckoning : wherof I know that your Wisedomes will easily ghesse the cause , but much more will haue seene it , if ye haue perused ouer this Preamble of M. Morton which is so bitter and sharpe , and ouer eager in many places , as doth easily shew that the man was in great choler when he wrote it . And though I could alleage many exorbitant speaches of his to this effect throughout the whole booke , yet the beginning and ending shall only serue for proofe therof : the beg●nning , for that he bestoweth seauen or eyght whole Paragraphs of his first Inquiry ( as already I haue sayd ) to examine my wit , memory , skill in Logicke , ignorance in Gre●ke and H●brue , modes●y , charity , and the like , which hardly could p●oceed but from impatience . The last Paragraph also of his new challenges declareth the same more aboundantly where he auouching me first to be a man without all conscience , lame in hands , dumbe in ●peach , dead in sense & feeling of all contrition ; ●e passeth on to the most extrauagant , and ridi●ulous termes of impatience , that euer I read in ●y Author , that valued his owne credit , or you eyther perhaps . For he saith , that if he do ●ot manifest me to be so malignant , as if the Capital letters P. R. did iustly betoken Princeps Rabularum : and so vayne , as if they signifyed Phormio Romanista : so dissolute in my cause , as if they might be interpreted Praeuaricator Rasus : so impudently vniust , as that they might import Persidiae Reus : then is he content that his Treatises be purged with fyre , and himselfe challenged to a Recantation . And will ye not take pitty of this mans passion ? Or can ye meruayle , why I tooke this tytle of A quiet and sober Reckoning ?

14. Truly , if I should haue suffered my selfe to be c●rryed away with the same passion , & with the like impatience haue returned him an Answere in his owne veyne , & character of writing ; you do easily see , wherunto this contention would haue growne : but I haue thought best to endeauour the pacification of M. Mortons choler , by a more moderate kynd of conference , if it may be , where heat of wordes layd asyde , the truth of matters may peaceably and more calmely be considered . Wherin ( as before I said ) though I may haue iust cause to suspect your affections : yet can I not distrust your iudgements in a matter of such apparent euidency , as this is , now committed vnto you . Wherin Christ Iesus direct you , to the discouery of that truth in Religion , which only can saue vs all . And so to his protection I commit yow , this 19. of December , 1608.

IF your self had not giuen me the example ( M. Morton ) by wryting to me a seuerall Epistle , termyng it Preamblatorie , it is likely I should not haue troubled you with this Admonitory of mine , as hauing wrytten sufficiently in my precedent Dedicatorie to our two Vniuersyties , concerning the subiect of this our whole Controuersy . But for so much as you doe fyrme & subscribe your said letter thus : Yours to warne , and to be warned , Thomas Morton , and haue put in execution the first part therof by warning me , I presume you wil be content , the second part be put also in vre , and that you be warned by me . To which ●ffect I haue thought best to style this my Epistle an Admonitorie . Now then to the matters that are to be handled therin .