'Advices and Motives for Soliciting Catholics (4 April 1639)'

31r

Left margin: Anno 1638 et 1639 Advices, and Motiues for the Noblemen, Knights, and Gentlemen, that shall imploy [the]mselues in [th]e Country in sollicitting Catholiques for a Contribution to his Ma[jes]ty, upon occasion of his pr[ese]nt Northern Iorney.

Left margin: 1It is fitt yo[u] repr[e]sent to [th]os we treate w[i]th, the extraordinary graces, & protections wee owe to the Queenes Ma[jes]ty, And [tha]t to her favourable inter-cessions meeting w[i]th the Kings Clemency, we must ascribe the happy modera-tion we liue in under him. Thereby to make [the]m apprehend How fitt, or rather How iust, and necessary a duty it is in us to lay hold on the first occasion, thereby to express o[u]r bounden gratitude to both their Ma[jes]tyes.

Left margin: 2Then yo[u] may bring into y[ou]r considerac[i]on how much is importeth [th]e Kings ser-vice to be assisted w[i]th extraordinary contribuc[i]ons of Moneyes upon this extraor-dinary, & chargable occasion of going into [th]e Northerne parts w[i]th an Army. And [tha]t accordingly all well-affected Persons doe so, as is euident by [th]e contributions of many particular Persons. Besides [th]os of [th]e body of [th]e Lawyers, of [th]e Iudges, of the City, and severall other parts.

Left margin: 3You may tell [tha]t besides the g[e]n[e]rall Motiues [tha]t p[er]swade every well-affected p[er]son to giue liberally upon this occasion, Catholiques haue other p[ar]ticular pressing ones, as Their owne private Interest, And likewise the Queenes earnest reco[m]mendac[i]on of this action in general to all Catholiques throughout England; w[hi]ch to make [the]m rightly to conceiue, it will be necessary [tha]t yo[u] informe [the]m Of [th]e p[ar]ticulars of her Ma[jes]tyes reco[m]mendac[i]ons, w[hi]ch are,

That her Ma[jes]ty hath so much taken to heart to haue a considerable Sum[m]e raised by this contribution, as shee hath beene graciously pleased to reco[m]mend it efficaciously to all [th]e Catholick L[or]ds about London, & to [th]e chiefe p[er]sons of eminency [tha]t her express Co[m]mands could find out both to be Contributers, & Sollicitors in it, And to the several Superiors of the Cleargy, & Religious Or-ders to promote it all they can, both by their owne negociac[i]ons, & p[er]swasions, & by the like Offices of all [th]os who do depend on [the]m. And lastly [tha]t her Ma[jes]ty hath co[m]manded all [th]os, [tha]t by their aboads about this Towne haue had the honor to receive her gracious directions im[m]ediatly from herselfe, to signify w[i]th all speede to the eminentest p[er]sons in every Country, [tha]t they may [the]n doe [th]e like to all the p[ar]ticular Catholiques w[i]thin their Neighbourhood, & knowledge.

Left margin: 4That in the pursuance of this co[m]mand from her Ma[jes]ty, all the p[er]sons mett to-gether here in London, sc[ilicet][th]e L[or]ds, Superiors of [th]e Cleargy, & Religious Orders, & [th]e Knights, & Gent[lemen] have all of [the]m agreed upon those Motiues, & Advices, & upon the p[er]sons to w[ho]m they shalbe sent, And [tha]t [th]e Superiors of [th]e Cleargy, & Religious Orders haue charged [the]mselues w[i]th [th]e conveying [the]m to [th]os p[ar]ticular p[er]sons, & accompanying [the]m w[i]th effectual letters from [the]mselues, to assure That these are the Act of all [th]e p[er]sons so mett together, And haue p[ro]mised every one of [the]m by [the]mselues, & by the Priests [tha]t depend on [the]m, to negociate sincerely, to p[ro]mote, & aduance this business effectually as a thing mainly importing [th]e Kings service, & o[u]r duty, & good.

31v

Left margin: 5 You are to lett [th]os know, {gap: illegible} w[ho]m yo[u] imploy to assist yo[u] in this work, (& we conceiue it wilbe noe small encouragement to yo[u]rselues to labor effectu-ally in the business) that her Ma[jes]ty undertakes to secure all those that shall im-ploy [the]mselues in these affaires from any inconvenience [tha]t may be appr[e]hended by them, by reason of their forwardness, & declarac[i]on in this service.

Left margin: 6To make [the]m appr[e]hend of one Instance,how much it importeth [the]m upon this occasion to meritt at [th]e Kings, and Queenes hands, yo[u] may let [the]m know, There hath beene lately granted to one Pulford, a Co[m]mission to indite, & Convict such Catholiques as yet are not, & to question Composic[i]ons allready made upon pretence Of their having passed at too low a rate, And to prosecute the rest of the Lawes ag[ains]t them, And [tha]t [the]rupon he hath sett on in work many A-gents in severall parts, And hath erected an Office for [tha]t Service; But by [th]e Queenes mediac[i]on to the King, his Ma[jes]ty hath beene graciously pleased To direct the Suspending of the execuc[i]on of this Co[m]mission, & to stay all pro-ceedings upon it; so as o[u]r behaviour in this contribuc[i]on will assuredly much altere o[u]r Condic[i]on generally, either to the Better, or to [th]e Worse, according as we shall expresse o[u]rselvus affectionate, or cold to his Ma[jes]tyes Service, & upon this pre-sent occasions.

Left margin: 7To [th]e end [tha]t all p[er]sons of w[ha]t degree soeuer be spoken to, & Solicited for this contribuc[i]on, It wilbe fitt [tha]t yo[u] speake to all subordinate Superiors of the Country where yo[u] liue, That they reco[m]mend effectually to all the Priests w[i]thin their Provinces to give yo[u] all the Assistance in their power for the advance-ment of this business.

Left margin: 8Though we will not pr[e]sume to pr[e]scribe limits to the/ Devoc[i]on, & liberality of any others, yet we think it not amiss to lett yo[u] know, [tha]t upon this occasion we find here about London so g[rea]t a cheerfullness in Catholiques to advance this business, & to bring [th]e contribuc[i]on to a considerable summe, as [tha]t we confi-dently hope noe man will giue lesse [tha]n 8, 9 or 10 parts of his Annuall revenue (as [th]e iust, & true values) And hither to we haue mett w[i]th none [tha]t haue gone under, but w[i]th many [tha]t doe farre exceed [tha]t p[ro]porc[i]on, w[hi]ch we conceiue the most will imitate, Considering [tha]t [th]e Action is such, as [tha]t no dutifull subject ought to be backward in these times, wherein the safety of the kingdome is so nearly concerned, & for [tha]t it hath beene so effectually reco[m]mended by us unto us by [th]e Queenes Ma[jes]ty, who hath beene so tender in matters of this nature, as never to haue reco[m]mended the like before, & unto w[ho]m we haue so g[rea]t obligac[i]ons (as [tha]t w[ha]t is but for her sake) [the]r is noe man (we p[er]-swade o[u]rselues) but wold be content to sufferr some Inconvenience in his own estate to comply w[i]th such a desire from so gracious, & deseruing a Princesse Intounto w[hi]ch severall consid[e]rac[i]ons all hereabout haue had so zealous a regard : [tha]t Even such who are much en[cu]mbred w[i]th debts, & distracted in their estates (w[hi]ch may also happen to many others in the country) haue beene so farre from offerring the same as an excuse, as that they haue borrowed monyes to giue upon this occasion, in so large a p[ro]porc[i]on, as if [thei]r estates w[e]r free, & they be-fore hand in the world. And no man need to appr[e]hend That this gift upon this occasion32r occasion may discover the value of his estate (w[hi]ch for sundry reasons he may desire to keepe private) for w[ha]t he giues, being voluntary, & w[ha]t we haue s[ai]d, being only to informe [the]m how others comport [the]mselues about London, w[ha]tsoever he contributeth, will not discover any certeine value of his estate, but [th]e p[ro]porc[i]on of his zeale, & good will, And this is the unanimous con sense of almost all the as well of the Eccl[esiast]icall p[er]sons, as well as the noblemen, & Gent[lemen] mett here together.

Left margin: 9Although we are well assured [tha]t [th]e chiefe motiues w[hi]ch will induce men to straine [the]mselues to giue as largely as their estates will p[er]mitt, are the Honor, & glory of g[o]d, & his Ma[jes]tyes Service. Yet to [th]e end [tha]t ev[e]ry one may likewise receiue such advantage as may be iustly expected from his forwardnes, & piety, Vpon this oc-casion we desire [tha]t the Collectors wold giue Receipts under their Hands for such monyes as shalbe paid in to [the]m, to the end [tha]t [th]e p[er]sons may upon occasions shew the same, & make use [the]rof as a faire Motiue to p[ro]cure [the]m reasonable favors, & graces, as hereafter they may stand in need of.

The Forme of the Receipt [tha]t [th]e Collectors doe giue, is this. I A. B. doe acknowledge to haue received of N. N. the day & yeare abouewritten, the Summe of ----- as his free, & volun-tary gift, & for his Ma[jes]tyes Service reco[m]mended to us by o[u]r gra-cious Queene, upon occasion of his pr[ese]nt iorny w[i]th an Army into the Northerne parts.

Left margin: 10 Bec[ause] no circumstance is so important in this service as EXPEDITION, wee desire [tha]t [th]os p[er]sons in London, & neare about it, and in the Southerne Countreyes who wilbe Contributers, will pay in their monies betweene this, & [th]e end of Easter Terme, And [tha]t they who are in Countries more remote, will pay in theirs by the end of Mid-summer Terme.

Left margin: 11If any [tha]t are allready convicted, & do pay Composic[i]ons for their Recusancy, doe p[re]tend to be [the]rfore eased in this contribuc[i]on, yo[u] may tell [the]m, [tha]t w[ha]t they pay upon these {gap: illegible} termes, Is an Annuall certainty, & so settled into the substance of their estates, as ought not at all to divert this extraordinary Acc[i]on, w[hi]ch is to receive its alottment, & p[ro]porc[i]on out of w[ha]t remaineth [the]rafter [th]e co[m]posic[i]on is deducted.

Left margin: 12If any pr[e]tend any other charges, as Noblemen [tha]t they haue allready contributed to this expedic[i]on upon [th]e Kings Letters to [the]m, or if others pr[e]tend any other g[rea]t paiments, or extraordinary charges, yo[u] may also tell [the]m, [that]t [th]os consid[e]rac[i]ons ought not at all to lessen their contribuc[i]on upon this occasion, for this concerneth [the]m only as Catho-liques, abstracting from all other regards w[ha]tsoever; but these other are as co[m]mon as well to protestants, & all sorts of people as to [the]m.

Left margin: 13If yo[u] perceiue any shalbe cold in this worke by not being so sensible as they ought to be of [th]e publick good, & pr[e]suming they are secured in their p[ar]ticular by some priviledges w[hi]ch they may happily haue obtained by pow[e]rfull mediac[i]on, or hope otherwise to excuse, or exempt [the]mselues, yo[u] may assure [the]m [tha]t as [th]e good success of this Contribuc[i]on is likely to better all o[u]r condic[i]ons in g[e]n[e]rall, so their priviledges may proue lesse availeable to [the]m if [the]mselues be defective upon this occasion. And accordingly yo[u] are desired to returne the Names of all [th]os who shall forbeare to giue (the w[hi]ch we conceiue none will doe) or shall give inconsiderably.

Left margin: 14 You may do well likewise to solicit those [tha]t though they be no Catholiques, yet32v yet are well affected, & haue their Wiues & Children Catholiques; for besides the generall, every one in his owne particular is like to fare the better, or worse, according as he demeaneth hims[elf] in this contribuc[i]on. And where [the]r are no p[ar]ticular meritts to exempt, it may be feared the rigour of [th]e lawes may be putt into execuc[i]on ag[ains]t [th]os (upon p[ar]ticular notice taken of [the]m) w[hi]ch will fall upon [the]m, if throughly looked into, as well as for their wiues being Catholiques, & such other lapses, as by their being declared Catholiques [the]mselues.

Left margin: 15You may repr[e]sent to such p[er]sons to consider w[ha]t a g[rea]t Charity their contribuc[i]on wilbe to the poorer sort of Catholiques, who will also be utterly ruined, if [th]e course of informers goe on, as it is to be feared it will do, if the contribuc[i]on a-mount not to a consid[e]rable matter, w[hi]ch it cannot be unles all hands putt it forward.

Left margin: 16You are desired to receiue all such monies as shall come in by this contri-buc[i]on giving the Receipts for it, & [the]n to pay it to such p[er]son, or p[er]sons, as the Queene shalbe pleased to direct for [th]e Service afores[ai]d.

Left margin: 17And Lastly. Yo[u] are desired to returne unto the Superiors of [th]e Cleargy, & Re-ligious Orders ([tha]t shall send yo[u] these from us) assoone as yo[u] can, an Informac[i]on of w[ha]t p[ro]gresse yo[u] make in this business, And how yo[u] find Catholicks affected in it, [tha]t we may accordingly ioyne w[i]th [the]m, & yo[u], in giving her Ma[jes]ty [tha]t account of all o[u]r labors [the]rin, as is expected at o[u]r hands. W[hi]ch we doubt not, but will in effect proue answearable to the faire hopes given severally by [th]e s[ai]d Supe-riors, upon the returne they r[eceived]d of their 1st letters into [th]e Country as pr[e]pare Catholiques for this contribuc[i]on, And to gods honor, & glory, & a good service to his Ma[jes]ty, and a complying duty to [th]e Queene, & benefitt to Catholiques, For w[hi]ch ends we shall imploy both o[u]r prayers, & all o[u]r best endeavors.

Finis./.

The Queenes Letter. To o[u]r Trusty, & well-beloved Councellor S[i]r John Winton Knight, o[u]r Principall Secretary, & M[aste]r of Requests

Henriette Marie Regina,

Wee haue so good a beliefe of the loyaltie, & affection of his Ma[jes]tyes Subi[ec]ts, as we doubt not but [tha]t upon this occasion, [tha]t hath called his Ma[jes]ty into [th]e Northerne p[ar]ts, for [th]e defense of his honor, & dominions, they will expresse [the]mselues so affected, as we haue allwaies repr[e]sented [the]m to his Ma[jes]ty, so in this co[m]mon consent w[hi]ch hath appeared in the Nobility, Iudges, Gentry & others to forward his Ma[jes]tyes Service by [thei]r p[er]sons & estates, we haue made no difficulty to answeare for [th]e same correspondency in the his Catholique Subi[ec]ts as Catholiques, not w[i]thstanding [tha]t they haue concurred to his Ma[jes]tyes Service, according to the qualityes wherof they are, w[he]n o-thers of [th]e same quality w[e]r called upon; For we believed, [tha]t it became us, who haue beene so en often interessed in the solicitac[i]on of their benefitts, to shew o[u]rselues now the p[er]swasers of their gratitude. Therefore having allready by other meanes reco[m]mended to [the]m this earnest desire of o[u]rs to assist, & secure his Ma[jes]ty by

33r

Ma[jes]ty by some considerable summe of mony freely, & cheerfully pr[e]sented, we haue haue thought fitt to [th]e end [tha]t this o[u]r desire may be the more publick, & the more au-theorised hereby to giue yo[u] a Com[m]ission, & direction to distribute Copies und[e]r yo[u]r hand of o[u]r certificac[i]on thereof, unto [the]m who haue mett at London by o[u]r directions about this business; And unto the severall Collecters of every county. And as we pr[e]sume [th]e summe they will raise, will not be unworthy of o[u]r p[re]senting to that K[ing]. So shall we be very sensible of it as p[ar]ticular respects to o[u]rselues, & will endeavor in the most efficaci-ous manner we can, to improue the merit of it, & remoue any appr[e]hension of pr[e]iudice [tha]t any who imploy [the]mselues towards the successe of this business, by this they may be assured [tha]t we will secure [the]m from all such obiected inconveniencies. And we are confident [tha]t this o[u]r 1st reco[m]mendac[i]on wilbe so complied w[i]thall, as it may not only affoord not only us satisfacc[i]on, but also facilitation towards [thei]r owne Advantages.

A Coppy of [th]e Letter sent from the Superiours tou-ching [th]e Contribution money to be collected of Catholiques towards his Ma[jes]tyes Northerne Iorney.

The enclosed advices, & motiues being so ample as yo[u] will p[er]ceiue by p[er]using of [the]m, [tha]t it will not be needfull for us to enlarge o[u]rselues upon any p[ar]ticular concer-ning the conduct of the business, w[hi]ch they direct the way in. This [the]rfore serveth only for to convey [the]m to yo[u], as we are entreated by [th]os who haue mett here, & haue undertaken to do, & to desire yo[u] to repaire im[m]ediatly unto the Collector to w[ho]m the enclosed motiues are directed, & to deliver [th]e same unto him in [th]e name of all the Noblemen, & Gent[lemen], together w[it]h o[u]rselues assembied here in London by [th]e Queens com[m]andm[en]t, to sett forward [th]e work. And we pray yo[u] assure him in [th]e most effi-cacious manner yo[u] can (engaging all o[u]r creditts for [th]e truth [the]rof) [tha]t it is [th]e sense of us all both Eccl[es]i[astic]all, & Lay-p[er]sons, [tha]t (besides [th]e discharging of [thei]r, and o[u]r duties to g[o]d, & [th]e K[ing]) it mainly importeth [th]e good of Catholiques to have [th]e business take good success. Therfore entreate him to deale very actiuely, efficaciously, & speedily according to these advices, & motiues. We are so well p[er]swaded of his devoc[i]on to putt forward so pious a worke, as [tha]t we doubt not but he wilbe well satisfied in the needfullness of the thing; & are as ready to imply hims[elf] in it (receiving [th]e assurance [the]rof, & [th]e p[er]swasions [the]runto only from o[u]r hands) as if they came by all the most-formall waies [tha]t can be imagined, w[hi]ch in a business of this nature cannot be expected. And although [th]e advices, & motiues be di-rected only to Lay Gent[lemen], yet we desire yo[u], & we haue answeared for yo[u], [tha]t yo[u] will imploy yo[u]rselfe, & all [th]os [tha]t depend on yo[u], sincerely to solicite, & dispose all [thei]r minds, w[ho]m yo[u] haue relac[i]on unto, as powerfully as yo[u] can, to contribute cheerfully, & bountifully on this occa-sion, w[hi]ch as it is [th]e 1st, [tha]t we ever laboured in, in this kind, so we hope in God it will be [th]e last, [the]r being noe p[ro]bability of so pressing, & urgent a necessity to occurred any more./.

Yo[u]rs &c

London April 4. 1638 /.