Welsh Journals

e. 'If Catholike Christians haue alwaies auoided the company of heretikes in euery place, and in euery thing, by the Apostles commaundement, if the Catholike seruice, not only of an heretike, but of a schismatike etc., as before appereth by my examples & scriptures, is it a smal mater to frequent their conuenticles in ye Church, whose seruice, Sermons, ministration of Sacramentes are as heretical, as them selues are in most articles heretikes.' K iiib. 4. Mae'n amlwg bod cyfaddawdu yn rhemp er mawr ofid i'r gwyr anghymedrol. Yn 1580 cafwyd cyfrol arall yn ailddatgan neges Gregory Martin, sef A Brief Discours contayning certayne reasons why Catholiques refuse to goe to Church. Ymddangosodd y gwaith hwn o dan ffugenw, sef John Howlet, ond, fel gwyr y cyfarwydd, Robert Parsons oedd y gwir awdur. Argraffwyd y llyfr yng ngwasg ddirgel Greenstreet House, Llundain, gan Stephen Brinkley. Cafwyd ailargraffiad o wasg James Duckett yn 15993 a thrydydd o wasg yn Douai yn 1601. 5. Dyma deitl cyflawn a chynnwys argraffiad 1599 (B.M. 846 a 31): A Brief I Discovrse conjteining certaine reasons, why catholickes refvse to go to Church written by a Learned and vertuous man, to a friend of his in England And dedicated by I.H. to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie. A ii: Dedicatorie. D 'The Avnswer of a vertvovs & Learned Man vnto a Gentleman of England, touching the late imprisonment of Catholicks there. D i: A pittiful description of England at this day. D iii: What cause or reason the Catholickes haue to stand, as they doe, in the Refusall of thlnges (sic) offered them, & especiallie of going to the Church in what a miserable case standeth many a man in Inglande at this day which take Oathes, receiue (sic) Sacramentes, goe to Church, and commit many a like act directly against their consciences, and against their owne knowledge they are to be accompted (according to Saint Paule) damned men in this life, and therefore no Christians & much lesse Catholikes. There are an other sort of Catholicke, that albeit they doe iudge all other religions beside their owne eroneous, & damnable: yet doe they not thinke but that for some wordly respect as for sauing their offices, dignities, liberties, credites or the like, they may in some of the former things at the least wise in going to Church, as for swenng and receauing, (I thinke no catholicke this day in Europ thincketh it lesse than damnable) shew them selues comformable men to the proceedings of them of the contrarie religion: and doe also thinke others too scrupulous which do stand in the refusall of the same. But to shew that these men are in a wrong, and perilous perswation, builded only on their owne phantasie, & therefore to be reformed: and that the other men are the only true Catholicks, & bound to do so much as they do, vpon paine of the high displeasure of God, & eternal domage (sic) of their own soules: I haue put downe here these reasons that followe which may serue for the iustifiing of the ones parties conscience, & for the due reforming of the other.' 'The First Part' E: 'The First Reason: The first reason why I being a Catholicke in minde may not goe to the churches or seruice of the contrary religion, is, because I perswading my selfe their doctrine to be false Doctrine, and consequentlye venemous unto the hearer. The second Reason: The second reason why a Chatholicke cannot yeelde to goe to Church, is because he cannot goe without scandall, which is a sinne more mentioned,