Home  |  Up  |  Vol. 2 Part 1  |  Vol. 2 Part 2  |  Vol. 2 Part 3  |  What's New
 

Epigraphs,

—:o:—

Voulant doncques (je vostre humble esclave) accroistre vos passetemps dadvantage, vous
offre de présent un aultre livre de mesme billon, sinon qu'il est peu plus équitable et digne de
foi que n'estoit l'aultre. Car ne croyez (si ne voulez errer à vostre escient) que j'en parle
comme les Juifs de la loi. Je ne sub né en telle planète, et ne m'advint onques de mentir ou
assurer chose qui ne fust véritable. J'en parle comme un gaillard onocrotale, voire, dis-je,
crotenotaire des martyrs amans, et croquenotaire de amours : j'en parle comme sainct Jean de
1*Apocalypse, quod vidimus testamur,

Rabelais. SantagHiel, Prologue.

>■■«<

Après le plaisir de posséder des livres, il n'y en a guère de plus doux que celui d'en parler, et
de communiquer au public ces innocentes richesses de la pensée qu'on acquiert dans la culture
des lettres.

Charles. Nodier. f&ÌUn$t& imi tf'une JNttte %MÍ0tÍ¡tqut, Preface.

There is not perhaps any man so good a judge of the difficulty of writing a book, as an
actual author. He soon discovers how many qualifications are necessary, how much science
is required, and which are the points of most' difficult access. He soon finds out his own
deficiencies ; and, as regards his powers, that some difficulties may be insurmountable. That
essay, which sometimes originates in study and amusement, gets insensibly into growth, and
ís perpetuated. For, having been undertaken in the spirit of an inquirer, it is frequently carried
on in the capacity of a student. This student, however, soon assumes the master, and pro-
nounces his decisions on critical subjects, as authoritatively as if all learning and languages
were at his finders ends- ....

---

vi.                                            EPIGRAPHS.

No man's industry is mis-spent, if he merely clear the obstruction from any path ; and the
very attempt to shew what \s right, frequently exposes that which is wrong; so that the
immediate blunders of one person rectify those of another ; and he ever must deserve well of
society who attempts improvement.....

Bibliography is a dry occupation,—a caput mortuum,—it is a borrowed production, which
brings very little grist to the mill ; and so difficult and tedious is the object, of laying before our
eyes alt the real or reported copies or editions of the works enumerated, that almost every line
of our reports may be suspected of falsehood. How are we to collect, how to produce, how to
examine, the originals ? Many books are so scarce, so sequestered in private hands, or in the
mansions of the great, that even thî keen eyes of lucriferous booksellers cannot find them.
And if they cannot, who the deuce can ?

James Atkinson, íHcÍJÍCat 33ibttograpf)t), Preface,

To every man of our Saxon race endowed with full health and strength, there is committed,
as if it were the price he pays for these blessings, the custody of a restless demon, for which he
is doomed to find ceaseless excitement, either in honest work, or some less profitable or more
mischievous occupation. Countless have been the projects devised by the wit of man to open
up for this fiend fields of exertion great enough for the absorption of its tireless energies, and
none of them is m:>re hopaful than the great world of books, if the demon is docile enough to
be coaxed into it. Then will its erratic restlessness be sobered by the immensity of the sphere
of exertion, and the consciousness that, however vehemently and however long it may struggle,
the resources set before it will not be exhausted when the life to which it is attached shall have
faded away ; and hence, instead of dreading the languor of inaction, it will have to summon
all its resources of promptness and activity to get over any considerable portion of the ground
within the short space allotted to the life of man.

John Hill Burton. Cï)C 33ûO?MEiUnttr, p. 106.

I have no repugnances. Shaftesbury is not too genteel for rue, nor Jonathan Wild too
tow. I can read anything which I call α book. There are things in that shape which I cannot
allow for such.

In this catalogue of hooks which are no books—Ubtia β-fe'Wíe—I reckon Court Calendars,
Directories, Packet Books, Draught Boards, bound and lettered on the back, Scientific

---

EPIGRAPHS.                                                 VÜ.

Treatises, Almanacs, Statutes at Large : the works of Hume, Gibbon, Robertson, Beattie,
Soame Jenyns, and generally, all those volumes which " no gentleman's library should be
without :" the Histories of Flavius Josephus (that learned Jew), and Paley's Moral Philo-
sophy. With these exceptions, I can read almost anything. I bless my stars for a taste so
Catholic, so unexcluding.

Charles Lamb. £a¿t (folaga fjf Cita.

Vous voyez que, pour être, comme vous aussi, un Amoureux du Livre (et j'ai fait mes
preuves depuis cinquante ans), je ne suis ni exclusif, ni intolérant, et que je ne contrains pas
les gens à n'aimer que certains Uvres, à ne lire que les bons ; je ne les invite pas même à
détruire, à brûler les mauvais, car, en ma qualité d' Amoureux du Livre, en général, j'ai des
préférences et des répugnances ; j'ai des passions et des illusions, ainsi que tous les amoureux,
mais je pense que les plus mauvais livres ont leur raison d'être et leur utilité relative, comme
les poisons parmi les végétaux, comme les bêtes féroces parmi les animaux, comme les
démons parmi les puissances du monde invisible. Il est vrai qu'à mon âge l'amoureux se
métamorphose en philosophe.

Paul Lacroix. Etó nmûWtU): fctl %ibït, Préface.

--------------------μ^3.^^»βΚ'---------------------

Omnes ! Omnes ! let others ignore what they may ;
I make the poem of evil also—I commemorate that part also ;
I am myself just as much evil as good, and my nation is—And I say

there is in fact no evil j

(Or if there is, I say it is just as important to you, to the land,
or to me, as anything else.)

Walt Whitman. 3LtaÖtó of @ra&f.

.....ΐ=3»^ί·Ρ^--------------------

For Books are not absolutely dead things, but doe contain· a potencie of life in them to be as
active as that soule was whose progeny they are ; nay they do preserve as in a violi the purest
efficacie and extraction of that living intellect that bred them......

---

VUL                                                EPIGRAPHS.

For books are as meats and viands are, some of good, some of evill substance ; and yet God
in that unapocryphall vision, said without exception, Rise Peter, kill and eat, leaving the choice
to each mans discretion. Wholesome meats to a vitiated stomack differ little or nothing from
unwholesome ; and best books to a naughty mind are not unappliable to occasions of evill. Bad
meats will scarce breed good nourishment in the healthiest concoction ; but herein the difference
is of bad books, that they to a discreet and judicious Reader serve in many respects to discover,
to confute, to forewarn, and to illustrate......

Since therefore the knowledge and survay of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting
of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more
safely, and with lesse danger scout into the regions of sin and falsity then by reading all manner
of tractats, and hearing all manner of reason ? And this is the benefit which may be had of
books promiscuonsly read.

Milton. ^«Opagítíca.

L'Amour, la Galanterie & même le Libertinage ont de tous temps fait un article si considér-
able dans la vie de la plupart des hommes, & surtout des gens du monde, que l'on ne connôi-
troit qu'imparfaitement les mœurs d'une nation, si l'on négîigeoit un objet si important.
íHemoírtíí pOttr ¿trbtr à I'&UitOtrt tita JHotUltf fcU xviii &Utk, Avertissement.

II y a des gens qui, si on leur donnait à disséquer un cadavre, ne verraient qu'une chose,
c'est qu'il est nu. Ces esprits sont tellement sales qu'ils en sont bêtes, ou sont tellement bêtes
qu'ils en sont sales. D'un livre, si mauvais qu'il soit (quelqu'un l'a dit, je crois que c*est tout
le monde), on peut tirer quelque chose de bon.

Je suppose une chose immonde, un corps en putréfaction : l'homme de science ne reculera
pas d'horreur ; la science est belle, car elle est utile. Je mets cette îmmondioe au creuset de
l'analyse et de l'observation, et j'en sépare les principes différents. Faisons de la chimie intel-
lectuelle j cherchons comment ces principes de purs sont devenus corrompus ï et cherchons
comment on pourra les ramener à leur premier état. Les éléments que nous analysons sont
remplis d'un venin corrosif pour les faibles cerveaux j cherchons à neutraliser ces mauvaises
influences. On empêche bien la decomposition des cadavres, ne peut-on empêcher la
décomposition des intelligences ? Si les faibles savaient, si nous savions tous qu'un vice a
mauvais goût et fait du mal, avec quel bonheur nous le fuirions 1 II suffit de voir certaines
ignominies telles qu'elles sont pour les avoir en haine.

Adèle Esquieos. %t$, fnaXtfyavMtó VAIWllf, p. 189.

---

EPIGRAPHS,                                                  IX.

Now if any mo'lest mind shall (haply) take offence at some of his (Henri Estiene's) broad
speechen, or shall thin'ce thai they might haue bin letter spared. : I shall desire him to consider
that it is not so easie a matter to find modest words to expresse immodest things : as himself e sait h
Chap, 34. § 2. (quoted on my title page) that he hath but laid forth the Hues of Popish Prelates,
as Suetonius is said to haue written the Hues of the Emperours, Eadem libértate qua ipsi
vixerunt : and that there is no reason that so?ne should commit their vili any with impunity ; and
that no man may speake against it with modesty : or that writers should be counted handy
Bales (that is, knaues) for publishing it, they honest men who practise it. As for those wit'
foundred and letter-stricken students, I mean those cloudy spirits that are so wedded to the Muses,
that they become enemies to the Graces, and can relish no discourse except it be full fraught a?id
farced with Ob. and Sol. Videtur quod sic : probatur quod non, &c. Let them (a Gods name)
enioy their Dunses and Dorbeis, their Banes and Bambres, their Royards and blind bayards :
50 they measure vs not by their owne meatwand (making their minds the modell for all men) but
giue vs leaue to vse our liberty, and to imitate the practise of pfudent Physitians, who apply the
medicine to the malady, with particular respect of the patients temper ,· not giuing the same
potion to a queasie and a steele stomach. For euery plummet is not for euery sound, nor cuery
line for euery leuel. All meats are not for euery mans mouth : nor all liquors for euery mans
liking. The ignorant multitude and profound Clarks are not to be perswaded with the same
arguments. For popular perswasimi the learned prise not : and deepe demonstration the simple
pierce not. They must also remember what Saint Augustine saith, Vtile est plures libros a
pluribus fieri, diuerso stylo, non diuersa fide, etiam de qusestionibus ijsdem, vt ad plurimos res
ipsa perueniat, ad alios sic, ad alios autem sic. (De Trinit. lib. i. cap. 3). That is, It is good
that many bookes should be written by many men, & that of the same argument, in a
different style, but not of a different faith : that so the same truth may be conueyed to many :
to some after this manner, to some after that.

$í WÍQXXÜ Of SSfontttitf, The Epistle to the Reader.

--------------4,--------------

Nous n'essayerons pas de préciser, après d'autres plumes éloquentes, ce que c'est qu'un
livre ; mais ce que nous pensons devoir dire, c'est ce qu'un livre n'est pas.

Un livre ne pourra jamais entrer en concurrence avec ce soi-disant but utilitaire, que lui
imposent des auteurs incorruptibles. Un livre ne sera jamais, du moins nous le croyons, une
ventouse qu'on puisse appliquer aux sociétés malades pour les guérir. Ce n'est point non plus
une boîte à pilules avec laquelle on peut administrer aux hommes îa morale par petite dose?,
excepté pour ces étranges philanthropes qui rêvent actuellement de transformer l'art en un
emplâtre pour le* plaies humaines.

---

X.                                                   EPIGRAPHS.

Non, un Uvre n'est point conçu dans l'officine d'unepharmacie. Le cabinet ou la mansarde
dans lesquels il vient au monde ne sont hantés que par des visions délicates qui assiègent le
penseur. L'artiste inconnu ou le riche lettré qui l'enfantent en polissent la forme avec le même
amour. Souvent c'est un pan de draperie moulée qui suffit à éveiller dans l'esprit l'image des
beautés secrètes qu'elle a dû couvrir, et chaque philistin de flétrir cette aspiration vers la per-
fection plastique, de convoitise brutale. Autant vaudrait faire le procès de Phidias parce qu'il
a touché au marbre, ou celui de Périclès parce qu'il a disposé pour lui des fonds de la répub-
lique,—la vraie, celle-là.

Mme. Marie Öuivogne. ftfötoi« W&lO iöt tt ©'80b aliarti, Introduction.

.....«"' I»· 8PÎ τ»ί — «ι

......; for that which chiefly makes Bawdry in so ill Repute, is because it has been

always believ'd an Incentive to such Desires, as Divines tell us, shou'd rather be curb'd than
encourag'd, and apt to bring Thoughts into peoples Heads, which ought not, and perhaps
otherwise never wou'd come there ; now if barefac'd Bawdry has this particular property, that
it does not hint these forbidden Thoughts, nor stir those unlawful Desires, but on the contrary
flattens and stifles 'em, 'tis much more innocent, and consequently fitter to be us'd, or at least
to be pardon'd, than any other.

Robert Wolselev. Prefaceto QfaUnttniail.

----------»KI^----------

But obscene Words too grosse to move Desire,
Like heaps of Fuel do but choak the Fire.
That Author's Name has underserved Praise,
Who pal'd the Appetite he meant to raise.

Rochester. $3oWt£f.

---

Preliminary Remarks.

KgSJHE present volume is a sequel to the inUtf iibVOVUttl
ESeH ProftíbítOrunt which I had privately printed in
HBt^Sl 1877, and might with propriety have formed a
second volume of that work, had I not, for several reasons,¹
preferred rather to alter the first part of the title,* and to let

¹ The most weighty of which are: (1) That the words "Index Librorum
Prohibitorum," having been employed to designate works of a very different
kind from my own, are misleading, and do not convey a proper notion of my
book. (2) The same title has been lately revived, both at Rome and at
Paris, (see List of Authorities, post), which renders a confusion between the
three works very probable.

¹ The most difficult part of a book is undoubtedly its title-page, nor am I
by any means satisfied with that which I have now adopted. Since title-pages
were first introduced—in 1487, at Strassburg, in the Confessionale of Antoninus
—authors have been constantly at a loss how to christen their mental offspring.
Some have cudgelled their brains to invent a few words appropriately to desig-
nate their books, others have been constrained to add a perfect table of contents
to their title-pages. Some bave endeavoured to Latinise their titles, others to
render them in Greek or other ancient language, while not a few have sought
so to word their title-pages that the true nature of their volumes should be
carefully concealed. " Logic has not succeeded as yet (observes Mr. J. H.
Burton) in discovering the means of framing a title-page which shall be
exhaustive, as it is termed, and constitute an infallible finger-post to the nature
of a book. From the beginning of all literature, it may be said that man has

---

XU.                              PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

each volume stand by itself, the more so as each volume is
complete in itself.

The Centuria £ff>rorum 'Su&onfcitorum is carried out on

the same plan as that proposed at p. lxxi of the Index Lihrorum
Prohibitorum, with the exception only of two slight changes,
which will, I trust, be deemed ameliorations: (i) I have
abolished the alphabetical arrangement in the body of the book.
That arrangement was arbitrary, and served really no practical
use for reference, as I anticipated it would. This alteration has
enabled me, without binding myself to any strict rule, or
system of classification, to throw together books by the same

been continually struggling after this achievement, and struggling in vain ; and
it is a humiliating fact, that the greatest adepts, abandoning the effort in
despair, have taken refuge in some fortuitous word, which has served their pur-
pose better than the best results of their logical analysis. The book which has
been the supreme ruler of the intellect in this kind of work, stands forth as an
illustrious example of failure." %\)z 3ßooit?f|mttfi*, p. 112. Several authors
have amused themselves by composing imaginary title-pages, others in noting
those which bore very marked peculiarities. Some amusing specimens of
book-titles will be found, inter alia, in Jtantacprutl, Chap. 7 -_} Curiojfttttô of
Etterature, I. Disraeli, vol. 1, p. 321 ; tfuntateiti ?3ftlto£rap{)tqufä, fonpri*
tnruttf fmagmatrre, <£ááat sui* leí Btfoïtûtïjiçjuea imagínate, Gustave
Brunet i %z Cotttfttoniuur, Louis J udì ci s; &naltrte¿. Uit BíMíopIjífe,
part 3 j {ñíudlanha JMöïtograpïjtpeé, No. 6. One of the most remarkable
deceptions of modern times was the Catalogue d*une irès-ricke mais peu nom-
breuse collection de Livres provenant de la bibliothèque de feu Mr. le Comte
j.—N.—A. De Fortsas, dont ¿a vente se fera à Binche, le 10 août 1840, tsfc,
by which many of the most astute collectors of Europe were duped. To the
Catalogue should be added documentó et íBarttcultarttííá Üt£tutt(|UC5 sur ¿e
Catalogue du comte de Fortsas ; &c. A Mons. pp. 222.

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                              XUl.

author, upon the same subject, or of a kindred nature. In
every instance of reference I beg my readers to apply to the
Index,³ which I have endeavoured to render more explicit,
more detailed, and more exhaustive, than in my former
volume. (2) For the words " Index Librorum Prohibitorum,"
which were constantly repeated as page-headings throughout
the volume, I have substituted the title of the book noticed,
or a few words indicative of the person or subject mentioned
in each page. This will, I hope, be found materially to facili-
tate reference.

Like its predecessor, this volume is miscellaneous in its
contents. As, however, in the Index Librorum Prohibitorum,
2l few items were predominant, among which I may more par-
ticularly point out the complete works of Edward Sellon,(⁴)

³  The importance of a thorough, alphabetical Index cannot be too warmly or
too frequently urged. " So essential (writes Lord Campbell) did I consider
an Index to be to every book, that I proposed to bring a Bill into parliament
to deprive an author who publishes a book without an Index of the privilege of
copyright j and, moreover, to subject him, for his offence, to a pecuniary
penalty." Cfje HtÍJfá of Ü)t €ï)kî ¿ustíftá of &ngtanV, Preface to vol. 3.

⁴  I have before me a most interesting collection of documents, made by
Sellon himself. It comprises (1) a copy of %ì)t Ì£Ua&er, No. for January 21,
1865, in which is given an account of a paper On the L'mga puja, or Phallic
worship of India, read by Sellon to the Anthropological Society, January 17 ;
(2) Some Remarks on the Sancti Puja or The ÏForship of the Female Powers,
and A Reply to the Attack in the Ethnological Review for December, 1865, two
MSS. in Sellon's own writing 5 (3) numerous autograph letters, generally very
eulogistic, concerning the above mentjoned paper, and his ^unotattoná Qïl tl)t
émtii OTrttmgá of tlje Hürträif, from C. Carter Blake, sec, J. F. Col-

---

Xiv.                             PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

and of John Davenport,^) the ©ÖÖtip flit QBtomftlt (⁶)

lingwood, v. p. of the society, from Sir J. Emerson Tennent, Thomas
Wright, Dr. James Hunt, Dr. Kinkel, Col. J. Dickson, Col. P.
Bernard, &c.

^s I supplement my brief memoir of him with the notice of his death.
John Davenport breathed his last May u, 1877, at No. 30, Huntley Street
(then No. 15, Alfred Street), W.C. He died in the greatest penury, having
been supported during the last months of his existence by donations from the
Royal Literary Fund, and the bounty of private individuals.

⁶ Since writing my notice, I have had occasion to inspect, at the Record
Office, the original indictment, in which enough of the poem is set forth to
enable me to pronounce as genuine versions, the edition which heads my
article (p. 198) and Hotten's reprint (p. 229) j although no decision as to the
purity of the texts can be given until they shall have been compared with that
of the edition printed at Wilkes's own press. In the indictment the work is
described as : ** a certain malignant obscene and impious libel or composition
intitled %xt QBääav on Woman, and purporting to be inscribed to Miss Fanny
Murray with a certain obscene frontispiece or sculpture prefixed to the said
Libel and in the title page thereof representing the Genitals or private parts of
a man in which said libel or composition were then and there contained
(amongst other things) divers wicked obscene and scandalous matters (that is
to say) in one part thereof to the tenor and effect following (to wit) Awake my
Fanny, leave all meaner things, This morn shall prove what raptures swiving
brings, &c.*' Several of the notes are similarly set forth, and the separate
poems, The Universal Prayer and Feni Creator are specially mentioned. It
may not be inappropriate to note here an edition in the Advocate's Library,
Edinburgh, which I have not previously mentioned, and which is curious
although a spurious one. It is a small 4X0 pamphlet of 17 pages in all 5 of
which the title page, ornamented with a fleuron, reads as follows : This Day is
Published, Price is. 6d. > %u Q&ity Oil Woman» in Three Epistles. Sold at a
Pamphlet-Shop,the Corner of Lovafs-Court,in Pater-Nosier-Row, and nowhere
else. *** If n& dangerous Consequences result from this Publication, the Pulite

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                              XV.

by the once notorious John Wilkes,^) numerous books on

may expect the Fourth Epistle and the Notes, in a few Days, The first and
last couplets of the poem are as follows :

" Awake ! my C......., leave all things beside,

"To low ambition, and to Scottish pride:

"Those only fixed, they, first or last, obey,

"The love of pleasure, and the love of sway."

The version is then the same as that noticed at p. 220 of the inìSty Etforonim
:Proï)tbttQrum, as No. 3, without the French translation.

1 To the numerous authorities concerning him there cited may still be added :
$erig antttfotaij föriiaurgf) t&cöwfo, 1839$ iUfctu Kt* ©tux Atoirtrá,
October 15, 1875. But mentions are made of John Wilkes where one
would little expect to find them—a proof, I take it, that he has influenced the
minds of men more universally than is generally supposed. In Cï)î <&ÎSiûn of
âfuttgmittt of Southey he figures as the "Lord of Misrule in his day," known
"by the cast of his eye oblique/' and Lord Byron, in his parody of that poem,
introduces him as :

"A merry, cock-e)^red, curious-looking sprite.'*

Perhaps I may be permitted to transcribe the following striking passage with
which Lord Lytton concludes his tale, Saul Cliffiorfc: "O John Wilkes !
Alderman of London, and Drawcansir of Liberty, your life was not an iota too
perfect,—your patriotism might have been infinitely purer,—your morals
would have admitted indefinite amendment : you are no great favourite
with us or with the rest of the world, but you said one excellent
thing, for which we look on you with benevolence, nay, almost with re-
spect. We scarcely know whether to smile at its wit, or to sigh at its wis-
dom. Mark this truth, all ye gentlemen of England, who would make laws as
the Romans made fasces—a bundle of rods with an axe in the middle j mark
it, and remember ! long may it live, allied with hope in ourselves, but with
gratitude in our children j—long after the book which it now * adorns * and
* points * has gone to its dusty slumber ;—long, long after the feverish hand

---

Xvi.                             PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

Flagellation,(⁸) and upon Sodomy, (⁹) both in France and
England; so, in the Centuria Librorum A'bsconditorum, some
authors and subjects occupy more space than others, such as
the works of Schurigius, books connected with the Church of

which now writes it down can defend or enforce it no more :—' The very
worst use to which you can put a man is to hang him ! * "

The lord-mayoralty of the "friend of liberty" was commemorated in a
modest obelisk the existence and whereabouts of which are little known even to
Londoners. It stands in the middle of Bridge Street, Blackfriars, at the
junction of Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill, facing a similar monument to Robert
Wait h m an of the " Emporium for Shawls," and is inscribed : " a.d.mdcclxxv.
The Right Honorable John Wilkes. Lord Mayor.

In order more fully to illustrate this strange propensity, I reproduce two
engravings, chosen from among several others of a similar nature, in vogue
during the latter part of the last, and the beginning of the present century.
The original of the first, which is without signature or title, is by H. F.
Grave lot, and measures n by 9 inches ¡ a lithographic reproduction of this
plate, in a reduced form, size, ex title, 9 by 8 i inches, was made by J. C.
Hotten, who, more suo, supplied it with a title and supposed artist's name,
and issued it as Molly's first Correction, from the very rare originai by
Hogarth. The second : Lady Termagant Flay hum going to give her Step
Son a taste of her Desert after Dinner, &c, which I have already mentioned at
p. 375 of the Jfntotp ïtbrorum Jkoíjtíntutttm, is entirely different, and much
bolder in treatment, and is by an artist of no mean talent, although I have been
unable to discover his name j the size of the original, not including the title, is
2i| by 16 inches. This second plate will be found inserted at the end of the
Additions, facing some further notes on Flagellation.

9 No books specially devoted to this subject are comprised in the following
pages, unless I mention Sodom noticed at p. 326, but I would call the atten-
tion of my readers to the very remarkable notes which I have been able to
add at p. 404, post.

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                            XVÜ.

Rome, and the numerous erotic productions of the pencil and
etching-needle of Thomas Rowlandson. Upon these I desire
to make a few introductory observations.

Of all the learned physicians or surgeons who have written
upon the physical connection of the sexes, no one has treated
the subject so thoroughly, or brought together so many curious,
interesting and extraordinary details as Dr. Martin Schurig.
The lovers of the curiosities of literature will assuredly not be
displeased at having these little known, and less read volumes
brought more prominently before them.

Already in the thirteenth century, Albert Bollstoedt,
bishop of Ratisbonne, better known as Albertus Magnus,(¹⁰)
had, in spite of his clerical profession,^¹) furnished much
scabrous matter concerning the opposite sex in his work : J0t
Stretto JïlUlterunuO³) The learned bishop gives his reasons
for having composed that treatise : " Quia malum non evitatur
nisi cognitum : ideo necesse est volentibus abstinere, cognoscere
immundiciem coïtus et multa alia quse docentur in isto libro."

Later, during the same century, in his SSUgftnitt J§>íUíítHí
ttó,(¹³) Arnaldus de Villanova, in a chapter De ornatû

¹⁰  See that name in ÎStc. %tetortqut de Bayle, &c.

¹¹    " Shall a bishop, raised to the See of Ratisbone, (exclaims the erudite
James Atkinson) and (still more monstrous) shall a canonized man, an '⁽in
coelum sublevatus/ undertake a natural history of the most natural -secret, inter
secretalia fceminea ? Is the natural and divine law at once to be expounded,
inter Scyllam et Charybdim, of defailance and human orgasm ?" 0ítiiicñl
38&Iio groppi», p. 72.

¹³ Hatroel ttu fctbratrt, vol. 1, col. 138.              '* ibid., vol. 5, col 1227.

c

---

Xviii.                           PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

mulierum, furnished a receipt " ut desiderium et dulcedo
(coïtus) augeatur." In another chapter he says : " In hoc
meo Deo auxiliante, de egritudinibus quae proprie mulieribus
acci dunt tractare intendo ;" and one can imagine the details which
he gives when he adds : " et quia mulleres ut plurimum sunt
Animalia Venenosa."(¹⁴) In the next century, one of the popes,
John xxii, wrote a work upon the formation of the foetus.(^IS)

All this may perhaps be placed to the account of the bar-
barity of the age. Passing now to a much more recent date,
we have, published at Rome, in 1642, the remarkable work by
Dr. SiNiBALDUs, 0mtUnti)tOpt\U ; (^l6) and about a century
later the erudite Jean Astruc gave to the world his Mt

áKorbfó Wmtvttó, and Cratte ïe0 áHalaiitesí fceô ¿fern*

ttïtS^O⁷) in which works he treats everything in the freest
manner possible. (^l8)

¹⁴   To which passage James Atkinson appends the following humourous
criticism : " (Oh the rascal !) begging leave, (Deo auxiliante,) with God's
blessing and his own endeavours, to abuse the dear creatures,—' Et de morsu
Animalium Venenosorum, &c.' " He adds :^ff Simple Villa Nova ! what occasion
for any of his abominations ; could he suppose they did not understand the
rights of man. Why not leave the expedient to the genius and resources of
the ladies 3 they all knew full well, that there is no steering the best rigged man
of war in a storm, without command of the steerage ; and they never affect to
strike fire out of a cheese paring." JKeKicaï fStWiograpi)!*» pp. 76 and 78.

¹⁵  Biographie iïntötrJcïlt (Michaud), vol. 20, p. 610 ; Cajreíí» p. 75.

¹⁶  Fully noticed at p. 260 of the fa&tp liöronim Srottftftormn.

¹⁷  iStograppa asettica, vol. ι, ρ. 28; Stograpftfe JÉcttkalt, vol. ι, pp. 400
and 4015 33ú)grag»|íe fteá &titnaä jffletttcaktf.

¹⁸  In the jEdtócal 8tfeltograpf)$, (already cited) p. 133, there is an excellent
notice upon Astruc and his works.

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                             XIX.

One might imagine from these remarks that, as far as the
medical art was concerned, the boldest enquiries and the most
naked details concerning the union of the sexes and its conse-
quences had been made known, but this would be a grave
error. The particulars, observations, and anecdotes given by
Schurig far surpass any thing in the works already mentioned,
as will be seen in the analyses of the six works noticed in these
pages (pp. ι to io), although to form any just notion of what
they really contain the books themselves should be read ; and
they will be found thoroughly interesting by those not con-
nected with the profession.

It may to the general reader appear strange, and be deemed
impossible by one who has not considered the subject, that
books of an objectionable, immoral, or obscene nature should
be found connected with any religion, the primary object of
which is, or is believed to be, in every instance, the teaching, in
some form or other, of purity and morality ; but a very super-
ficial enquiry will suffice to show that whatever the tenets of
the founder, or founders, every system of theology has, sooner
or later, become alloyed with immoral doctrines, impure rites,
or obscene practices and customs. None, Ï opine, have been
more shamefully perverted and degraded than that originated
by the lawgiver of Sinai, and modified by the carpenter's son
of Bethlehem.(¹⁹) Around none assuredly has so voluminous

¹⁹ Concerning CJe Mîblt itself, I do not propose to make any remarks ;
although» as it is a prohibited book to the greater part of the Christian world,
it would fairly corne within the scope of the present essay. To those wishful

---

XX.                              PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

and objectionable a literature sprung up.(^ao) This cannot well

of having the turpitudes, blasphemies, and contradictions which undoubtedly
defile its pages served up with a sauce of exquisite wit and banter, I would recom-
mend He Cttattttr of Pigault-lebrun. I shall confine myself here to citing
the sober words of Milton, who exclaims : " yea the Bible it seife j for that
oftimes relates blasphemy not nicely, it describes the carnal! sense of wicked
men not unelegantly, it brings in holiest men passionately murmuring against
providence through all the arguments of Epicurus : in other great disputes it
answers dubiously and darkly to the common reader : And ask a Talmudist
what ails the modesty of his marginal! Keri, that Moses and all the Prophets
cannot persuade him to pronounce the textuall Chetiv. For these causes we all
know the Bible it selfe put by the Papist into the first rank of prohibited
books." ^rtopagtttca.

²⁰ Let me say a word concerning the Jewish commentators, to whom
allusion has been made in the foregoing note. Nothing can exceed the horrible-
ness of their legends, or the filthiness of their comments upon the Old Testa-
ment. Dr. Edward Vaughan Kenealy, whose erudition in Rabbinical
literature is remarkable, has, in five ponderous volumes, treated the subject very
exhaustively. I extract two passages : " The believers in the rabbis excused
to themselves the frightful enormities of which we know they were guilty,
(see Part I., pages 354, 432, 434, and Exodus xxii. 19 j Leviticus xviii, 23, xx.
15, 16 ; and Deuteronomy xxvii. 21), by the example of their feigned progeni-
tor, Adam, who as their Rabbis taught them, had carnal knowledge of every tame
and wild beasi on the earth, and was not satisfied until God made Eve for him.
This fearful doctrine is declared by Bartolocci in his learned Bibliotheca Rab-
binica, vol. L, page jj, and he cites for it Rabbi Eleazer and Rabbi Solomon
Jarch 1, two of the most noted doctors of the Jews : adding Ad idem omnia
tendunt—all things prove it was so, in the opinion of the Hebrews." Cfyt
îiûûk ûî fàoìi. An Introduction to The Apocalypse, p. 694. " I have already
expressed my opinion as to the value of the Rabbinical writings. They are
worse even than the legends of the monks. I hold them in the most utter
contempt. But there are people who do not, and for whom they may have
value. I cite here another instance of the utter ' abominablness of Rabbinical

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                             XXI.

fail to be the case as long as humanity is as it is. Enlighten-
ment and education are our best safeguards against vice and
error ; and it is not difficult to understand how immoral teach-
ing crept in, and lewd conduct was tolerated, during
those dark ages when power almost absolute was in the
hands of a bigoted, intolerant and uninstructed priest-
hood. "Tout homme est homme, et les moines sur-
tout." To make a complete bibliography of books connected
with the Christian religion, or even with the Romish branch of
it, would be a Herculean labour. To form one indeed of
those against the priests(³¹) would be most interesting, although

literature î what I cite is a specimen of what it all is. Nimrod quotes, but
without animadversion, the frightful rabbinical story about Noah given in
Part III., 461 : Cham nactus opportunitatem cum Noa pater madidus jaceret,
illius virilia comprehendens, taciteque suhmwrmurans carmine magico, patri illusiti
et ilium sterilem, perinde atque castratum, effecit, neque deinceps Noa fœmellam
ullam fœcundare potuti. iv. $JJ* This abomination was invented by the Jews
for the purpose of showing, first, that Noah had no other children than Sbem,
Ham, and Japhet, and that they (the Jews) were descended from Shem, the
best and holiest -, and secondly, that Cham, the father of the Asiatics and
Africans, was one of the most accursed of wretches, whose posterity, and more
particularly the Canaanites, it was lawful to subjugate, ravish, murder, and
destroy j just as it was right to exterminate the Moabites, who were the fruit of
the fabulous incest of Lot. Thus there was a bloody and damnable and cruel
motive at the bottom of these Rabbinical lies." denoti), vol. i, p. 198.

One of the most esteemed and comprehensive collections of poems against
the priests is contained in a small 8vo. vol. of pp. 494, and 1 unnumbered,
entitled : Farta Üoctorït îîtcr&m'çiii 'Ftrorum, De corrupto Ecclesiae statu,
Poemata, Antenostramœtatem coscrìpta : ex quiòus multa historica quoq. utiliter,
ec summa eum uolupiate cognosci possunt. Gum prœfatione Math ι ve Flach
Migrici. Bankœ, Per Lvdouicum Lu cium. Date, on the colophon only,

---

XXii.                           PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

a giant undertaking. I do not propose to myself either of these
tasks. I have endeavoured however in the following pages to
bring together, as specimens only, a few works of different
descriptions concerning the Church of Rome, which I have
classified as follows : Books written by priests, or members of
the Church of Rome (pp. 62 to 86) ; compiled from those
of Popish writers (pp. 87 to in) ; by apostates from the faith
(pp. 112 to 144) ; by those who had suffered clerical persecu-
tion (pp. 145 to 156) ; by Protestants, or enemies of the
Romish Church (pp. 157 to 212); containing authentic ac-
counts of scandals committed by priests (pp. 213 to 259) ;
made up of stories, more or less apocryphal, intended to bring
the church into bad repute,(") and fictions, ridiculing the rites

M.D.LVii. This vol., which is now rarely met with, comprises the effusions of
three centuries, many of which are not to be found in any other collection.
Among the most interesting items may be mentioned a poem and brief memoir
of Walter Mapes, and a remarkable poem in centons by Lmlio Capi lupi,
de uita Monachorum_r which contains some very free passages. In 1841
Thomas Wright published for the Camden Society the poems of Mapes, and
again in 18^0, Gualteri Mapes De Nugis Curialium Distinciiones qvinque,
from an unique MS. in the Bodleian Library. Abrief notice of him is given
at p. 323 of Cf>e Etterature of tfye Itgtnrj». Mathias, in his iíurouítá of
ïtterature, quotes him more than once, and calls him ^t€ the jovial archdeacon
of Oxford, the Anacreon of the eleventh century/' Concerning Laelio Capilupi,
his poem is given by Wolf in his Eectf oftöm aJMemoraMltöm ; and much infor-
mation about him (and four other writers of the same name), together with
extracts from their works, will be found in M. O. Delepierre's Cabírau Öe
la littérature tfu Centón» vol. 1, p. 170.

²² Abominable as these compilations frequently are, their comparative utility
must not be overlooked. In speaking of the celibacy of the clergy, Southey

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                           XXui.

of the church and the conduct of its ministers, some written by-
members of the church (pp. 260 to 291). A glance at either
of these subdivisions will, I feel confident, suffice to prove the
correctness of what I have advanced, viz., that books, improper,
immoral, and even grossly obscene, will be found in abundance
connected with the Christian religion, and with the Church of
Rome in particular, many indeed written by members of that
church, and furnished with the permission and approbation of
the pope and his officers.(³³) Should my readers however

remarks , " A wide spreading immorality was the inevitable result. Upon this
point we may appeal to popular opinion, being one of the few points on which
it may be trusted. Before the Reformation the clergy in this country were as
much the subjects of ribald tales and jests for the looseness of their lives, as
they were in all other Roman Catholic countries, and still are in those where·
ever any freedom of speech can be indulged," TJmtítcíi* Sfittò Biiglt*
ca»», p. 302.

⁸³ But as these clerical writings, especially the treatises of the casuists,
became known to the world at large, the Church of Rome was constrained to
condemn what she had at first approved. After quoting the forcible invectives
of Bossubt upon this subject, M. Libri continues: " Faut-il ajouter mainte-
nant que le cardinal de Noailles, dans son instruction pastorale du 16 janvier,
'7*9» voyait dans le dangereux principe de la probabilité la source de tous les
relâchements ! et qu'au xvii^e siècle, vingt évêques français ont proscrit ce prin-
cipe, également condamné par les facultés de théologie de Paris, de Reims, de
Nantes, de Poitiers, de Caen ¿ par les curés de Paris, et enfin par l'assemblée
générale du clergé censurant, en 1700, cent vingt-sept propositions tirées, pour
la plupart, des probabilités, qui, dit l'éditeur d'un ouvrage (Conférences ecclési-
astiques sur plusieurs points importants de la morale chrétienne, Bruxelles,
^I7S5> t. 1, p. 3 et 19) composé à la prière d'un ancien archevêque de Paris (le
cardinal de Noailles), seme Ment avoir puisé dans un cloaque toutes les ordures
fu'ils mettoient dans leurs livres _f et dont les païens même n'auraient osé salir leurs

---

Xxiv.                          PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

consider my selection partial, prejudiced, or unfair, I would
request them to take up the writings of any of the
most esteemed Romish authors, especially of the Jesuits (*♦)
and casuists,^*) such as Angelus, St. Augustin, Azorius,

ouvrages. Tels sont, en un mot, les décisions de l'Eglise gallicane à l'égard de
ce probabilisme que professent l'abbé Moullet et l'abbé Rousselot, et sans
lequel, dit-on, la morale ne saurait être enseignée. Après Alexandre vu,
Innocent xi et Benoît xiv ont condamné cette doctrine, repoussée également
par les plus savants théologiens de tous les pays (parmi lesquels il suffira de
citer lés cardinaux d'AouiRE, Sandoval, Bellarmin, Palavi ci ni, Noris,
S frond rat, les pères Merenda, Fagnan, Gonzales, Conci na), et par le
tribunal de l'inquisition, dans une décision du 15 janvier 1664," %dtrtü aux
U CUrge, p. 106. I would direct the special attention of my readers to the
able Note which should be added to the Urcoufctttea ft'un J3íbííopi)tU, and
which comprises an exhaustive list of objectionable Romish writers, and of the
doctrines, pernicious or immoral, for which they were condemned.

⁸⁴ In his Crattt ku fcu Bunt fcrtiiolafel* Be la Confesión, Lenglet du
Fresno y has given a very complete and useful list of the Jesuitical writers up
to the end of the 17th century. A list of authors of a later date will be found
in the Compmtttum (see p. 87, post). It is however to the Hettrtö fírootnaaíe*
that one must turn to get a clear notion of the Jesuitical teachings. Nothing
can surpass the ridicule which Pascal has heaped upon the followers of
Loyola. Little indeed can be added to what that great and witty has said.

³⁵ The biting sarcasms which MoNTEseuiEu directed against the casuists
in his &ettre4 Serbane*, are too well known to-need citing. I find space how-
ever f or the following sketch of their origin by M. Libri: " C'est alors (au
moyen âge) que des théologiens, que des canonistes, voulant donner des règles
certaines de conduite, et trouvant apparemment la morale de l'Evangile insuffi-
sante formèrent le projet insensé de faire l'enumerati on complète de toutes les
actions humaines, de donner une solution de tous les cas possibles, et fondèrent
cette science du casulsme, qui a pris dans la suite un si grand accroissement, et

---

preliminary remarks.                        xxv.

Bauny, Benedictis, Benzi,(^s6) Billuard, Bonacina, Bossus,
Büsembaüm, Cajetano, Charly, Conick, Decius, De la
Hogue, Dens, Diana, Dicastillo, Elbel, Escobar, Fa-
gundez, FiLLiucius,(^a?) Gambac, Gousset, Graff, Grégoire

contre laquelle se sont toujours élevés les hommes les plus pieux, les cœurs les
plus purs. Ce n'est pas du vivant de ceux qu'on a si bien nommés les pré-
dicateurs de la raison humaine que ces doctrines pouvaient prendre naissance ;
c'est lorsque des moines discutaient gravement si le Fils de Dieu avait pu
s'incarner dans une vache, c'est pendant qu'on célébrait la messe de Vâne dans la
cathédrale de Sens, que la plupart des églises de France servaient de théâtre aux
mystères et aux farces les moins propres à édifier les fidèles ; c'est lorsqu'enfin
on composait et on lisait régulièrement à certaines heures dans les couvents ces
contes dévots si remplis de descriptions licencieuses, qu'à propos du sixième
commandement on se prit à traiter avec un cynisme révoltant les cas les plus
monstrueux que des cerveaux en délire aient jamais pu imaginer. La chaire
sacrée suivit bientôt cet exemple déplorable, et les hommes qui font collection de
ces sortes de livres recherchent beaucoup les sermons du père Maillard, qui,
racontant à ses auditeurs les tentatives d'un certain président pour séduire suc-
cesssivement plusieurs femmes mariées, reproduisait jusqu'au bruit du tic toc
que faisait en frappant à la porte de ces femmes la personne que le lubrique
magistrat avait chargée de ses intérêts. Voilà les véritables sources qu'il faut
citer quand on veut connaître les ancêtres de l'abbé Rousselot." Eettrcá ¿ur
h €Ut%i_t p. 80.

³⁶ " Le Père Benzi causa un grand scandale en déclarant que c'était une pecca-
dille que de palper les seins d'une nonne. Les Dominicains l'ayant attaqué, il
fut défendu par les Jésuites F ou re et Turani ; ce dernier essaya de prouver,
qoe Thomas D'AaúiN avait énoncé le même principe ; il n'y réussit point.
A propos de cette opinion sur les tatti mammillari, on donna aux Jésuites le
surnom de · théologiens mamillaires.' " Efíf &i#uîUapar J. Hub er, vol. 2, p. 84.

ⁿ Lisez ... le jésuite Filliutius, qui a discuté avec une extrême sagacité
jusqu'à quel degré peuvent se porter les attouchements voluptueux, sans devenir
criminels. Il décide, par exemple, qu'un mari a beaucoup moins à se plaindre

d

---

XXVL                            PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

de Valentia, GukY,(^a8) Henricus, Holzmann, Hurtado,
Lacroix, Laymann, Gordon Lesmore, Liguori,(*⁹) Maider,

lorsque sa femme s'abandonne à un étranger d'une manière contraire à la nature,
que quand elle commet simplement avec lui un adultère, et fait le péché comme
Dieu le commande j parce que, dit Filliutius, de h. première façon on ne touche
pas au vase légitime sur lequel seul l'époux a des droits exclusifs .... O qu'un
esprit de paix est un précieux don du ciel !" (trottila Sífcltotl, mdcccxxxiii,

Ρ· 59·

⁸⁸ His works have lately passed through a new edition : Compendium
Cinologia* JHoratta P. Ioannis Petri Gury S. I. &c. Romae Ex Typo-
graphia Polygioita &c. mdccclxxvii. 8vo., 2 vols. Many of the most
noteworthy points of his teaching will be found set forth in CJe j$e¿Uttá, by
Mr. W. C. Cartwright.

²⁹ Saint LiGuoRi occupies an important position in the Church of Rome.
His teaching maintains to the present day, and he founded a sect, which, at one
time, had an influence second only to that of the Jesuits. His doctrines,
together with those of saints Léonard de Port-Maurice, Charles
Borroméb, Fbançois de Sales, Philippe de Néri, and François-Xavier,
have been lately embodied by Mgr. Gau μ ε in his fHanuel ttetf ConftAtairt.
On the other hand the objectionable and immoral points of his teaching are
ably summed up in the ¿eíoufctrttá K'uíl Bibliophile. The followers of
Liguori, called Redemptorists, or Congregation of the Redeemer, appear to have
adopted the subtlety and duplicity of the Jesuits without attaining the learning
and wisdom for which that order is justly celebrated. In his jHoftertl
3te¿uttiam, Dr. Michelsen has given an admirable sketch of the Redemptor*
ist s ; but I append the still more striking picture of Dr. F. Schuselka :
"2>er. 6αφ unb bem ®et)le ηαφ untetfcfyeíben (Ιφ bte Jèigitertcuiet Don fcem
eigentlt^ien Sefuiten nur baburcfy, bag j!e ηαφ öarbertlicija: unb gcfâ^rli^ct Wirten
aU biefe. 6te fcerfoígen bie fctylintnflen Jefuitif^en Swede mit rûdfl^tgïofejler
(gtttfcfytebenCeit unb butc^auo oi^ne bie miíbmtben nnb ijeraiitteinben Zürnten beò
etgentítdjen iefuittSmuÔ. íDa. 1(1 feine <&pw Jener ifac^^eCeÇrfaiîtfeit, jener weit*
nianntf^en ^ein^it unb Ôef^meiWgffit, burdj mltyt bie $tpikn moncÇeriet

---

preliminary remarks.                           xxvü.

Marchantius, Moja,(³°) Molina, Moullet,(³¹) Navarrus,
Palao, Pereira, Petrocorentis, Corneille de la Pierre,

nüfcíic^eS gefctyaffen unb (ΐφ ber ÏÖelt wentgjïenê leichter erträgt, ja jutretten fogar
angenehm gemalt $abm. $>ie SHguorianer prebigen bie Barfie, nacftejte $)ummÇeit
unb öerfünben mit empörenber gotteeläfterUcfyer 5)reifiigfeit, bafi eben nur in btefer
$)ummÇeit, b. $. im sättigen $lufgeBen atter ^BermmfttÇâttgfeit, im fclinbefien Segen*
bengíauBen, in finbtf^eflen <£eremontenf:pieí, b. Í). atfo im ganzen 33er§ic^ten auf
alle gottâÇnïicfye SD^enfc^titì^ieit unb Sftenfcfyetmmrbe baê bteê* unb jenfettige ^eiï be*
9)ìenfd?f)ett liege. 2>te Ôiguorianer rcotten im ftrcíjíícfyen, ^auâit^en unb öffentlichen
íeten jenen jelotifc^en ^ntömuê njtebereinfü^ren, ber im SOîittelalter btê ¿u foic^er
STOenfc^en* unb ®ottf(^änbung fcerfanf, ba^ g. S3. eine beutfc^e Qrürftih ©Ott einen
rco^igefättigen $>ienft ^u leiften njä^nte, njenn fie baâ SÖaffer traní, in roelc^em |ΐφ
9Rônc^e bie $û$ e gercafcï?en !" Φ e r 3 e fu i t e η f r i e g, p. 294.

³⁰  "Les élucubrations que l'on rencontre dans les ouvrages de leur Ordre
(the Jesuits) se refusent à toute transcription. Moja, entre autres, a dévoloppé,
dans un livre condamné par la Sorbonne, le thème des excès sexuels avec un
cynisme sans pareil : la faculté, à la fin de la censure, ajoute qu'épouvantée
des ordures dont est rempli le livre, et tenant compte des exigences de la
morale et des bienséances publiques, elle renonce à formuler toutes les sen-
tences de la condammation. Eeá Βcáuttíá, par J. Huber, vol. 2, p. 83.

³¹  " En effet, s'agit-il d'une jeune personne poursuivie et en danger d'être
violée j le moraliste (Moullet), après l'avoir engagée à fuir et à crier, a soin de
tenir un tarnen en réserve, pour lui apprendre qué si par cette fuite ou par ces
cris elle pouvait exposer sa vie ou sa réputation, elle n'est obligée ni de s'enfuir
ni de crier avec la perspective de ces désagréments (cum tanto suo incom-
modo).....

" L'abbé Rousse lot nous avait énuméré les petites caresses mamillaires
qu'on pouvait faire à une femme en toute sécurité de conscience ; la limite une
fois franchie, M. Moullet nous apprend à diriger l'intention de manière à
diminuer le nombre des péchés. ^f Celui (dit-il) qui touche ou embrasse
lacivement une jeune personne sans avoir l'intention d'aller plus loin, commet
plusieurs péchés, mais (vero) il n'en commet qu'un seul s'il se livre à ces actes
cornine moyens d'atteindre un autre but, quand même cet effet ne s'ensuivrait
pas.' ^M Eett«* mv le Cierge, p. 97.

---

XXviii.                        PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

Pontius, Preinguez, Rodriguez, Roncaglia, Rousselot(³*),
Emmanuel Sa, the universally known Thomas Sanchez,(³³)

³² " II faudrait inviter ces austères censeurs à lire les pages oïl l'abbé Rousselot
conseille aux confesseurs de demander aux jeunes personnes si elles ont l'habi-
tude de livrer leur corps aux chiens ; il faudrait les engager à chercher dans ce
livre (CompmÜtum) comment, par des attamen judicieusement placés, on peut
excuser et pallier les infamies les plus révoltantes. La valse et la galopade sont
mortelles, suivant le professeur de Grenoble, qui permet cependant de pousser
du pied le pied d'une femme, de lui serrer la main, de lui palper les jambes, la
gorge, les épaules, et même d'éprouver quelque plaisir dans ces attouchements.
Ceci rappelle tout à fait la célèbre doctrine des mamiUaires, contre lesquels le
théologien Concina écrivit un traité dans le siècle dernier, doctrine qui fut
sévèrement proscrite par le pape Benoît xiv. . . . Les doctrines exposées
dans ce livre au sujet de l'avortement sont reprehensibles au dernier degré.
Les distinctions que Fauteur établit entre le cas où le fœtus est animé et celui
où il ne Test pas encore contiennent autant d'erreurs en physiologie qu'en
morale. En comparant ce crime horrible à une action honteuse et funeste à la
vérité, mais malheureusement trop fréquente, M. Rousselot ne pourrait que
multiplier les avortements, s'il n'y avait pas dans le cœur des hommes d'autre
morale que celle qu'il a prêchée." %tttvt$ îtur ïeCletgi, p. 87.

³³ It was my intention to have noticed fully the three remarkable volumes
îBfôpbtattonûm fce Maneto Matrimonii Sacramento, of Thomas Sanchez,
especially as there are connected with them one or two bibliographical uncer-
tainties which it would be interesting to clear up. However, the work is
so generally well known, and mentioned by so many bibliographers, that I
decided to pass it over. It may not however be superfluous to note here a
few of the questions which the worthy Jesuit discusses : " Utrùm liceat extra
vas naturale semen emitiere ?—De altera fœmînâ cogitare in coïtu cum sua
uxore ?—Seminare consultò, separatum ?—Congredi cum uxore, sine spe
seminandi ?—Impotenti«, tractibus et ¡Uecebris opitulari ?—Se retrahere quando
mulier seminavit ?—Virgaxn alibi ¡ntromìttere, dùm in vase debito semen
effundat?—Utrùm virgo Maria semen émisent in copulatone cum Spiritu

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                          Xxix.

SCHROEERUS,^⁴) SOTO, SpORER, SuAREZ,(³*) SYLVIUS, TABERNA,

Sancto?" In the dfratu ηνφχ ÌSt la brage <£gltáe there is a remarkable
criticism of Sanchez which has been deemed worthy of transcription in
extenso in the Uút. £K¿tortgne de Baylb (vol. 13, p. 79). That criticism,
although extremely violent, is in the main true, and as it applies with more
or less exactness to all the authors above named I would recommend its
perusal to my readers. In spite of the scabrous questions which he mooted,
Sanchez appears to have led a most pure life, and we are told that : " C'est
aux pieds du crucifix qu'il écrivait ses livres." That he studied "trente
ans de sa vie ces questions assis sur un siège de marbre, ne mangeait jamais ni
poivre, ni sel, ni vinaigre, et, quand il était à table pour dîner, tenait toujours
ses pieds en l'air," &c. "Il y a plus de deux siècles que M. Le Gay, lieutenant
civil de Paris, fit saisir tous les exemplaires de Sanchez qu'il put trouver,
et défendit aux libraires d'en avoir, sous peine de la hart !" Vide 33íblú)tf)eca
Ütepana jüoba, vol. 2, p. 3125 3Bút. &e îfrtograpïjte Chrétienne et &ntt*
Chrétienne, vol. 3, col. 974 ; Œrottita ÎStblum, p. 32 j Eettreá iwc le Cierge, p. 90.

³⁴1 have not seen the work of Schroeerus, or Scho roeerus, but extract from
the Catalogue &e Eeber, art. 95, the following notice of it : " h β. h ©tóéertatío
teologica de sanctificatione semìnis Mariœ Firginis in actu conceptionis Christi
sine redemptionis pretto .... authore Samuele Schoroeero. Lispiœ, ap,
Braunium, 1709, in-4. Livre fort rare et non moins curieux. Le titre
indique assez la nature et le caractère de singularité de l'ouvrage. On n'a
jamais porté plas loin le scandale des interprétations et l'impertinence des
recherches sur un pareil sujet. On prétend y prouver, par exemple, que :
* Semen Mariae Virginis ante Spiritus S. actionem superventus in vasis sper-
maticis actu ex ti tisse falsum est : ergo nec in lumbis Adami, nec in ovario
Mariae, multominùs Evae fuit; sed Spiritus S. virtufë créatrice ex sanguine
Mariae semen illud procreavit, siquidem ad generationis actum ipsa quoque
actio sementiva pertînet.' Thomas Sanchez est un modèle de discrétion
pudibonde, en comparaison du docteur Samuel Schroeerus."

³⁵ " Su ares examine les différentes façons dont le Christ pouvait sortir du
ventre de sa mère, il entre dans des discussions de la nature la plus dèli-

---

xxx.                      preliminary remarks.

Tamburini, Tanner, Thomas d'Aquin, Thomas de Malo,
Jacques Tirin, Tolet, Trachala, Vasgiuez, Vega, Vigu-

ERIUS, VlLLALBOS, VlVALDI, WlGANDT, ZeNARDI, ZeROLA,

and many others, not to mention the authors whose works are
more particularly noticed in the following pages, and judge for
themselves.(³⁶)

Every reflecting mind must find it difficult to understand
how, in the present nineteenth century, a system so false,
prurient, and polluted, can still be believed in,(³⁷) can find

cate et se demande entre autres si Marie est accouchée de Jésus avec ou sans
délivre. Il se prononce pour le dernier cas. &t& 3M¿UÍtt¿, vol. 2, p. i\6.
The most striking doctrines of many of the writers above named will be
found noted in Mr. Huber's excellent work.

³⁶  In %%& ^cöuittö remfó en rauöe, Collin de Plancy brings the leading
Jesuits on the scene, and, in the form of dialogues among themselves, or with
their adversaries, makes them argue their causes, and explain their own doc-
trines. Many of the writers whom I have enumerated above figure in his
curious and little known work,

³⁷  It is certain that in every age there have been priests who have disbelieved
the doctrines they taught} some indeed have been honest enough to avow
their disbelief. A notable instance was Jean Meslier, curé d'Etrépigny en
Champagne, who died in 1733. The most complete edition of his Cfötamntf
is that of R. C. Meijer, Amsterdam, 1864, 3 vols., 8vo., with an Etude bio-
graphique by Rudolf Charles. But : " Avant Meslier, M. de Lavardin,
évêque de Seez, avait di| et répété publiquement qu'il détestait sa religion j il
protestait que jamais il n'avait consacré le pain et le vin en disant la messe,
qu'il n'avait réellement administré aucun sacrement, ni ordonné aucun prêtre ¡
il riait, en mourant, des scrupules des prêtres qui avaient dit la messe tout de bon,
après avoir été ordonnés pour rire j et en effet, ces pauvres gens ne savaient
s'ils devaient se faire ordonner de nouveau j les enfans confirmés ne savaient
s'ils devaient se faire réadministrer un sacrement qu'on ne peut recevoir qu'une

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                           XXXi.

devotees ready to lay down their lives in its support, and even
make converts^⁸) of men of knowledge, experience, and bright
parts. For, whether we consider the absurd miracles which are

fois ; les gens de qualité que sa grandeur avait unis, ne savaient s'ils vivaient ou
non dans l'état de concubinage, et si leurs enfans étaient legitimes ou bâtards :
c'était un brait d'enfer." %t Cttateur, Introduction.

³⁸ The secret lies perhaps in what I may term, somewhat paradoxically, the
certainty of a chance. Scepticism leads only to doubt, and can offer nothing
in lieu of what it rejects. The Reformed Christian Church demands what few
men can fulfil—true belief, and a virtuous life. The Church of Rome, on the
other hand, requires, in reality, neither faith nor works. The penitent is re-
quired to observe, not very strictly, the outward rites and forms of his church,
to support that church, or its ministers, as liberally as his means will permit,
and to give his conscience over to his priest, or spiritual director, who under-
takes all responsibility. A man then niay join the Romish Church, and remain
at heart an unbeliever j he throws the weight of his actions, and even of his
unbeiief, on his confessor, who accepts the burden, and he has thereby the
chance of being saved. There are men who cannot tolerate uncertainty, and
who must, sooner or later, in spite of their reason and common sense, adopt
that system which offers a certainty, Milton might have had such a person
in his mind when he wrote : " A wealthy man addicted to his pleasure and to
his profits, finds Religion to be a trafnck so entangl'd, and of so many piddling
accounts, that of all mysteries he cannot skill to keep a stock going upon that
trade. What shoulde he doe ? fain he would have the name to be religious,
fain he would bear up with his neighbours in that. What does he therefore,
but resolvs to give over toyling, and to find himself out som factor, to whose
care and credit he may commit the whole managing of his religous affairs j
som Divine of note and estimation that must be. To him he adheres, resigns
the whole ware-house of his religion, with all the locks and key es into his
custody j and indeed makes the very person of that man his religion ; esteems
his associating with him a sufficient evidence and commendatory of his own
piety. So that a man may say his religion is now no more within himself, but

---

XXXii.                         PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

even to-day being palmed off upon the credulous ;(³⁹) the
blunders, crimes and follies of the infallible popes ;(⁴⁰) the vices

is becom a dividuall movable, and goes and comes neer him, according as that
good man frequents the house. He entertains him, gives him gifts, feasts him,
lodges him ·, his religion comes home at night, praies, is liberally supt, and
sumptuously laid to sleep, rises, is saluted, and after the malmsey, or some
well spic'd bruage, and better breakfasted then he whose morning appetite
would have gladly fed on green figs between Bethany and Ierusalem, his
Religion walks abroad at eight, and leavs his kind entertainer in the shop
trading ail day without his religion." &reopagttíía.

³⁹  In Cï)t Cíntííf of Nov. 20, 1876, we read : "The three children at Mar-
pingen, in Prussian Rhineland, who last summer stated they had repeatedly
seen the Holy Virgin in a wood close to their village, and whose glowing
asseverations, backed by the clergy, attracted thousands of pilgrims to the sacred
spot, have just been tried by Judge Comes, at St. Wendel. Upon the children
confessing that they had been telling lies, they were sentenced to be placed in
an educational establishment for culprits under 12 years of age."

⁴⁰  The perusal of any one of the numerous histories of the Papacy, even by
writers favourable to that institution, will suffice to show that among the
Popes have existed rulers unequalled, by the secular sovereigns of other
countries, for arrogance, cruelty, oppression and immorality. Such modern
publications as ffcúltoíre ìttd jlaptó, Crimes, Meurtres, Empoisonnements, Parri-
cides, Adultères, Incestes, &c, 1843-4, ^I0 vols* fltátutre ìit& Jlapea &c. par
Maurice Lachatre, 3 volsj Eetf Crimea fce¿ fïiqpetf par Louis de la
Vicomterie, 1857, may be consulted respecting the personal character and
particular crimes of each pontiff. In the ïecttonbm fiflcmoraínlíom et i&ecottftt*
tarum Centtttartí xv, will be found a number of satirical pieces against th©
popes and their officers, frequently illustrated by curious wood cuts, among
which may be particularly mentioned a set contrasting the life of Christ with
that of a pope. Barely to enumerate those sovereign bishops of Rome whose
lives have been especially scandalous would surpass the limits of a foot-note,
and I will conclude with the pointed words of Voltaire, who alluding to

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                        XXXÜi.

and hypocrisy of many of the clergy, both regular(⁴¹) and

Alexander vi asks : Le Pape est-ìl infaillible quand il couche avec sa maî-
tresse, ou avec sa propre fille, & qu'il apporte à souper une bouteille de vin
empoisonné pour le Cardinal Cornetto ? Quand deux conciles s'anathéma-
tisent l'un l'autre, comme il est arrivé vingt fois, quel est le concile infaillible ?"
%ti (Studttonä tie Zapata.

⁴¹ Happily the influence of the monks has disappeared for ever ; and their
numbers diminish with the advance of civilisation. The time has passed when
" seulement l'ombre du clocher d'une abbaye étoit féconde." The "vrai moine
si onques en fut depuis que le monde moinant moina de moinerie " exists no
longer. It is however the times only which have changed, not the men ; for in
those unenlightened countries where he is tolerated or encouraged, the monk
remains what he ever was, slothful, ignorant, and debauched. Books against
the monks are simply legion, and no list for which I could find space here
would afford any idea of them. From among the numerous illustrated satirical
publications Î may perhaps select : 2)a8 ítytyige Seien ber Wlontym. 2Bte foW)e$
in bent Softer ρ (Βηύχαφ um Ue Hatjom A⁰1517 burd) Satyrische Figuren
soorgefteít unb bafeífcfi all fresco gemalt, famt BeJ?gefe¿ten Versen ¿ufeÇen voax. &c.
in fòupftx gefitac^t A⁰ 1772. &c, engraved title and 12 figures in outline, each
with 4 lines, partly Latin, partly German, underneath j 3£UnÖersïement tie ta
JÜorale Cïjrfttemte Par les desordres du Monachisme. Enrichi de Figures.
Premiere Partie. On les vend en Hollande, chez les Marchands Libraires Φ
Imagers. Avec Privilege d'Innocent XL (©mátootínge HiX Cïjrtëtelgfee
Xtlfen* &c., 50 weil engraved figures, and a folding frontispiece j the text,
pp. in, ex title, is like the title-page, partly in French and partly in Dutch ;
€gîîat áur rfctetotre Naturelle île çuelqttetf ^¿jjeaá Ot ffîoimsi, Décrits à la
maniere de Linné. Ouvrage traduit du Latin et orné de Figures. Par M.
Jean d'Antimoine, ísfc. A Monachopolis, m.dcc.lxxxiv. Of this work
translated by Broussonet from the Latin of Baron Ign. de Born, Ghiérard
notes a second edition of 1790,-to which may be added one with Latin and
French en regard, and doable title-page : fHonacíioluírta Figuris Ligno Incisis
illustrata Eridaniae Typis PHlanthropicis 1782, jftonacotogu illustrée de

e

---

XXXiv.                        PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

secular ;(⁴³) the duplicity, lax teaching(⁴³) infamous doc-

figures sur bois. Paris Paulin, Rue de Seine, $$ 1844, 8vo., pp. 96. In £a
ißoXitt ÌSt 3part¿ 23cbotlce, vol. 1, p. 29a, there is a curious chapter, De la Police
sur les Prêtres, in which are recorded the visits to different prostitutes in Paris
of members of various monastic orders during the years 1760 to 1773.

⁴³ Were such a course necessary, we could extract their condemnation from
their own lips. Had crimes not been committed, or were they thought
unlikely of commission by priests, the penitential codes, drawn up by the
Church, would not exist. The Church, however, considered its members
capable of the most heinous and filthy crimes which it is possible to imagine.
Further, numerous churchmen have written against the vices of their co-
religionists j and historians, full of zeal for the glory of Rome, have found it
impossible to conceal sacerdotal depravity. A. Pelagius, writing in the 16th
century, gives the following picture : " Hélas ! combien de religieux et de
prêtres dans leurs retraites et leurs couvents, aussi bien que les laïques dans
leurs villes, surtout en Italie, ont établi en quelque sorte publiquement une
espèce de gymnase et de cours infâme, où ils s'exercent aux plus criminelles
débauches ! Les jeunes garçons les plus distingués sont voués à ces lieux de
prostitution. . . . Les prêtres vivent dans le plus grand dérèglement ; les fils de
prêtres sont presque aussi nombreux que les fils de laïques ; les prêtres se
lèvent d'ayec leurs concubines pour aller monter à l'autel, etc." The above
passage is extracted from 2B* la Confesión et fcu Celtfcat iíesí Srîtrea, where
pne or two others of a similar nature will be found. M. Bouvet adds: "Et
tels sont encore de nos jours les ecclésiastiques, à Rome, à Naples et dans les
pays en général où domine le pouvoir sacerdotal.¹" Have we not at present
proceeding the Lambertini-Antonelli lawsuit, a clear proof that the great
cardinal did not keep his vow of chastity ! The case, as far as it has gone, has
already been put in the form of a volume, Roma, τ 877, pp. 112.

⁴³ " Advocate and antagonist will alike admit (writes Mr. W. C. Cart-
wright) that the system of lax opinion popularly charged against Jesuit
divines rests on three cardinal propositions—of Probabili s m, of Mental Reser-
vation, and of Justification of Means by the End." He offers the following

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                         XXXV.

trines,(⁴⁴) and dishonest commercial dealings(^4¿) of the Jesuits ;

illustration : " Anna having been guilty of adultery, and being interrogated by
her husband, who has formed a suspicion, answers, the first time, that she has
not violated wedlock j the second time, having in the interval obtained absolu-
tion, she replies, I am guiltless of such a crime. The third time, she absolutely
denies the adultery, and says, I have not committed it, meaning within herself
such particular adultery as I am bound to reveal, or, I have not committed an
act of adultery that has to be revealed to you. Is Anna to be blamed ?'
Gury's reply, too long to give here, justifies each answer of the adulterous
woman, supporting his ruling by a grave array of authorities, amongst which
figure the Jesuit Suarez and St. Liguori." Cí)* ¿flefíuttá, pp. 149, 160.

⁴⁴  The remarkable article of Diderot, in the Dictionnaire Encyclopédique,
is worthy of especial attention. From it I extract the following paragraph :
" Lisez l'ouvrage intitulé les Assertions, et publié cette année 1762, par arrêt
du parlement de Paris, et frémissez des horreurs que les théologiens de cette
société ont débitées depuis son origine, sur la simonie, le blasphème, le sacri-
lège, la magie, l'irréîigion, l'astrologie, Timpudicité, la fornication, la pédérastie,
le parjure, la fausseté, le mensonge, la direction d'intention, le faux témoignage,
la prévarication des juges, le vol, la compensation occulte, l'homicide, le suicide,
la prostitution, et le régicide ; ramas d'opinions qui, comme dit M. le procureur-
général du roi au parlement de Bretagne, dans son second compte rendu, page
73» attaque ouvertement les principes les plus sacrés, tend à détruire la loi
naturelle, à rendre la foi humaine douteuse, à rompre tous les liens de la société
civile, en autorisant l'infraction de ses lois, à étouffer tout sentiment
d'humanité parmi les hommes, à anéantir l'autorité royale, à porter le trouble et
la désolation dans les empires, par l'enseignement du régicide j à renverser les
fondements de la révélation, et à substituer au christianisme des superstitions
de toute espèce." A handy little volume, giving in the concisest possible form
the peculiar tenets of each of the roost noted fathers, is the ίίίο^Γαρΐμΐ¹
Dtttortfciut Ueg 3t*uittô, par M. Colli ν de Planc y. '

⁴⁵  It is certain that, in their missions to the East, the Jesuits thought more of
enriching their society than of enforcing the doctrines of Christianity, that they,

---

XXXvi.                        PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

the scandalous quarrels(⁴⁶) which have taken place between
the different orders, and the irregularities (^4Ï) and licenciousness

in fact, became merchants rather than priests. This was notoriously the case
in Japan, and the result of it, coupled with their arrogance and jealousy of
other Christian orders, was the total extinction of Christianity in that country.
A long account of their doings in Japan will be found, inter alia, in the fëiàt.
ìité BÍgUÍUa, par Adolphe Boucher. I wish however more particularly to
remind my readers of their two great bankruptcies—at Seville in 1646, and
that of the P. Lav alette, in 1753.

⁴⁶  One cannot read the histories of the various orders without being struck
by the animosity and jealousy existing between them, and which have fre-
quently produced bloodshed. Numerous are the satirical books in the style of
Ea @uem ^rrapijtque, ou Histoire des Perils qua courus La Barle des
Capucins Par les violentes Attaques des Cordeliers. &c. A La Haye, Chez
Pierre de Hondt. m.dcc.xl. Some interesting facts on the subject will
be found in the <8uerelUá ïUtteratttfö, ou Mémoires Pour servir à l'Histoire des
Révolutions de la République des Lettres, &c. Paris, m.dcc.lxi.

⁴⁷  In a rare volume entitled : Crplkacton lit la fSbïla tít la paneta Crí^afca..
En Çaragoça. 1592., 8vo., 344 fols, with 67 pages unnumbered,we read: "En
la tercera (parte) la Composición, y la postre se declara el Motu propio de
Pio V. en el quai se prohibe la entrada de las mugeres en lo interior de los
monesterios de frayles." Passing now to our own country, in his notice of
the order of Gilbertines, founded in 1148,1η England, Gabriel d'Emillianne
says: "He (Gilbert, the founder) caused to be built for them, in a short
time, thirteen Monasteries, in which were reckoned 700 Monks, and 1 ioq
Women, who lived together, separated only by a Wall. . . . This Hermaphro-
dite Order, made up of both Sexes, did very soon bring forth Fruits worth of
it self ; these holy Virgins having got almost all of them big Bellies» which
gave occasion to the following Verses.

" Harum sunt quœdam steriles, quœdam parientes,

" Firgineuque ¿amen nomine cuneta tegunt.
" Quœ (the abbess) pas tor alts Iaculi dotât ur honore,

" fila quidem rndius feriiliùsque pariL

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                       XXXVU.

which have at all times distinguished monastic institutions,^⁸)

" Vix etiam qucevis sterilis reperi tur in Ulis,
"Donee ejus cetas talia posse negat.

^rfTho' some are Barren Does, yet others,
" By Fryars help, prove teeming Mothers.
" When all to such Lewdness run,
" All's cover'd under Name of Nun.
"Th' Abbess, in Honour as She' excells,
" Her Belly too, more often swells.
"If any She proves Barren still,
"Age is in fault, and not her will.

" These Nuns to conceal from the World their infamous Practices, made
away secretly their Children 3 and this was the Reason, why at the time of the
Reformation, so many Bones of Young Children were found buried in their
Cloisters, and thrown into places where they ease Nature." % J&ï)ort fÉHtftorg
of J&onaáttcal ®vìim, &c. p. 133.

⁴⁸ Nothing will be found in the present volume concerning the Knights
Templars, yet the crimes with which they were charged far surpass those of
any other religious body. It has been asserted that nothing was proved against
them j but the bare fact of its being thought possible that so holy and noble an
order could be so far guilty, and that such terrible accusations could be brought
against so powerful and wealthy a body, suffices to show into what a state of
disrepute the religious orders had then fallen ; moreover, that the society was
definitely abolished, in spite of the great opposition made against its destruc-
tion, is sorely enough to prove that the authorities at Rome were not con-
vinced of their innocence. Their wealth was doubtless a bait, but other orders
were very wealthy and very licencious, and were not destroyed. Further, not
in one country only were they called to account, but in every land where they
liad institutions. I shall confine myself to noting one or two of the crimes
with which the Templars of England were charged, although they are not by
far so idolatrous or so filthy as the turpitudes brought against those of foreign

---

XXXviii.                      PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

both male and female ;(⁴⁹) their useless asceticism, puerile

countries. " That they sometimes pis'd and caus'd others to piss upon the
Cross. That they ador'd a certain Cat that appear'd to them at that Assembly.
That at the Reception of Brothers of the said Order, the Receiver sometimes
and the. Person receiv'd, now and then Kis'd one another's Mouths, Navels,
bare Bellies, and in the Anus, or the Back-Bone. That sometimes on the
Members, or Yard. That they told the Brothers they receiv'd, that they might
have carnal Copulation with one another. That it was lawful for them to do so.
That they were to do this to one another, and to be passive." &c. jHonaättcon
fïncrïtcanum, Dugdale, mdccxviii, p. i8i.

⁴⁹ In all ages convents of women have been more or less perverted ; nor
could the nuns do otherwise than follow the lead, and obey the orders of the
monks and priests to whom they were subject. Roman Catholic writers have
not been able to deny this ; on the contrary, it is frequently to their reports that
we are indebted for what we know of the interior of nunneries. ^u I shall
confess (writes the partial author of 3£Ufít£ttoná on Communities QÎ OTomeit
aviti fj^onasitíc fnátttutfá, Taunton, 1815, p. 80) that from time to time,
religious communities have degenerated from their primitive sanctity and
fervour 5 I shall acknowledge that, through that infirmity inherent in all human
establishments, which tend, after a certain lapse of time, to relaxation and
decay, the most fervent convents have now and then wanted reformation." In
his f^mpfyomanu, Dr. M. D. T. de Bienville has left us a harrowing picture
of the inhumanity and cupidity of the sisters of a religious community at
Tours. Instances, indeed, might be given ad inßniium. " La lumiere, à la
vérité, (writes Linguet) n'a point encore pénétré dans l'intérieur des cloîtres.
Elle vient mourir contre les murailles de leur enceinte. L'habitude & le
préjugé y sont continuellement en sentinelle. Ces deux ennemis de la raison y
répandent plus de bandeaux, que leur rivale n'y peut introduire de rayons."
Cssiat 3Pi)iïoaopi)t{jwe eux te fHûîiacï)t3mc, Paris, m.dçc.xxxv, p. 174. A vast
amount of curious matter has been collected by M. Paul Lacroix in his
Recherches sur les Couvents an Seizième Siècle» which forms the introduction to
ÏU Cûuiîcitt ΐί£ 33aïano, Paris, m dccc xxix j and some startling facts connected

!
I

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                        XXXIX.

macerations, and their flagellations, at once absurd,^⁰) cruel and

with modern English nunneries will be found in a pamphlet entitled : (inoliai)
Contata, Wiat are they ? London, 1870.

⁵⁰ The Jesuits have always been strict disciplinarians, and some curious
information respecting their modus operandi will be found in íJtatoútsl
$t¿toríqui¿ gur F^rMtamátne, ft lea Corrérteme tíeá $eáiuteá : &c. 1764.
Nor have they at the present day given up their devotion to the rod. I append
A. Steinmetz's experience of the aids to holy living at Hodder, "cet abus
odieux," described by Boileau,

" Qui, sous couleur d'éteindre en nous la volupté,
" Par l'austérité même & par la pénitence
" Sait allumer le feu de la lubricité."

" During Lent (writes Steinmetz) we used them (flagellations) twice a
week. The porter gave out ⁽ Mortification!'—we understood him. After he
had gone the round of the curtains with the ⁽ Deo gratias—thanks be to God !'
we made ready by uncovering our shoulders—each novice sitting in his bed—
and seized the whip. The time the porter took for these preliminaries pre-
supposed an equal alacrity in the other novices : we were always ready when he
rang a small bell, and then, oh ! then, if the thing edifies you, gentle reader, be
edified ; if it makes you laugh, laugh to your heart's content, at the sound of
twenty whips cracking like a hailstorm on the twenty innocent backs in
question. I think we were restricted to twelve strokes : they were given as
rapidly as possible : all ended almost at the same instant. In the excitement,
very similar to a shower-bath, we could not help tossing the whip into the
desk ; and then, diving into the sheets, felt very comfortable indeed ! Perhaps,
after the chorus of flagellation, you might hear a young novice giggling ,· ' it
was quite natural,' he could not help it ! Why have I described this foolery in
this merry vein ? Because it is a foolery, and the * holy fathers * must
consider it as such: but more, I maintain it to be a most pernicious foolery,
and conducive to anything rather than the end proposed. The reader must
imagine my meaning.

---

Xl.                               PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

indecent ;(*') the gross oppression and horrid cruelties of the

«--------- Manat

" In venas animumque !

^u.... If my own experience is worth anything, I tell the Jesuits that their
' discipline and chain ' totally defeat the alleged object of their use 5 and appeal
to the principles of physiology in proof of my opinion* In this matter, at
least, we may say with perfect truth—nocet empia dolore voluptas Γ %ty
flobtríate, pp. ip> and 254.

⁵¹ " On lit dans les Chroniques de Fonte-Evrault, qu'une heure avant minuit
* un son de cloche faisait sortir les religieuses de leurs cellules, malgré les froids
les plus âpres. Comme elles couchaient tout habillées, elles ne se faisaient
guère attendre, et se glissaient pareilles à des ombres le long des corridors où
sifflait la bise glaciale. On se rendait au chœur de la chapelle silencieuse et
semi-obscure. Les reliques de l'autel étaient voilées et quelques lampes
fumeuses luisaient dans les ténèbres des voûtes en arceaux. Au dehors, on
n'entendait que des cris d'oiseaux de nuit, le frissonnement des cyprès du
cimetière, le vent et la pluie : l'âme se trouvait merveilleusement disposée à la
prière. Mais toutes ces épouses de Dieu arrivaient à pas lents en murmurant
des psaumes, faisant sonner les grains d'un chapelet, ou bien resserrant les
nœuds de corde tachés de sang de leur cilice, ce qui était le signe d'une
grande ferveur.

" Le précepte de l'ïïvangiîe : ^f Veillez et priez * s'exécutait à voîx basse dans
une morne méditation $ puis, tout à coup, l'abbesse levait sa discipline au ciel,, et
criait d'un air lugubre : * Cy commencent ¿es pénitences Γ Elle ajoutait souvent :
¹ Repliez la rohe noire dessus la tête, et jetez bas la robe de dessous.' Les
lumières s'éteignaient et il se faisait dans la nef un brait sourd et mesuré
qu'accompagnaient les encouragements de la supérieure, les cris, les soupirs
arrachés à la souffrance. ^f Sus et vitement ! plus roîde un petit ! rompez
de coups les sept péchés mortels, sans excepter la luxure ï Le paradis vous
vaudra au centuple ces peines du corps ! chaque coup fait issir une âme ou
deux du purgatoire, selon qu'il est bien donné et bien reçu."

*' La discipline ne cessait de retomber sur les chairs déchirées et saignantes

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                             xH.

inquisition ;(*·) the terrible system of auricular confession, and

qu'après que la fatigue mettait un terme à ces cruautés, et, souvent, un rayon
de lune coloré par l'émail des vitraux et des rosaces diaprées, descendait
mystérieusement sur de blanches victimes immolées de leurs propres mains,
jusqu'à ce qu'elles allassent chercher dans leur cellule solitaire un sommeil
sans charme, sans repos et sans rêve." The above description is extracted
from %ti Wtätahä tí£ I'íÉgltáe, and I have reproduced it at length on account
of its poetical force. In the convent of Fonte-Evrault the men were subject to
the women, and received at times the discipline from the hands of their fair
superiors, (see p, 128, post). Roeert d'Arbrissel, the founder of the
community, was accustomed to sleep with his nuns in order to mortify the
flesh. The inquisitor Pedro Guerrero was fond of administring castigation
with his own hand 3 this he did at the monastery of St. Lucia, and he " was
(writes Gavin) so impudent, and barefaced a Nero, that commanding the poor
Nuns to turn their Habits backwards and discover their Shoulders, he himself
was the Executioner of this unparalleled Punishment."

⁵² Here is Llorente's estimate of the number of victims who were sacrificed
during the reign of the first inquisitor, Thomas de Toröuemada, who died in
1498 : " II s'ensuit que Torquemada pendant les dix-huit années qu'a duré son
ministère inquisitorial, a fait dix mille deux cent-vingt victimes qui ont péri
dans les flammes, six raille huit-cent soixante qui on (sic) été brûlées en effigie,
après leur mort ou en leur absence, et quatre vingt-dix-sept mule trois cent vingt-
une qui ont subi la peine de l'infamie, de la confiscation des biens, de la prison
perpétuelle et de l'exclusion des emplois publics et honorifiques. Le tableau
général de ces barbares exécutions porte à cent-quatorze mille quatre cent une,
le nombre de familles à jamais perdues. On ne comprend pas dans cet état les
personnes qui par leurs liaisons avec les condamnés partageaient plus ou moins
leur malheur, et gémissaient comme amis ou parens des rigueurs dont ils étaient
les victimes." He makes similar calculations for the times during which
the other inquisitors held sway, and he adds : ^tx Calculer le nombre des victimes
de l'Inquisition, c'est établir matériellement une des causes les plus puissantes
et les plus actives de la dépopulation de l'Espagne:" &c. $}fct. Critique fce
l'ftnçpitotttott U'fòtfpagne, Paris, 1818, vol. 1, pp. 272, 279, vol 4, p. 242.

ƒ

---

xlii.                             PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

the abuse which has been made of it ;(⁵³) the coarse,

⁵³ Confession is undoubtedly the greatest source of power which the Church
of Rome posesses ; but it is at the same time a main cause of its discredit—-*
power, from the means it affords the clergy of learning the secrets of their
believers ; discredit, from the tendency it has to corrupt the confessor as well
as the penitent. Socially and politically, confession has been tbe cause of
a greater number of crimes than any of the other superstitions and aberrations
of the human mind. Its abuse, for instance, in Spain, became so crying during
the 16th century, that pope Pius iv sent a bull to the archbishop of Seville to
investigate the matter. The number of women who had been seduced was
however so great that the enquiry had to be stopped. Later, Gregory xv
sought to renew and to give a wider scope to the same bull ; and Clement
viii and Paul v endeavoured to institute a law that penitents who had been
perverted should denounce their clerical seducers. Without referring to the
works noticed in the body of the present volume, I may perhaps enumerate
a few of the less generally known books on the subject, pro et contra : Î3i
¿freçucntte Conferente et Coinmtmúmfó Í8fttlttate_? Jean de Launoy, Paris,
1662 -, Sciatoria Confe&ííonfa ^uncuíaná, Jacglues Boileau, Paris, 16845
% üStácouvée coiumimg £Utrúular Confesión, &c. Dr. Joh χ Goodman,
London, 1684 -, <&t Confesión to a laiuful |9ne£t, &c. Dr. Peter Manby,
168Ó ; %\)t Cfftg esaminiti which Papists cite to prove their Doctrine of Auricu-
lar Confession, Dr. Thomas Ly.nford, London, 1688 ; ü'aceröotal Jfcfoinf ; or,
the Necessity of Confession, Penance, and Ai-solution, R. Lawrence, London,
1713 ; Cratté $|t¿tonque et Stogmattcriw iiu Secret toijtolable tie la Confr&ton,
&c. Par M. Lenglet du F re s no y, i 715 ; $3e la Cont&aúm ft Öu Célibat
Scsi íPrctresí, &c, Par Francisée Bouvet, Paris, 1845 j filatoti'* ÌSt la Cûtt*
ffääton sous ses Rapports reiigieux, moraux et politiques, &c. Par le Comte C. P.
de Lasteyrie du Saillant, Pagnerre, 18465 Catécïjtónte tííá ûznâ üHanfó,
(By Le P. Féline, (Jaen, 1782). In addition to the above books, especially
devoted to the subject, descriptions of the confessional and of the evils
attending it will be found in various works, both of history and fiction,
among others, in %t Ißutn la ifemme et la ¿ffaiutile, Michêlet■; $fc£
Beamtet, Michelet et QuiNET, Paris, 18435 Heg ConfesÎïaÎûitsî ií'un

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                            xlíÜ.

scurrilous, abusive and licentious discourses of the old

prêtre, Paris, 18705 Eeá iïfoôtèrea tt'un: €bêrî)é, par le Chanoine X.
Mouls, Bruxelles, 1872 j Et Staman &u Curé, by XXX $ &c. The most remark-
able picture however with which I am acquainted is that which P. L. Courier
has drawn in his Réponse aux Anonymes ; it is at once so graphic, so pointed,
so truthful, so much to the purpose, that I must find space for it at length : ·

" Confesser une femme ! imaginez ce que c'est. Tout au fond de l'église,
une espèce d'armoire, de guérite, est dressée contre le mur exprès, où ce prêtre,
non Mingrat, mais quelque homme de bien, je le veux, sage, pieux, comme j'en
ai connu, homme pourtant et jeune (ils le sont presque tous), attend le soir
après vêpres sa jeune pénitente qu'il aime \ elle le sait : l'amour ne se cache
point à la personne aimée. Vous m'arrêterez là : son caractère de prêtre, son
éducation, son vœu ... je vous réponds qu'il n'y a vœu qui tienne ; que tout
curé de village sortant du séminaire, sain, robuste et dispos, aime sans aucun
doute une de ses paroissiennes. Cela ne peut être autrement 5 et, si vous con-
testez, je vous dirai bien plus, c'est qu'il les aime toutes, celles du moins de son
âge ; mais il en préfère une, qui lui semble, sinon plus belle que les autres, plus
modeste et plus sage, et qu'il épouserait -, il en ferait une femme vertueuse,
pieuse, n'était le pape. Il la voit chaque jour, la rencontre à l'église ou
ailleurs, et, devant elle assis aux veillées de l'hiver, il s'abreuve, imprudent, du
poison de ses yeux.

" Or, je vous prie, celle-là, lorsqu'il l'entend venir le lendemain, approcher
de ce confessionnal, qu'il reconnaît ses pas et qu'il peut dire : ' C'est elle,' que se
passe-t- il dans l'âme du pauvre confesseur ? Honnêteté, devoir, sage résolu-
tions, ici servent de peu, sans une grâce du Ciel toute particulière. Je le
suppose un saint : ne pouvant fuir, il gémit apparemment, soupire, se recommande
à Dieu j mais, si ce n'est qu'un homme, il frémit, il désire, et déjà malgré lui,
sans le savoir peut-être, il espère. Elle arrive, se met à ses genoux, à genoux
devant lui, dont le cœur saate et palpite ! Vous êtes jeune, Monsieur, ou vous
l'avez été: que vous semble, entre nous, d'une telle situation? Seuls la
plupart du temps, et n'ayant pour témoins que ces murs, que ces voûtes, ils
causent ; de quoi ? hélas ! de tout ce qui n'est pas innocent. Ils parient, ou

---

xHv.                           PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

preachers ;(*⁴) the immorality caused by the unnatural law of

plutôt murmurent à voix basse, et leurs bouches s'approchent, leur souffle se
confond. Cela dure une heure ou plus, et se renouvelle souvent.

" Ne pensez pas que j'invente. Cette scène a lieu telle que je vous la
dépeins, et dans toute la France, chaque jour, se renouvelle par quarante mille
jeunes filles qu'ils aiment parce qu'ils sont hommes, confessent de la sorte,
entretiennent tête à tête, visitent parce qu'ils sont prêtres, et n'épousent point
parce que le pape s'y oppose. Le pape leur pardonne tout, excepté le mariage,
voulant plutôt un prêtre adultère, impudique, débauché, assassin, comme
Mingrat, que marié.....

" Réfléchissez maintenant, Monsieur, et voyez s'il était possible de réunir
jamais en une même personne deux choses plus contraires que l'emploi de con-
fesseur et le vœu de chasteté j quel doit être le sort de ces pauvres jeunes gens
entre la défense de posséder ce que nature les force d'aimer, et l'obligation de
converser intimement, confidemment, avec ces objets de leur amour 5 si enfin ce
n'est pas assez de cette monstrueuse combinaison pour rendre les uns forcenés,
les autres je ne dis pas coupables, car les vrais coupables sont ceux qui, étant
magistrats, souffrent que de jeunes hommes confessent de jeunes filles, mais
criminels, et tous extrêmement malheureux. Je sais là-dessus leur secret."

The Library of the London Institution possesses a remarkable collection of
tracts relating to " The Confessional/' in 6 vols., 8vo, described in the Cata*
logue, vol. 1, p. ao.

⁵⁴ A most curious, racy and amusing volume might be formed exclusively of
extracts from the discourses of the Romish preachers. It is indeed impossible,
without reading their sermons, to conceive the licence which they allowed
themselves. Rabelais is unceasing in his ridicule of them j H. C. Agrippa
follows his example ; and Erasmus has heaped upon them some of his bitterest
sarcasms. " Ils remplissoient leurs discours (writes Li ν guet) de familiarités
révoltantes* d'obscénités odieuses & de déclamations ridicules." M. A. Mb ray
however remarks : " Pour se faire comprendre de contemporains grossièrement
sensuels, ils étaient souvent obligés de leur parler Γ argot du vice très-bien
admis d'ailleurs dans les meilleures sociétés, et dont les cours des rois, celles

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                              xlv.

clerical celibacy ;(") the barefaced and iniquitous sale of indul-

même des princes spirituels usaient jadis sans trop se gêner.¹' To choose one
example where so many are at hand is difficult ; however let us take the ex-
jesuit, André Vai^ladier, who, in Ea J^atnte 53i)ilo¿opi)te líe Pífate; ou
Sermons de PAvent, Paris, 1613, tells a tale of a young girl " devenue enceinte
sans accointance charnelle j" describes in the crudest and most extravagant
language the secret charms of Marie de Me di ci s, dividing her body into
"trois étagesj" discusses "les mystères des nouements d'aiguillettes et des
generations diaboliques j" eulogises the organs of generation, and explains "les
trois choses qui concourent pour donner puissance " to those organs 3 finally,
he gives the most familiar details concerning "l'accouchement de la Vierge."
Consult, <£óöat $í)tloítopí)tque áur te ¡ífío nací) tente, p. 157 3 %tâ íÜísresí lh*c*
djeurá, pp. 157, 172 j ikeïftcatortaita, pp. 128, 297. See also, ¿èei'mona
jFacétteur. OU Sftüíttuleá, et Anecdotes Curieuses sur les Prédicateurs; %t
fStfclíopijtte dfantaíotátc ; uè îa Cíjarlatauerte Bea Rabana, par Menken ;
2)aê Älofiet, Stuttgart, 1845.

⁵³ " Le vœu de chasteté (exclaims M. Paul Lacroix) est un blasphème
contre la nature \ l'Evangile répète en divers endroits que l'esprit est faible et la
chair fragile j d'où vient cependant que toutes les religions ont eu des apôtres
du célibat et des vœux de chasteté ? On a prétendu que les moines, pour
amortir les désirs de la chair, avaient recours à des simples refrigerane j mais
ils les employaient donc bien rarement, puisqu'ils produisaient si peu d'effets."
Recherche sur les Couvents au seizième siècle. Although the Church of Rome
enforces celibacy on her priests, incontinency is looked upon as but a slight
irregularity j indeed some of the casuists, among whom are Sanchez and
Escobar, consider priests justified in keeping concubines. In spite of this,
there have doubtless been priests who have endeavoured, perhaps even a very
few who have succeeded in preserving their chastity. " J'ai connu à Livourne
(writes P. L. Courier) le chanoine Fortini, qui peut-être vit encore, un des
savants hommes d'Italie, et des plus honnêtes du monde. Lié avec lui d'abord
par nos études communes, puis par une mutuelle affection, je le voyais souvent,
et ne sais comme un jour je vins à lui demander s'il avait observé son vœu de

---

Xlvi.                            PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

genees ;(⁵⁶) the foolish belief, and still worse trading in relics

chasteté. Il me l'assura, et je pense qu'il disait vrai en cela comme en toute
autre chose. * Mais, ajouta-t-il, pour passer par les mêmes épreuves, je ne
voudrais pas revenir à l'âge de vingt ans.' Il en avait soixante et dix. ' J'ai
souffert, Dieu le sait, et m'en tiendra compte, j'espère; mais je ne recommen-
cerais pas.¹ Voilà ce qu'il me dit, et je notai ce discours si bien dans ma
mémoire que je me rappelle ses propres mots." Réponse aux Anonymes.
Of the evils of enforced celibacy there can be no doubt. Nature will never
allow her laws to be perverted with impunity; and several medical men
have explained the kind of erotic fury with which priests and nuns are not
unfrequently possessed. In Ea %zli%\z\\iz of Diderot, and Cije ftilûnk of
M. G. Lewis, this question has been touched upon—in the former, the
unsatisfied desires of the woman urge her to tribadism and insanity; in the
latter, the passions of the man, long reined up, become at last uncontrol-
able. An admirable little work on the subject is §U fHaríage tíeá ikétríá par
A. S. Morin, 1874.

⁵⁶ " Ce trafic déjà ancien (writes M. F. Bouvet) ne fit que se développer
jusqu'au xvi^e siècle. Les papes Victor ii, Boniface ix et Léon χ lui
donnèrent surtout une grande activité. Le jubilé avait été renouvelé; toute
l'Europe faisait le vo)^rage de Rome et y portait son argent. Des prêtres se
tenaient de chaque côté de l'autel de Saint-Paul, et, un râteau à la main,
recueillaient le prix des pardons, après que d'autres avaient administré l'abso-
lution. Telle était l'impudence des chefs de l'Eglise, que leurs nonces voy-
ageaient dans les diverses contrées de la chrétienté pour vendre les indul-
gences. Quant ils arrivaient dans une ville, disent les historiens, ils suspen-
daient aux fenêtres de leurs logements un drapeau avec les armoiries du
Vatican et les clefs de l'Eglise. Ils dressaient dans la cathédrale, à côté du
maître-autel, des tables couvertes de tapis magnifiques, pour recevoir l'argent
de ceux qui venaient racheter leurs fautes. Ils annonçaient au peuple le
pouvoir absolu dont ils étaient investis par le pape de délivrer du purgatoire
les âmes des trépassés et d'accorder la rémission complète de tous les
péchés et de tous les crimes à ceux qui viendraient les racheter. Le domi-

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                           xlviL

and other holy or consecrated articles ;(") the opposition to all
scientific progress, and the constant efforts made by the church
to keep the people in darkness and ignorance ;(^á8) the super-

nicain Tetzel et ses compagnons ne faisaient pas difficulté de dire : ' Aussitôt
que l'argent sonne dans nos coffres, les âmes renfermées dans le purgatoire
s'échappent et montent au ciel. L'efficacité des indulgences est si grande
qu'elle peut effacer les crimes les plus énormes, même le viol de la Vierge
Marie, s'il était possible/ " The system of indulgences being framed to gain
money, it is evident that those who could not pay could not be pardoned, and
this indeed is stated in the plainest words : *' Et nota diligenter quod hujus-
modi gratiae et dispensationes non conceduntur paupeiibus, quia non sunt, ideò
non possunt consolari." Such iniquity could not fail to shock many of the
staunchest supporters of the Vatican, Olivier Maillard sends these
" bullalores " "ad omnes dyabolos" but adds : "Je ne veux pourtant pas révo-
quer en doute la clef de saint Pierre, mais je dis, et in hoc omnes doctores
convenìunti indulger}tice tantum valent quantum sonant. . . * An creditis quod
unus usuarius plenus viciis qui habebit mille miìlia peccata, dando sex albos
trunco, en mettant six blancs dans un tronc, ait rémission des ses péchés ? Certè
durum est mihi credere et durius predicare !" See J3e ïa Cûiïfi£>étott et ttu
Célibat tiesE fêrétrfé, p. 2313 £t¿ %íhvzü ;Pmí)Mtré, p. 54. Consult also
Caria to fattiti Caáiuílcá ·, Cí;e 'Fenat £nuulg*im¿ anU ^ai-Oottö of
tï)£ Cíjttrrí) ûi &ome, ÍSta By the Rev. Joseph Mendham, London

MDCCCXXXIX. &C.

⁵⁷  The industrious Collin de Plancy compiled a very useful work upon
this subject ; Ütctionnatrt critique ÌStè Mñíqnte d tstâ ímageé áültracuícuécé,
Paris, 1821, 3 vols. ; but I would call the attention of my readers to a more
modern publication : IL'&r&nal Öf la ^cöotton &c. par Paul Parfait, Paris,
1876, in which will be found a complete price-current of the wares sold, whole-
sale and retail, at the present day, by the Church of Rome. There is an
amusing chapter on Relics in Disraeli's Curío¿ttíe¿ of S. ttcratttrt, vol. i, p. 267.

⁵⁸  Listen to the testimony of one writer only, a Roman Catholic, Llórente :
"Pannile grand nombre de maux que l'Inquisition a fait éprouvera l'Espagne,

---

Xlviii,                          PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

stition of many of the greatest Roman Catholic writers, their
belief, even to the present day, in magic, in exorcisms, in the
commerce of demons with the human race, &x. ;(⁵⁹) the ob-
scenity of many of their visions li⁶⁰) the indecency even in
their church ornaments ;(⁶¹) we are lost in astonishment at

l'obstacle qu'elle met aux progrès des sciences, de la littérature et des arts n'est
pas un des moins déplorables. Les partisans du Saint-Office n'ont jamais voulu
en convenir : c'est cependant une vérité bien démontrée. ... Ce que je viens
de dire, prouve qu'il ne peut se former de savant en Espagne qu'autant que
ceux qui voudront y cultiver les sciences, se mettront au-dessus des lois pro-
hibitives du Saint-Office. Mais où sont les hommes assez courageux pour
s'exposer à ce danger ? On voit que depuis que l'Inquisition est établie il n'y
a presque pas eu d'homme célèbre par son savoir, qu'elle n'ait poursuivi comme
hérétique. Il est honteux de le dire j mais les faits qui le prouvent sont incon-
testables, et notre histoire nationale peut en convaincre facilement íes plus
incrédules." fatuité critique tte Vfoicpiiäition, vol. 2, pp. 417, 420.

⁵⁹  Consult, inier alia, fêtetûttt tifi ¡ffwatùmti et Ííeá ¿émoná iste. Par Mme
Gabriel le de Ρ*****. Paris, 1ÌÌ195 fU Stable peint par lui-même, afe
Par CoLLiN de Plancy, Paris, 1825 j $3í¿¿ertatúm ¿ur íesí JirlaMceá et hi
tornerà &c. Lille, 186a. Even to the present day the form of exorcism is
preserved in the ritual of the church.

⁶⁰  Some curious specimens will be found in M. O. Delepierre's remark-
able little volume : W^ixitt Essai Philosophique et Historique sur les Légendes
de la Fie Future, Londres, 1876.

⁶¹  The edifying history of Lot and his daughters, for instance, is represented,
in six bas-reliefs, on the embrasure of the central door of the cathedral at
Lyons¡ for a full description, see E'lntermeiJtatte, χ. col. 362. "J'ai vu à
Anvers, (affirms Pigault-Lebrun) il n'y a pas quarante ans, un tableau qui
représentait le sacrifice d'Abraham. Le peintre avait armé le patriarche d'un
fusil, avec lequel il tenait son fils en joue. Un ange, du haut du ciel, pissait
dans le bassinet, et faisait rater l'arme. Ce peintre-là méritait de peindre toute
la Bible $ il était aussi plaisant qu'elle." %t Cttatettt, chap. 3.

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                           xllX.

the depths to which human credulity can sink.(⁶²) The very-
existence of such an institution must be looked upon as the
true miracle.

Nos prêtres ne sont point ce qu'un vain peuple pense ;
Notre crédulité fait toute leur science.^³)

Although England has never possessed many artists who
have devoted their pencils to the illustration of amorous or
erotic subjects, nor among those few such eminent masters as
some other European countries can boast ; yet Thomas Row-
landson stands out as a great exception to this rule. I do not
propose to enter here into the consideration of such of his
works as are before the general public ; that task is being per-
formed by other hands, but Î shall confine myself entirely to
that class of his productions which enters into the frame of the

⁶²  "When I reflect (writes Dr. Beggi) that a thousand years ago it was
exactly the same as it had been from the year 370, and when I see that from
the fifteenth century we have not improved in anything except hypocrisy, I ask
all conscientious persons what use it is for society, and for the moral and
political welfare of states, to keep up such a lot of parasitic, libidinous, envious,
vain, rapacious, and miserable gluttons, who seem to be on earth only to per-
petuate the list of human miseries, and to suck the blood of the people whom
they constantly toss about for the opportunity of better and easier spoliating
their victims ? Some people say that they are a necessary evil, and you must
not say or do anything against them, but at the same time they coincide with
me that the wrongs and injuries that they inflict upon society are infinitely
greater than the little good or assistance that they give to the people in compen-
sation for what they get out of them.'* Cije feuiu of ì&omt anïï Tonice, &c.
London, 1864, p. 167.

⁶³  Voltai re* Oedipe, act iv, scene 1.

g

---

1.                                PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

present work, many specimens of which will be found described
in the following pages (pp. 346 to 398).

Perhaps no artist, Foreign or English, has so thoroughly suc-
ceeded in combining the humorous with the obscene. We must
not seek in his productions the minute detail and careful exe-
cution of many of the French artists of the last century, for his
is of an entirely different school. Endowed with more facility
of execution than patience or industry, he threw off with ease and
rapidity the creations of his fruitful imagination without caring
to elaborate them and supplement every trifling detail. His is
a school of broad, rapid, startling effect, rather than one of
painstaking, pre-raphaelite minuteness. Rowlandson's drawing
is not invariably true : his animals are frequently faulty, and his
figures not always correct. This arises from carelessness,
hurry, or an endeavour to give a special effect to a difficult
posture, not from want of skill. Rowlandson had studied the
human figure carefully, had inspired himself from the antique,
had reproduced some works of the great Italian masters, and
many of his early nudities are perfect in outline. Like all true
geniuses however, he soon threw off the trammels of classic
art, and opened out a field peculiarly and unmistakably his
own. He is never conventional, never stilted, or theatrical.
He loved a small foot and an elegant figure as well as Binet,
for instance, but he never fell into the preposterous, lanky, un-
womanly figures in which that artist, and some others of his
school, have indulged. Rowlandson's women have ^u points "
more in accordance with the notions of the great Flemish
painters. To faces of a truly English type of beauty he adds
bodies of more than English proportions. He combines Law-

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                                 li.

rence and Rubens. One thing is especially remarkable, and
worthy of grateful recognition in Rowlandson. In spite of an
obscenity which is frequently outrée, and by the moderation of
which the attractiveness and amorous or luxurious effect of the
design might frequently be heightened, he nevertheless never
oversteps the bounds of what is manly and natural. He is
never crapulous, never anti-physical (if I may be permitted the
expression) ; and I know no single specimen of all his numerous
productions in which filthy, revolting, or unnatural actions are
portrayed. This praise is greater than it may at first sight appear
to be if we consider the impossible postures and combinations
which some foreign artists have affected, or the depths of
groveling crapulousness to which they have descended.

A word on bibliography. I have been censured^⁴) by some
of my friends for having admitted into my former volume
many worthless books, bad in point of art, rubbish in fact. I
plead guilty to the accusation, and beg to remind my readers
that in so doing I acted in conformity with the programme
which I had sketched out. I do not retract what I have ad-
vanced, I go even further. What we want are not biblio-
graphies of good and standard works, such as " no gentleman's
library should be without," but of rare, forgotten, insignifi-
cant, deceitful, or even trivial and pernicious books. A good
book, like a great man, will penetrate, sooner or later, will

⁶⁴ '* I! est de l'essence d'un bon Livre d'avoir des Censeurs ; & la plus grande
disgrace qui puisse arriver à un Ecrit qu'on met au jour, ce n'est pas que beau-
coup de gens en disent du mal, c'est que personne n'en dise rien." Boileau,
EpUres, Preface.

---

Hi.                               PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

eventually make its mark, and obtain its proper place. Worth-
less books on the other hand are stumbling blocks to the
student ; they exist, and are constantly obtruding themselves in
his path ; he must consequently be grateful to the bibliographer
who shall have taken the trouble to wade through this literary
garbage, shall have estimated it at its real value, and shall give
a terse but reliable account of it. How often does it happen
that a young student, or even an experienced collector, sees a
book catalogued which, from its title, seems to be what he
ought to consult, or which should enter his collection, but
when, with difficulty and expense, he shall have procured the
work in question, it turns out to be quite different from what
he expected. How numerous are the bibliographies which
repeat, one after another, the titles of standard, well known
books with which every advanced student, every intelligent
collector, will be acquainted. I know however of no single
work which, confining itself to the worthless and deceitful, points
out what should be avoided. This is the real desideratum.

Books are collected by two sorts of persons—those who read,
and those who do not read.(^6s) The former will, from their

^6s Book-collectors may be subdivided ad inßnitum. There are those who seek
works of a certain epoch, in a particular language, on a special subject, by a
favourite author, or a remarkable publisher or printer. Others will accept only
books which are especially rare, edüiones principes, or other particular editions,
reprints containing peculiar errors, illustrated editions, extra tall copies, or
specimens of fine binding. The former may possibly appertain to those who
read, "literary ghouls, feeding in the charnel-house of decayed literature," the
latter most probably to those who do not read. Book-collectors are so

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                              lui.

own experience, know what books they require ; for the habit of
reading is not sudden, but gradual, must be acquired when
young, and cannot be taken to at will, in later life, or when one
shall have the means, or have taken a caprice for collecting.

numerous, and anecdotes about them so plentiful, that a list of their names,
apart from any information about them, would be impossible here. I shall
restrict myself to a brief note upon one or two less generally known specialists,
or originals. We have Magliabechi of Florence,the "Glutton of Literature j"
Dr. Douglas of London, who collected only editions of Horace, or books
having reference to his favourite poet; Fitzpatrick Smart, too erratic in his
taste to be placed in any special category ; ^s< Inch-rule " Brewer, who bought
books exclusively by measurement; C. F. Kofoed of Brussels, who devoted
all his attention to illustration. The book-collector, it must be owned, is a
most inoffensive individual, and I know of but two instances of crime resulting
from the mania: I allude to those of brother Vincente of the convent of
Poblet, Aragon, and afterwards bookseller at Barcelona, who committed incen-
diarism, and murdered twelve persons in order to gain possession of the
volumes he loved so well; and of Tini us, a Saxon pastor, who, in 1812 and
1813, killed and robbed successively a merchant and an old woman in order to
procure the money he needed to pay for books he had bought. In his pleasant
article : Les Catalogues de Livres et les Bibliophiles Contemporains, which serves
as preface to Fontaine's Catalogue for 1877, M. Paul Lacroix has given an
interesting sketch of the chief living French bibliophiles, ranking them according
to military grades. Concerning those of the generation immediately preceding
our own, information, not to be met with elsewhere, will be found scattered
through the 7 vols, of He Í8tí>ltopí)íle dfraiuaté. M. Octave Uzanne has
lately portrayed, in his Caprtaa ìftttt ÎS té liofile, le Cabinet d'un Eroto-
Bibliomane, of which the original is perhaps not difficult to trace, although the
picture is highly coloured. Consult political anti % Uvmu ñnuÍíQttá by Dr.
William King, 1819, p. 70; C|e ISooiuftuntU*, pp. 18 and 23 ; Cat ìtta
%ibm &c. de M. C. F. Kofoed; %z iUöre par Jules Janin, p. 120 ;
ï'intirmftltatre, χ, 6>¡8 ¡ ñtyuta of Atttyortf&tp, p. 84.

---

UV.                             PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

The true bibliophile will then have been a student,(⁶⁶) a reader
in his youth, and must, from his very reading, have obtained a
better acquaintance with the works he wants in his particular
branch, or even with their various editions, than any of the
bibliographies I have alluded to can, as a rule, inform him of.
To the latter, all bibliographies are alike useless, for they will
probably pay more attention to quality of paper, size of type,
beauty of illustrations, or even height of the volumes, or style
of binding, than to the intrinsic merits of the work, or correct-
ness of the edition, and are äs likely to be guided by their
upholsterer, as by their bookseller.(^6r)

I regret that in this volume I have not reached the goal for
which I am striving. I have not been able strictly to carry out
my intention of registering and branding exclusively worthless
books.(⁶⁸) We are all prone to pass over, to shun, and leave

⁶⁶  Such an one, let us hope, as is described in the following words of Dr.
William Mathews : " The best books are useless, if the book-worm is not a
living creature. The mulberry leaf must pass through the silkworm's stomach
before it can become silk, and the leaves which are to clothe our mental naked-
ness must be chewed and digested by a living intellect. The mind of the wise
reader will react upon its acquisitions, and will grow rich, not by hoarding
borrowed treasures, but by turning everything into gold." Üotträ folti) á3Ien
anil ÎSflofeô, p. 139.

⁶⁷  I have been told an anecdote of a gentleman, who, having gained a com-
petency in commerce, took to book-collecting. A friend, knowing that the old
gentleman was no reader, and curious to learn what use he made of his newly
acquired treasures, asked the son what his parent did with his books. " Oh," re-
plied the youth ingenuously, " my father dusts them every Sunday morning
with a silk handkerchief."

⁶⁸  When I say " worthless books " I must be understood to speak compara-

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                               lv.

unnoticed the insignificant and trivial, and to dwell upon the
good and great. This has been my case ; I have been attracted
by masterpieces, and have neglected the unartistic ; conse-
quently in this volume less rubbish will be found than in the
Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

As bibliography is, after all, but a reproduction of what
already exists—a pouring out from one vessel into another—
care should be taken that this " decanting " be not useless or
superfluous. A good bibliography is a great boon, a bad one
the very reverse. Every purposeless bibliographical compila-
tion is but an additional hindrance to the seeker of knowledge,
for he will feel in duty bound to consult it in the hope of
learning something from its pages. Unless a bibliographer has
something new or ignored to communicate, errors to point out,

tively, for I hold with Pliny the younger that : " Nullus est liber tam malus,
qui non ex aliqua parte prosit." " It is difficult, almost impossible, (observes
Mr. J. H. Burton) to find the book from which something either valuable or
amusing may not be found, if the proper alembic be applied. I know books
that are curious, and really amusing, from their excessive badness. If you
want to find precisely how a thing ought not to be said, you take one of them
down, and make it perform the service of the intoxicated Spartan slave. There
are some volumes in which, at a chance opening, you are certain to find a mere
platitude delivered in the most superb and amazing climax of big words, and
others in which you have a like happy facility in finding every proposition
stated with its stem forward, as sailors say, or in some other grotesque mis-
management of composition. There are no better farces on or off the stage
than when two or three congenial spirits ransack books of this kind, and
compete with each other in taking fun out of them." Cï)e îâooMHmttr,
Ρ- 141.

---

Ivi.                              PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

or some decided improvement in form or arrangement to pro-
pose, he had better leave old materials as they are, and not put
errors and uncertainties into another shape. No book is easier
to make than a slipshod, incorrect bibliography, none perhaps
so difficult, or which demands so much care, attention, research,
and patient drudgery,(⁶⁹) as one at the same time profound,
comprehensive, concise, and easy of consultation. ('°)

⁶⁹  The following instance of literary drudgery is so remarkable that, although
not strictly to the point, I give it place : " In 1786 the Rev. William Davy,
an obscure curate in Devonshire, began writing a ' System of Divinity/ as he
termed it, in twenty-six volumes, which, being unable to find a publisher, he
resolved to print with his own hands. With a few old types and a press made
by himself, he began the work of typography, printing only a page at a time.
For twelve long years he pursued his extraordinary labours, and at last, in 1807,
brought them to a close. As each volume of the twenty-six octavo volumes of his
work contained about 300 pages, he must have imposed and distributed his
types, and put his press into operation 13,000 times, or considerably more than
three times a day, omitting Sundays, during the long period of his task,—an
amount of toil without remuneration which almost staggers belief. Only
fourteen copies were printed, which he bound with his own hands, and a few
of which he deposited in the public libraries of London. He died at an
advanced age in 1826, hoping to the last for a favourable verdict from posterity,
though even the existence of his magnum opus,—rnagnum in size only,—is prob-
ably not known to ten men in Great Britain." fêoura lutti) fEeiï aitò
ÍSoofcá, p. 238.

⁷⁰  "De tous les livres difficiles à faire, (writes Jules Janin) il est convenu
quun livre de bibliographie est, plus que ious les autres, rempli de périls de toutes
sortes. Chaque partie du discours appartient à quelque savant qui n'a jamais
appris que cela, lisant peu, mais lisant en conscience (multum non multa) ¡ si
bien quà chaque instaiii, à chaque page, à tout propos, vous rencontrez un censeur
nouveau, frais émoulu, qui vous démontre, inévitablement, quîci même, à cette

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                             lvÜ.

Perhaps one of the most useful bibliographical labours would
be the construction of a combined alphabetical index rerum of
works the titles of which do not fully indicate their contents, or
of such as embrace a variety of topics. When we see a book
upon a special subject, the history of a particular country, or
the life of a certain individual, we know that in such work we
shall find information upon that subject, country, or person ;
but what else does it contain ? Further, what a mine of infor-
mation lies ignored, or only partially explored, in travels,
reviews, memoirs, diaries, correspondences, and a host of other
works of a miscellaneous character which it is unnecessary here
to enumerate. In these days of prolific publication, the student
has in truth not the time to wade through these numerous and
frequently voluminous works, and an united alphabetical table
of contents would be invaluable.Q¹)

Bibliographers, with a few honourable exceptions, have
hitherto been content to confine themselves to the outsides (if
I may so express it) of the books which they have described,
and have rarely penetrated further than the title page or the

place, à iel nom propre, irrévocablement, vous vous êtes trompé. Les plus
grands esprits du inonde ont rencontré cet obstacle imprévu." %% %ibït_f p. xxv.
⁷¹ There is a prospect of this want being, if in part only, supplied by the
Index Society, lately founded in London. To the able little pamphlet by the
Hon. Sec.j the first publication of the Society, I would refer my readers for
confirmation of what I have advanced above, and for a fairly exhaustive treat-
ment of the subject he has taken in hand : TO)at «Tan Entier ? A Few Notes
on Indexes and Indexers. % Henry Β, Wheatley, F.S.A. &c. London :
MDcccLxxvin. 8vo., pp. 96.

h

---

lviii.                            PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

colophon. A record of the title, date, size, and pagination of
a book is of course useful as far as it goes, particularly to the
collector or amateur, but the student requires to be informed
of much more than this ; he wants to get at the contents, and
this with as little loss of time as possible ; he must have an
estimate of what is in the book, so that he may be able at once
to decide whether he has to read it, or to leave it alone, and
pass on to something else. What imports it to him whether
the book is in 12tno. or folio, on good or bad paper, &c. ? It
is the nature of the matter which is all important to him—
whether he has found in it a stone to be added to his temple of
knowledge, or only another useless brick which does not fit
into his structure.(¹³)

There is one thing which cannot be too earnestly impressed
upon every bibliographer; it is that he should avoid fine
writing, or an endeavour to be brilliant, amusing, or witty.(⁷³)

⁷⁸ I should be happy if the following words, which J. Techener wrote con-
cerning one of France's most distinguished bibliographers, could be found
applicable to myself: "Aux yeux de M. Nodier la bibliographie n'était pas
seulement la science du titre exact d'un livre, de sa date précise, de son format
et de sa reliure ; chacun des bijoux qu'il avait jugé dignes de figurer dans ses
rayons était un trésor nouveau et devenait pour lui Γ occasion de reflections
délicates, originales et philosophiques ; il aimait à promener son admirable
télescope sur tous ces petits mondes ; il découvrait souvent, dans la plus mince
plaquette, une peinture de mœurs, un souvenir littéraire, un précieux éclaircisse-
ment historique." Preface to ütócríptíoH rationnée d'une jolít Cotteítwm &*
fcfcre*.

⁷³ It is surprising that the French, lovers of bibliography, and able biblio-
graphers as they undoubtedly are, find it so difficult to avoid this error. Even

---

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.                              llX.

As it is not good for a theatrical manager to be an actor, a
critic an artist, or a librarian a reader, (⁷⁴) &c, so it is undesir-
able that a bibliographer should be a ñne writer. He must
content himself with being the humble servant of his authors,
and the faithful guide of his readers. What may be readily
granted to authors in other fields of literature must be denied
to him. They may be allowed to display their knowledge and

the editors of the Supplément (1878) to the classical jftamul Ou %ibxmt
complain of having to resign themselves to this stern necessity. " Ce public
difficile (writes M. P. Deschamps, at p. xi of the Avertissement) nous repro-
chera sans aucun doute de ne pas observer rigoureusement, en toutes circon-
stances, cette loi de la sécheresse noble, qui semble être une règle d'État pour les
bibliographes, particulièrement pour ceux de l'ancienne école. Mais la biblio-
graphie est-elle fatalement vouée à cette austérité ? L' écrivain doit-il se voiler
éternellement la face avec le masque tragique, absolument comme s'il était
condamné à déclamer à perpétuité le récit de Théramène ? Mais alors rentrons
tout de suite dans la forme aride des répertoires anglais et allemands, et nos
catalogues gagneront en dignité et en correction glaciale ce qu'ils perdront en
intérêt et en mouvement."

⁷⁴ "The learned author of the life of Isaac Casaubon, Mr. Mark Patti son,
says * the librarian who reads is lost ;' and this is to a great extent true. It was
certainly true in the case of Casaubon, who, in his love for the contents of the
books placed under his charge, forgot his duties as a librarian. The licence
which a librarian may be allowed to take while in the discharge of his duties
was well indicated by the amiable Cary, the translator of Dante, who used to
describe himself and his colleagues, while engaged in their task of cataloguing
the books of the British Museum Library, as sheep travelling along a road and
stopping occasionally to nibble a little grass by the wayside." Mr. John
Winter Jones, Inaugurai Address at the Conference of Librarians held in
London, Octoòer, 1877. ^See Œ%« Htkarg ^tournai, vol. a, p. 106.

---

lx.                            PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

bright parts without showing the means by which they attained
their skill and learning. He must be satisfied not to shine, and
he is most useful, best performs his duty, and most surely
reaches his goal, by discovering every step by which he has
risen to the position he occupies, every path through which he
has passed in the acquisition of such erudition as he may
possess. He is not the host, but the servant, not the enter-
tainer, but only the attendant whose duty it is to usher the
guests into the presence of those who have to entertain them.

Note.—A few words may not be out of place here, may even be thought
necessary, to account for the irregularity, incompleteness, or even, as some may
deem it, the capriciousness with which the foregoing epigraphs and notes have
been selected. John Selden has said: "In quoting of Books, quote such
Authors as are usually read, others you may read for your own satisfaction, but
not name them. ... To quote a modern Dutch Man where I may use a
Classic Author, is as if I were to justify my Reputation, and I neglect all
Persons of Note and Quality that know me, and bring the Testimonial of
the Scullion in the Kitchen." CabfcCalk. Selden was right from his point
of view, but I have nevertheless proceeded on a different principle. As the
works noticed in the body of this volume are, more or less, of an obscure
character, so, in order to make my notes correspond, I have sought to illustrate
my remarks with selections from obscure authors rather than from those patent
to the world at large. Of course where an appropriate passage was not to be
found in a minor writer I have taken it from one better known. Every one of
my readers will be conversant with the works of such authors as Rabelais,
Milton, Voltaire, Diderot ; but some few will possibly be less well
acquainted with the productions of Robert Wolseley, James Atkinson,
Dr. F. Schuselka, t)r. F. O. Beggi, Dr. E. H. Michelsen, A. Steinmetz,
or Mme. Marie Qxtivogne, and may not be displeased with the present
introduction. As the intention of this compilation is suggestive, not exhaus-
tive, is to deal with disdained or overlooked authors, my object will be readily
understood, and my modus operandi, I trust, pardoned.

---

CENTURIA LIBRORUM ABSCONDITORUM.

ifejllljätor ntatO Id gift Historico-Medica, h. e. Seminis Humani

P§|SS Consideratio Physico-Medico-Legalis, qva Ejus

Natura et Usus, insimulqve Opus Generationis et

Varia de Coitualiaqve hue pertinentia, v.g. De Castratone,

Herniotomia, Phimosi, Circumcisione, Recutitione, &

Infibulatione, item De Hermaphroditis & Sexum mu-

tantibus, Raris & selectis Observationibus, annexo

índice locupletassimo, traduntur, à D. Martino

Schurigio, Physico Dresdensi. Francofurti ad Mœnum,

Sumptibus JoHANNis Beckii, mdccxx.

4to. ; pp. 721, preceded by 8 pages of title and preface, and
followed by 66 pages of indices and errata ; title printed in red
and black. Renauldin* notes an edition of 1721, which I
have not seen.

* Sfograpfiie ^Entíjmíelíe (Michaud), vol. 38, p. 475. Second editions of
two other of Schurig's works are also there given, but they are not noted in
any other biographical work which I have been able to consult, nor have I
ever met with them, and 1 am consequently inclined to doubt their existence.
No authorities are given in Michaud's »«graphie.
Β

---

2                                         SPERMATOLOGIA.

Although chiefly occupied with the consideration of the
act of generation, this volume, as its title indicates, embraces
many other subjects. Like all other 'works by the same
author it abounds in curious and instructive anecdotes. I
add a few of the subjects which have struck me as being
the most noteworthy:

Various names of the penis (p. 89) ; " De Coitu," a very
remarkable chapter (p. 22,2) ; The size of the _xnose indi-
cative of that of the yard (p. 320) ; " Castrati Spadones &
Evnuchi quomodo différant " (p. 374) ; " Castrati coire pos-
sunt " (p. 390); "An Penis magnus Coitum impediat " (p.
496) ; Remedy against long yards (p. 502) ; " De Herma-
phroditis & Sexum mutantibus," a most interesting chapter
(p. 561) ; " Clitoris magna" (p. 576) ; Writers who affirm that
Adam was a hermaphrodite (p. 684) ; Exampies of women
changed into men (p. 690).

I may here remark, once and for all, that this volume,
like all those which I am about to notice by Schurig, is most
thoroughly done. Authorities are carefully and fully given ;
and citations are reproduced in the language and words of
their authors. Each volume is furnished with a Syllabus
Autorum and an Index Rerum, alphabetically arranged, so
that every item of the contents can be easily got at, and
verified. It is this thoroughness, peculiar to erudite Ger-
mans, which renders their books so valuable to the student,
although by the reader for mere amusement they may be
thought troublesome and unattractive.

---

MULIEBRIA.                                             3

0lllliti)Vtii Historico-Medica, hoc est Partium Genitalium
Muliebrium Consideratio Physico-Medico-Forensis, qua
Pudendi Muliebris Partes tarn extern«, quam intern»,
scilicet Uterus cum Ipsi Annexis Ovariis et Tubis Fallop-
ianis, nee non Varia de Clitoride et Tribadismo, de
Hymene et Nymphotomia seu Feminarum Circumcisione
et Castratione selectis et curiosis observationibus tra-
duntur. A D. Martino Schurigio, Physico Dresdensi.
Dresdae & Lipsiae, apud Christophori Hekelii B.
Filium, M.DCc.xxix.

4to. ; pp. 384, preceded by 8 pages of title and preface, and
followed by 36 pages of indices, unnumbered.

A very curious collection of entertaining anecdotes could
be formed from this volume. I confine myself to the indi-
cation of a few of the most remarkable passages :

" De Pudendi muliebris denominationibus " (p. a) ; Hair
on the private parts so luxuriant that it was cut off and sold
(p. a6) ; External signs of the size of the pudenda of both
sexes (p. 49) ; " Vulva monstrosa" (p. ¡1); " De Vaticinio per
vulvam" (p. 56); "De clitoride magna" (ρ, 83); "Tribades"
(p. 90); Sodomy committed in three ways (p. 105); "An
mulieres viros ineant" (p. 107); "Differentia inter clitoridem
& caudarn" (p. in); " Circumcisio feminarum." Women
were circumcised under Maquèda, queen of the Sabae
(p. 142) ; " Daemonum cum mulieribus concubitum vanum
esse mereque imaginarium" (p. 171); "Usus vaginae"
(p. 207); "An orificium (uteri) in coitu aperiatur" (p. 223);
^c*Testiculi muliebres a virilibus differunt (p. 307); Extra
ordinary example of female lubricity (p. 335).

---

4                                         PARTHENOLOGIA.

ffòrt&tttOlQfffo Historico-Medica, hoc est, Virginitatis Con-
siderado, qua ad earn pertinentes Pubertas & Menstruatio,
cum ipsarum maturitate, item Varia de Insolitis Men-
sium Viis atque Dubiis Virginitatis Signis, nec non De
Partium Genitalium Muliebrium, pro Virginitatis Custodia,
olim instituta Consutione et Infibulatione variis atque
selectis observationibus cum Indice Locupletissimo tra-
duntur a D. Martino Schurigio, Physico Dresdensi.
Dresdae & Lipsiae, apud Christophori Hekelii B.
Fîiium, mdccxxix.

4to. ; pp. 3 84, preceded by 4 pages of title and preface, and
followed by 36 pages of indices, unnumbered. Here are a
few of the passages which have struck me as the most re-
markable in this curious volume :

Sale by auction of virgins among the Babylonians (p. 25) ;
" De Menstrui sanguinis usu " (p. 223) ; " De statua uxoris
Lothi" (p. 265); " De Notis Virginitatis ex Miraculis (p. 274);
Chastity put to the proof by a hot iron and boiling water
(p. 276) ; Conception without insertion of the penis (p. 301) ;
Various modes of infibulation of girls (p. 369) ; Andramytes,
King of the Lydori, was the inventor of castration of women,
and Semiramis of that of men (p. 374) ; " Virgo a serpente
amata" (p. 382), Numerous historical and scientific anecdotes
are scattered through the volume.

---

GYNJECOLOGIA.                                       5

(SßttöCOtoSfo Historico-Medica hoc est Congressus Muliebris
Consideralo Physico-Medico-Forensis qua utriusque sexus
Salacitas et Castitas deinde Coitus Ipse Ejusque Voluptas
et varia circa hunc actum occurrentia nee non Coitus ob
Atresiam seu Vaginae Uterinae lm perforati onem et alias
Causas Impeditus et Denegatus, Item Nefandus et So-
domiticus raris observationibus et aliquot casibus medico-
forensibus exhibentur a D, Martino Schurigio, Physico
Dresdensi. Dresdae & Lipsie©, In Officina Libraria
Hekeliana, m.dcc.xxx.

4to. ; pp. 418, with 4 of title and preface, and 18 of syllabus
and index, unnumbered.

This is one of the most remarkable, if not the most remark-
able, of Schurig's works. It is impossible, without overstep-
ping the limits of a bibliographical compilation like the
present, to give an adequate notion of the vast gathering of
facts and anecdotes embraced within its pages. The difficulty
lies in the selection. Here are a few of the most curious
points :

Description of the lasci vio usn ess of women (p. i); Extra-
ordinary aphrodisiacal properties of the root of an Indian plant
(p. 12); " Furoris uterini exempla" (p. 14); Notices of
Messalina, Julia, Cleopatra and Semiramis (p. 27);
^cc Lascivas uxores maritis cornua imponentes," with signification
of the term ^α cornuti," and anecdotes (p. 31); "Salaces cum
brutis coeuntes (p. 39) ; " Salacium p.uellarum instrumenta "
(p. 40) ; " Virorum salacitas," with numerous examples (p. 40) ;

---

6                                                GYN^ECOLOGIA.

"An mares, an feminae saladores?" (p. 46); "Conjugium sine
coitu (p. ¡6) ; " An sine coitu fiat conceptio ? (p. 64) ; " An
dentur conceptiones hermaphroditicae?" (p. 6¡): "Voluptas in
coitu " (p. 69) ; " Utrum mas an femina majorem voluptatem
sentiat?" (p. 72); "Quatuor bestiales conçumbendi modos"
(p. 85) ; " Dolor in coitu," and difficulties of deflowering vir-
gins (p. 95) ; Two curious anecdotes of newly married couples
(p. 101) ; " Cohsesio in coitu" (p. 107) ; "In coitu morientes" (p.
124) ; Copulation prevented by the excessive size of the clitoris
(p. 157) ; Example of a girl being pregnant without losing her
virginity (p. 162) ; Another similar example: "femina permisit
colem maris ad vulvae orificivm vix pertingere, ille vero tenti-
gine flagrans semen ad vulvaa orificium invitus ejecit &
gravida facta virgo est sine concubitu : &c. ambo asseverarunt,
penem in vulvam nequáquam penetrasse." (pp. 172 and 207) ;
Instances of lubidinous men, and of such who have performed
the act a great number of times consecutively, one " eandem
decem ad minimum, saepe duodecim, quindecim, imo ali-
quando viginti coitibus exercens." (p. 225) ; Various ways in
which the act of sodomy is committed by different peoples
(p. 369); "Coitus feminarum cum feminis. Frictrices" (p.
377) ; Bestiality with various animals of both sexes, with mer-
men and maids, with demons, and with statues (p. 380) ;
" Coitus per os " (p. 379) ; Corpse profanation (p. 388).

I cannot close my notice on this very remarkable volume
without reproducing in full two pieces which appear to me
exceptionally curious. In treating of the size of the male
human member, Schurig gives the following letter taken from

a MS. :

P. P.

Ew. Hoch-FreyherrL Gnaden Excel!, und Grosz-Achtb. Herri,
sey meinunter thcenigst Gehorsame in tieffester Demutk und and ¿echii-

---

GYNJECOLOGIA.                                          7

gen Gebet zu Gott anvor. Dero heutiges Tages gegebener Abschied
zwi-

[Here read the page which I have facsimiled in the exact size of the original»
and conclude with :]

len an mir nicht vollbringen, vielweniger eine Mœgligkeit erzwingen
kcennen. Dergleichen grosse und dicke er eine weisse Rübe ge-
schcehlel^mich damit weiter,als mich G Ott er schaffender oeffnen wollen.
Darzu so hat auch sein Stieff- Vater und andere Freunde ihn
angefrischt, wo er an mir nicht seinen Bey schlaff gemessen kœnte,
solté er mich im Holtze an einem Baum binden, todt schiessen,
auff und darvon gehen, wohin er wolte. Dahero gelanget &c.
Datum den 14. Jun. 1681.

From the long chapter: "De stupratone in somno," in
which several curious instances are adduced of virgins being
deflowered and rendered pregnant during sleep, and without
their knowledge or consent, I extract the following, which will
serve at the same time as a specimen of the macaronic style
frequently used by the learned Germans of the time, and to
whom Schurig made no exception. The questions are put to
the Faculty of Medicine of Leipzig :

i.) An dormiens in sella virgo inscia deflorari possit ?

a.) An citra immissionem semints per solam hujus spirituascentiam con-

cipere queat ?
expetiebat, quod ipsius Facultatis verbis ita sonat :

Als uns dieselben ein Schreiben und Acta contra D. R. H. Earlier-Gesellen,
m piincto angegebener Schwœngerung an A. B* S, zugeschickt, und unser Gut-
achten über die xwey Fragen umständlich zu erceffhen verlanget : ι ) Ob es
auch moeglich, dasz eine Virgo bey natürlichem Schlaff, sitzende auff einem
grossen Polster-Stuhl, dessen Sessel eine Elle lang und breit, und ohngefehr vom
Auszuge eine halbe Elle hoch von der Erden, ohne Accommodation, Bewegung
«wo Empßndlichkeit, und zwar ihrem Vorgeben nach, mit Gewalt von dem
ImprgegnaiQj.e kalb stehend, kalb kniend erkannt werden kœnnen ? 2.) Ob nicht_}

---

8                                          GYNjECOLOGIA.

als H, Impraegnatam auf dem Faulbette fleischlich erkannt, ob gleich das Semen
ins Hembde gegangen, per spiritum dessen, und also noch vor letzterm Congressi!
die Conception und Fcecundation geschehen kœnnen ? So gehen wir nach
collegi bischer Verlesung und reijßicher Überlegung aller in Actis befindlichen
Umständen hierauffzur Antwort ; und zwar auf die erste Frage, dasz, ob schon
nicht so leicht zu vermuthen stehet, dasz eine annoch wahrhqfftige Jungfrau
ohne alle Empßndligheit und Einwilligung stuprire* werden mœge, dennoch in
dem Casu, da dergleichen junge Person, so von der Arbeit ermüdet, sich im
ersten Schlaff* befindet, auf einem in Actis besthriebenen Lehn-Stuhl sitzend, oder
fol. io. des Stupratoris Vorgeben nach, rückwerts angelehnet, dannenhero Ge-
nitalia ziemlich vor-und Überwerts gewendet, und die Füsse auf dem unterm
Stuhle befindlichen Auszug, von sich gestrecket, solches nicht vor gantz unmœg-
lich zu achten sey, und also sie ohne sonderbahre Empfindlichkeit oder vollkom-
mene Wissenschqfft, das ist_} cum actu reflexo & -cognitione eorum, quae ipsi
contingunt, auch ohne Bewegung und Accommodation, und dannenhero inscia &
invita, fleischlich erkannt und geschwœngert werden kœnne. Welches bey Α. Β. S.
vielleicht umb so viel eher geschehen, da Stuprator, seiner Aussage nach, fol. 18.
selbige schon etliche Wochen zuvor einsten im Bette wircklich und vollkommen,
i. e. cum penis omnímoda in genitalia ejus intrusione, wiewohl ohne seminis
immissione, fleischlich erkennet und v'wliret, auch dahin gestellet wird, ob er wie
damahls, also auch auf dem Stuhl sein Membrum der S. so tieffin den Leib gebracht
habe, weil er, ob er bey diesem Actu besage f. 19. dieses Werck vollkommen voll-
bracht, (indem er betruncken gewesen,) selbst nicht wissen will; dergleichen
unvollkommener Congressus dennoch, und da Méntula vaginae uteri orificio nur
einiger massen applicire/, dieses sub iìlius afírictione titillire¿, und ihm semen
virile aspergi ret wird, wie unterschiedener Autorum Observationes medicas
erweisen, zu Schvvœngerung einer Weibes-Person untervveilen sufficient und
zulœnglich befunden werde. Ob aber und wie weit dergleichen stupratio
somno oppressas, und solches inscie atque invite admittentis pro violento zu
achten, geben wir denen Herren JCtis zu decidiré« anheim. So viel aber die
andere Frage betrifft, weil H. Act. fol. 41. b. selbst gestehet, dasz, da er impraeg-
natam auf dem Faulbettgen flehchlich erkannt, er das Semen ins Hembde
gelassen, und also weder afïrictio noch aspersi o seminis ad genitalia muliebri a
vorgegangen, kat in demselben Congressu keine Conception und Foecundation
erfolgen kœnnen. Leipzig den 12. Aug. 1669. vid. Joh. Frid. Zittrnann.
Medicin. Forens. Cent. VI. Cas. 77. pag. 1Ó42. seqq. it. Mich. Bernh. Valentin!
La. p. 31. seqq.

---

SYLLEPSILOGIA.                                          Ç

ÄßlfepeÖOJliÄ Historico-Medica hoc est Conceptionis Mu-
liebris Consideratio Physico-Medico-Forensis qua Ejus-
dem Locus, Organa, Materia, Modus in Atretis scu
Imperforatis, item Signa et Impedimenta, deinde Didy-
motokia seu Gemellatio Superfoetatio et Embryotokia
et denique Varia de Graviditate Vera, Falsa, Occulta et
Diuturna nee non De Gravidarum Privilegiis Anirnique
Pathematis et Impressione Raris et Curiosis Observationi-
bus traduntur a D. Martino Schurigio, Physico
Dresdensi. Dresdae & Lipsiae, Siimtibus (sic) B.
Christoph. Hekelii FiL mdccxxxi.

4to. ; pp. 656, preceded by 4 pages of title and preface,
and followed by 20 pages of indices, unnumbered.

The title conveys but a faint notion, even to one of the
profession, of the amusing and curious information with which
the volume abounds. Here are a few of the most note-
worthy items:

Instance of a woman with child during twenty-five years
(P* 95); Examples of conception by old women (p. 116);
"Conceptio sine penis intromissione" (p. 131); Births of
several children at a time (p. 201); Remarkable instances of
superfetation (p. 278); "De gravidarum coitu" (p. $33);
Imagination in women (p. 561). The ninth chapter of
section V. is full of extraordinary cases.

---

IO                                         EMBRIOLOGIA.

<!5lttbrpOlOJII& Historico-Medica hoc est Infantis Hvmani
Consideratio Physico-Medico-Forensis, qva Ejvsdem in
Vtero Nvtritio, Formatio, Sangvinis Circvlatio, Vitalitas
sev Animatio, Respiratio, Vagitvs et Morbi, deinde Ipsivs
ex Vtero Egressvs praematvrvs et serotinvs, imprimis
partvs legitimvs et circa evndem occvrrentia, verbi gratia
Partvs Difficilis, Post Matris Mortem, nvmerosvs et
mvltiplex, tam pvellarvm, qvam vetvlarvm, item per
insólitas vias, et piane insolitvs, porro Varia Sympto-
mata, e.g. Vteri Proiapsvs ejvsqve Inversio et Resectio,
deniqve Partvs Caesarevs et Svpposititivs cvm Pverpe-
rarvm Tortvra raris observationibvs exhibentvr a D.
Martino Schvrigio, Physico Dresdensi. Dresdae
h Lìpsìae Apvd Christoph. Hekelii B. Filivm,

MDCC XXX II.

4to. ; pp. 920, with 35 unnumbered of title, preface, index
and errata.

Every thing that can possibly be said upon gestation,
labour and childbirth, interwoven with curious anecdotes,
is given in this work, which is thoroughly interesting to one
unacquainted with the art of surgery. Here are a few only
of the curious items which the volume contains :

Abortions produced by various causes (p. 339) ; Time at
which conception can take place, with many strange instances
of juvenile fecundity (p. 590) ; If any fruit can result from

---

schurig's various works.                         li

the connection of a man with an animal, or of an animal
with a woman (p. 689). In his consideration of the " partus
suppositus " (p. 892) the author adduces a vast number of
historical examples.

In addition to the works* noticed above, Schurig wrote :

fifc&rtatio ire S?emoptpst léna, 1688. 4to.f

á^talOÍO Cpa Historico-Medica, h.e. Salivse Humanas Con-
siderado Physico-Medico-Forensis, &c. Dresdae, Sump-

tibuS H.ERED. MlETHII. I 723.

4to.; pp. 406, with 41 pages of title, preface, indices and
errata; title in red and black.

CAplologia Historico-Medica hx. Chyli Humani, sive Succi
Hominis Nutriti!, Considerado <kc. Dresdae, Sumptibus
Joh. Christoph. Zimmermanni, & Joh. Nicolai
Gerlachíi. Anno mdccxxv.

4to.; pp. 911, with 8 pages of title and preface, and 48
pages of indices, unnumbered ; title in red and black. Con-
tains a curious dissertation " De Stercoris humani et Bru-
torum Usu Medico."

* Most of Schurig's books will be found in the libraries of the British
Museum and College of Surgeons, although neither institution possesses a
complete set.

t Sic. $Hs>t. Ue la iîtôfmne, par De ζει μ e ris, vol. 4, p. 129.

---

12                            SCHÜRIG's VARIOUS WORKS.

SaematillXIgta Historico-Medica, hoc est Sangvinis Con-
sideratio Physico-Medico-Cvriosa, &c. Dresdae et Lip-
siae apud Fridericvm Hekel, mdccxliv.
4to. ; pp. 408, with 4 pages of title and preface, and 18

pages of indices, unnumbered.

3LttI)íll0JIta Historico-Medica, hoc est Calcvli Hvmani Con-
siderado Physico-Medico-Cvriosa, &c. Dresdae et Lipsiae
apvd Fridericvm Hekel, mdccxliv.
4to. ; pp. 850, with 4 pages of title and preface, and 32

pages of indices, unnumbered.

2>et SUlattofen ©efwtbljeii,* obet din nutlet Tractât
vom ©ííjaicíotfe &c. ; 3ìe6fì ¿ßutmcmne Manuali, £)enen
Medicis unb Chimrgis ¿u Sanbe unb SBaffer ^um teflen in
9iteberlänbtf(|er <B$xafyt gef^rteien fcon Abraham Leon-
hard Vrolingh, Chirurgo ¿u SBejiiZaerdam, &c. ine «§οφ
^eutf{|e ftierfcftet öon Martino Schurigen, M.D. &c.
3)tefben, 1702.
Small 8vo. ; pp. 378, with 46 pages unnumbered; title in

red and black.

$e« auftidjjttge Slttgett nnh Qûff*t*9ltitt Jag. Güille-
me au auâ ben gmnftof· ©tefbcn· 1706. 8vo.f

In the Mt+ Ìltót* Òt ÏU &tétittíút par J. E. Dezeimeris,

* Not " AïatlîÇeit,¹· as is generally given by the bibliographers,
t 3Eftgemeined @arc^aif^eô Sït^etsSencon, Theil 4, p. 70.

---

NOTICE ON DR. M. SCHURIG.                           I3

we read that Schurig has translated from Dutch into German
the (teamen r&trUStrum of Verbrugge. I have not met
with this book, nor do I find it mentioned by any other
bibliographer, and I am inclined to believe that the work
of Frolingh, above mentioned, is intended.

These works, having no special interest for the present
compilation, may be dismissed with the bare notice of
their titles.

No bibliographical work with which I am acquainted
contains a complete list of Schurig's works ; the most
ample are those in the 5ííígemetnee (§uto£ätf$e3 SBüdjer^extcon
of Georgi, and in the MÍU ^fót Ö£ la MtÙÎtÎm, par
J. E. Dezeimeris, although neither of these is perfect.

Of the life of Martin Schurig little is' known. He took
his diploma at Erfurt in 1688, and went from there to
Dresden, where he became physician, and died in 1733.*
Schurig has not received handsome treatment at the hands
of the French biographers, who, one and all, accuse him of
want of taste, and deficiency in judgment and criticism. It
is a great question whether his censors had ever read his
works. In the following animadversion, Eloy, while he
alludes to the macaronic style in which Schurig generally
indulges (a real charm to many readers),*^ ingenuously

* Biographie iüïttfctröeïï* (Micfoaud), vol. 38, p. 475.

t How flat, stale and unprofitable would be that most captivating of books,
Burton's ffaatomg of fKcIancï)ol|>, were every quotation translated and
levelled down into one language !

---

14                           NOTICE ON DR. M. SCHURIG.

implies his own inability fully to grasp his author. In
speaking of his works he observes :

On les liroit avec plus de plaisir & de fruit, s'il ne les avoit pas défigurés
par une quantité de citations & de longs passages d'Auteurs qui ont écrit
en Allemand, en italien & en Hollandois. Comme tout le monde n'entend
pas ces Langues, le mélange qu'il en fait avec le Latin, rend la lecture de ces
Ouvrages extrêmement rebutante.*

I  am more inclined to endorse the opinion of Dezeimeris :

II  a écrit sur divers points de la médecine et de la chirurgie, mais princi-
palement sur tout ce qui se rattache à la génération et aux accouchements, une
série de vastes monographies, dans lesquelles il a rassemblé une masse con-
sidérable d'observations, puisées de toutes parts, et où il rappelle à peu près
tout ce qui avait été fait avant lui. Quoiqu' il n'ait pas toujours mis dans son
œuvre toute la critique qu'on pourrait désirer, on ne peut contester néanmoins
à ces recueils une veritable utilité.f

Since Schurig's day medical science has made vast progress,
and many of his theories and notions have consequently
been long since exploded ; but his vast erudition cannot be
too much admired, nor can the value be underrated of the
numberless pertinent facts which he has amassed, and for
which he invariably gives his authorities.

* Ute. fêtât. tie la Retienne, vol. 4, p. 231. The same passage is reproduced
in the Î3 to graphie ftëtàftcaU.
t ütc. Htsit. tie la i&ftienite, vol, 4, p. 129.

---

IggïisP* Jftröt Centfarg of £>ranlialmisi, JWaKjptant

O§1Ü ^rtóötó, Made and admitted into Benefices
by the Prelates, in whose hands the Ordina-
tion pf Ministers and government of the Church
hath been. Or, A Narration of the Causes for which
the Parliament hath Ordered the Sequestration of
the Benefices of severall Ministers complained of
before them, for vitiousnesse of Life, errors in Doc-
trine, contrary to the Articles of our Religion, and
for practising and pressing superstitious Innovations
against Law, and for Malignancy against the Parliament.
It is Ordered this seventeenth day of November, 1643.
by the Committee of the House of Commons in Par-
liament concerning Printing, that this Booke Intitled,
[The First Century of Scandalous, Malignant Priests, &c]
be printed by George Miller. John White.
London, Printed by George Miller, dwelling in the
Black-Friers, m.dc.xliii.

Square 8vo.; pp. 8 unnumbered of title and "Epistle to
the Reader," and 51 numbered; in all 59 pages.

This remarkable volume, scarce as it is curious, was pub-

---

î6                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

lished by order of the Parliament, in the second year of the
great rebellion, whilst King Charles I. was holding court at
Oxford. It contains the names, residences, &c, in full, of
ioo "scandalous and lewde ministers," together with minute
details of the misdemeanours on account of which the Par-
liament had sequestrated their benefices.

In his Epistle to the Reader John Wküte, who signs
himself "him that desireth to spend himselfe and be spent
in the service of the King and Kingdome," sets forth under
six heads the objects and advantages of the book :

First, To open thine eyes and clearely convince and satisfie thee, that the
Parliament had good, and very great cause from hence, among many other
things, to declare and resolve, that the present Church Goveraement by Arch-
bishops, Bishops, their Chancellours, Commissaries, Deanes, Arch-deacons,
and other Ecclesiasticall Officers, depending upon the Hierarchie, is evill and
justly Offensive and burdensome to the Kingdome, a great Impediment to
Reformation and growth of Religion, and very prejudiciall to the State and
Governement of this Kingdome, and therefore to be taken away, &c.....

And in this Booke, thou shalt have an Assay of the Gall and Worme-wood
of the Episcopali Governement, taken out of London the Metropolis, and of
the Counties adjacent, that when thou seest what Vermine crawles upon, and
devoures the principali and vitali parts, thou maist reflect with a mournefull
heart upon the more miserable condition of Wales, and of the North, the
more remote parts of this Kingdome, where upon scrutiny will be easily
found, many for one as vile and abhominable as these. And if thou wouldest
have the people perish for want of vision or impoysoned with the destructive
Errours of Popery and Arminianisme, and the Land yet more defiled with
cursing, swearing, drankennesse, whoredome, sodomie, then put thy shoulders
still to the support of the said Church-Governernent and Governours, but if
thou be better minded (as in Charitie I hope thou art) then joyne heart and

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                      17

hand with the Parliament, to purge out such Popish dreggs, and together with
them, pray for and endeavour a through Reformation, according to the Word
of God.

Secondly, Thou maist by perusall of this booke clearly see what manner
of persons those Cleargie-men be, that favour the present course of his
Majestie against his Parliament and people, and dislike and maligne the wayes
of the Parliament, they will appeare unto thee to be such as cannot endure the
purity, power and strictnesse of the true Religion, that hate Reforma-
tion, &c......

Thirdly, Thou maiest hereby discerne one principali ground and cause of
the generali ignorance and debauchery of the Gentry and people of this
Kingdome. Like Priest, like people : They cause the people to erre by their
lyes and by their lightnesse : &c.....

Fourthly, Behold with admiration, and acknowledge with love and thanke-
fulnesse the transcendent mercie of the Lord, to his poore people among us,
that whereas he hath infinite just cause to destroy these Priests and people
together, cloath them with desolation, and doe unto them after their waies,
and judge them according to their desert. He is graciously pleased to stirre
up a spirit of zeale and judgement in the Parliament to deliver the people
from the mouthes of these Shepheards, that feed not the flocke, but kill them
that are fed, eate the fat, and cloath themselves with the wool ; &c.....

Fifthly, Behold with comfort and assured expectation ofj good from
Heaven, that as the Lord hath manifested his gracious purpose to reforme his
Church in this Land, and set up the Kingdome of Christ among us, in the
purity of Doctrine and Discipline, and hath for that purpose called this
Parliament, fixed it, set it upon that worke, and maintained it therein, and in
all these hath manifested his immediate hand and finger, &c.....

Sixthly, Whereas in severall Proclamations, Declarations and Pamphlets
set forth in his Majesties name, and otherwise sent us from Oxford, the
Parliament hath been exceedingly reproached and condemned (as in truth
Β

---

18                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

they have been for all the good they have done for the Kingdome) for
Sequestring the Livings of Reverend Divines (as they stile them) thou mayest
by a serious perusall of this Booke, cleerely see what Divines the Authours
and publishers of the said Pamphlets doe so reverence and esteeme ; And
from thence observe of what spirit these men are that side with, honour,
pleade for, and receive unto them such Priests of Baal, of Bacchus, of Priapus ;
Doth not their affection unto, and high esteeme of such uncleane beasts,
abundantly evince, that they serve and prostitute themselves unto the same
dung-hill idols and filthy lusts, and that they are all of the same Father?
And note further, that these Libellers not only speake evill of Dignities, but
also of those things that they know not, they Censure the Supreme Court
of Judicature, themselves being Delinquents, deserving the severest judgement,
and that without hearing them, or informing themselves of what they have
done, notwithstanding all their acts and proceedings lie fairely of record in
their Journall bookesj obvious to every man that desires to understand the
same. And that the Parliament may appeare just in their doings, and the
mouth of iniquity may be stopped, this Narrative of the crimes, and mis-
demeanours of those sons of the earth are here published, that all the world
may see, that the tongues of these that speake evill of the Parliament, are set
on fire of Hell, and lift up against Heaven, and that they hide themselves
under falsehood, #nd make lies their refuge. ....

I know well that all we say or doe in this particular will be reproached by
some, but good services must not therefore be deserted because reproached.
When the fat Abbies were taken downe in Henry the eights time, the Friers
cried out that holy Church was destroyed, yet when the draughts and ponds
were searched, so many bones and skulls were found, which assured men
of practises distant enough from holinesse.....

When malice hath spoken its worst and done its utmost, then shalt thou
cleerely understand what I daily see and certainely know, that the great
services and paines of the Parliament have no other scope but divine glory,
the Churches reformation, and the Kingdomes safety. Consider sadly and
seriously of these things, and the Lord give thee and me understanding of
these times, to know what Israeli ought to doe in the same ¿ and let us
without feare of the hand of violence, or foote of pride, set hand and heart,
and shoulder and all, to the perfect cleansing of the hoose of the Lord, and

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                      IC

advancing his S ion to a perfection of beauty, and setting up his Christ upon
his Throne, to rule over us in all things according to his own mind, and
then expect with fulnesse of assurance, that he will speedily make all his
enemies his foot-stoole, and ease himselfe and us of all his adversaries.

An alphabetical list of the ministers, whose benefices were
sequestered, and of the offences brought against them, may
be interesting, and useful.

1.—(90).* Allen. "The Benefice of Peter Allen, Vicar of the Parish
Church of Tolsbury in the county of Essex, is sequestred, for that he hath
lived incontinently a long time with severall women, that is to say with Mary
Tim, who went from his house with child by him, Frances Smith, by
whom he also had a bastard. And with Ann Cooper whom he hath kept
for the space of 7 yeers last past, and yet keepeth in his house, who miscarried
of a child begotten by him. And while the Railes were standing about the
Communion Table, he refused to administer the Sacrament to such as would
not come to them. And hath beene very negligent of his Cure, absenting
himselfe without any care taken for supply thereof a month together,
whereby the bodies of the dead have beene left un buried severall daies, and
hath expressed great malignancy against the Parliament."

a.—(72). Alsop, Samuel, Vicar of Acton in Suffolk, " for that he hath
attempted the chastity of divers married women, &c, and hath set up in his
chancell the Jesuits Badge in gold, in divers places thereof, and hath expressed
great malignancy against the Parliament, Sec."

* The following Nos. 1 (90), 7 (48), 8 (2), 29 (3), 50 (59), 92 (61),
93(ioo), 94(1), 96(64), 99(36) I reproduce verbatim and in extenso ; the
Qtner notices I have condensed, taking care however to give in every case the
substance of the alleged misconduct, and as far as possible in the exact words
of the original. The numbers in parenthesises indicate the order in which the
notices occur in the book.

---

20                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

3.—(45). Alston, Edward, Parson of Pentìoe in Essex, ^a for that he hath
attempted the chastity of some women, and hath used very unchast
demeanours towards other women, snatching a handkerchiefe from one, and
thrusting it into his breeches, and forcing her hand after it, and putting his
yard into her hand, pulling up the coates of another, and thrusting his hand
into the placket of another, &c. 5 and hath expressed great Malignancy against
the Parliament ; &c. And did reade in his Church Declarations set out in his
Majesties name, but refused to reade any Declarations of Parliament. And
having appointed a Communion, and all things were ready for it, and the
Parishioners prepared, he turned his backe and went away, refusing to deliver
it, because the Surplice was not there. And falsly affirmed, That the Parlia-
ment gathered great summes of money to enrich their owne purses."

4.—(93). Amnes, Iohn, Parson of Charleton in Kent, "a common
drunkard, hath kept a common Ale-house, and is a prophaner of the Sabbath
day, by common frequenting of Ale-houses thereon, and is a practiser of the
late Innovations, and would never preach himselfe, nor suffer others to preach
on the Sabbath-dayes in the after-noon, and hath attempted the chastity of
divers women, and used unchast behaviour towards them.¹'

5.—(21). Andrewes, Nicholas, Rector of Guilford, and Vicar of Godal-
mine in Surrey, " negligent in preaching, enveighing in his Sermons against
long Sermons : And in delivering the Bread in the Sacrament, he elevateth
it, lookes upon it, and bowes low unto it, &c. ; frequenteth Tavernes, and con-
sumes his time in sitting and tipling there : And hath refused to publish the
Order of Parliament, concerning the removall of superstitious and Idolatrous
pictures and Images, &c.''

6—(70). Anherst, Ieoffrey, rector of Horsemauden, Kent, "refused to
administer the Sacrament to those that would not come up to the railes, &c. ;
is a common swearer and haunter of Ale-houses, &c. ; hath expressed great

malignity against the Parliament."

7.— (48). Ashburnham, Edward, Vicar of Tunbridge, Kent, "is a common

Ale-house haunter and Taverne haunter, and very often dranke, even upon the

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                      21

Lords-days, and hath driven divers of his Parishioners with their families from
their dwellings, by pursuing them for not comming up to the Railes to receive
the Sacrament, and seldome preacheth upon the publike Fast-days, and made a
publiek speech for the incouraging of the late Insurrection and Rebellion at
Tunbridge, and to contribute to the maintenance thereof."

8.—(2). Aymes, Iohn, Curate of Lowis, Kent, " a common drunkard and
swearer : and hath affirmed the Parliament to be a Round-headed Parliament,
and that their heads should he all shortly chopt off, and wished, that the King
might grind them in pieces like a Potters vessell, and for above 15. weekes
hath altogether deserted his Cure."

9.—(83). Batly, Thomasí Rector of Brasteed, Kent, for "false Doctrine.
And hath laboured by his preaching and otherwise to draw his people to auricular
confession, averring that he had power to absolve them, &c. That he turned
the communion-Table Altar-wise, railed it in, used frequent bowing before it,
&c. And hath expressed great malignity against the Parliament.*'

10.—(49). Bloxam, Nicholas, Parson of great Waldingfield, Sussex, "a
common drunkard and inticer of others to that beastly vice, a common swearer
by great and bloudy oaths $ and hath bin very carelesse and negligent of his
Cure, &c, hath carried himself very lasciviously towards severall women, and is
greatly suspected of Incontinency."

11.—(19). Bradshaw, Iames, Vicar of Chalfont, S. Peters, Bucks, "not
only a practiser and maintainer of all the late innovations, but hath also
preached in his sermons, That the Commissaries Courts were the suburbs of
Heaven, and the Commissaries and Officers of that Court, the very supremacies,
next to Arch-Angels, &c ; and that to preach twice on the Lords day is a
damnable sinne, &c."

12.—(30). Brewster, Edward, Rector of Lawshall, Suffolk, "hath refused
to administer the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to such of his Parishioners
as would not kneele at the railes, &c, compelled them to doe penance, &c, is a
common Ale-house haunter, &c, hath spoken very disgracefully of the Earle of
-Essex, and hath expressed great malignancy against the Parliament, &c."

---

22                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

¹3-—(86). Buck, Tames, Vicar of Stradbrocke, Suffolke, "hath preached
openly, That the Pope is the head of the Church, &c. ; " a believer in Transmu-
tation, Auricular Confession, Adoration of the Virgin, and other Popish
doctrines.

34.—(6). Cherry, Edward, Rector of Much-holland, Essex, General
Popish practices, " hath published a very scandalous Libell against the Earle of
Essex, Earle of Warwick, and Earle of Holland, &c. ; and is reputed to have
betaken himself e to the Army raised against the Parliament."

^l5'—(9²)· Clapham, Paul, Vicar of Farnham, Surry, and Parson of Martin
Worthy, South-hampton, "hath lived in adultery with severall women, and
hath had divers bastards, &c. And hath called the Parliament and their
adherents, Rebels and Traitours, &c, and betaken himselfe to the Army of
Cavaleers about January last."

16.—(36). Clarke, Alexander, Vicar of Brediield, Suffolk, "hath used
very frequent bowing to the Altar, &c, refused to let the Church-wardens
levell the ground where the Altar stood, &c, hath enveighed in his Sermons
against praying by the Spirit, &c, hath read the Booke of Sports on the
Lords- day, and incouraged his Parishoners to observe the same, &c, hath
publikely sported himselfe with his Parishioners on the Lords dayes at Barly-
breake, and hath taught to the people, that he hath absolute power to forgive
sinnes, &c, hath endeavoured to draw his Parishioners to the Forces raised
against the Parliament, &c.j And hath affirmed, that the Earie of Strafford did
die wrongfully, &c, and hath spoken reproachfully of the Earle of Pem-
brooke, &c."

17.—(54)· Clarke, John, Rector of S. Ethelburrough, within Bishops-
gate, London, ^u hath endeavoured to corrupt his auditory with the leaven of
Popish doctrine, &c, is a common haunter of Tavernes and Ale-houses, and
useth to sit tipling there till he be drunke, and hath exprest great malignity
against the power and proceedings of Parliament, &c."

18.—{//)- Clay, Matthew, Vicar of Chelsworth, Suffolk, "hath very

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     2¡

litttle resided upon his Parsonage-house, but letteth one live in it that turneth
it to an Ale-house, m which there is very much disorder, even upon the
Lords dayes, &c, is a common swearer, a haunter of Ale-houses and Tavernes,
and hath been oft very drunk, &c. ; and hath expressed great malignancy
against the Parliament, &c."

19.—(20). CoTESFORD, Robert D.D., Rector of Hadleigh, and Munkes
Ely, Sufîolke, a practiser of Popish doctrines, has deserted his cure, " hath been
often drunke, consuming his time in tipling and drinking, sometimes from
morning to night, and hath oft attempted the chastity of his maid-servant, &c. ;
hath refused to reade the Declarations of Parliament, and especially that of the
22th. of October, 1643, concerning his Majesties Commissions granted to
Papists to raise forces, &c."

20.—(57). Dale, Curthbert, Rector of Kettleburrough, Suffolk, " a
constant observer of the late illegal Innovations in the Worship of God, &c.,
is a common swearer and curser, &c, hath read the Book of sports on the
Lords day, &c. And seeing a stranger in the Church put on his hat in sermon
time, he openly then called him, sawcy unmannerly Clowne, and bid the
Church-wardens take notice of him, and the next Lords daye tooke occasion in
his Sermon againe to speake of him being then absent, and to call him Lobb,
sawcy Goose, Idioi, a Wigeon, a Cuckoe, saying, he was a scabbed Sheepe, a
stmgler, and none of his flock, and is a common Ale-house and Taverne
haunter, and hath been often drunke, and frequently in his Pulpit, upbraideth
his Parishioners, calling them Knaves_i Devills, Raskalls, Rogues, and Villaines,
&c, and in one of his Sermons affirmed, That he -hoped the late Lord Cooke
was in Hell, for maintaining Prohibitions, and hath been very negligent of his
Cure, &c, leaving the same to very scandalous Curates, &c, and hath expressed
great Malignancy against the Parliament."

ai.—(63). Darnell, Thomas, Vicar of Thorpe, Essex, "an usuali pro*
phaner of the Lords day, by sports and playes, and by making cleane his Cow-
house and out-houses, and other like servile workes, and read the Book of
sports on the Lords day in the Church, with approbation thereof, and is a
common swearer and curser, and a notorious drunkard and Ale-house haunter,

---

24                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

even upon Fast-dayes, and is a common Gamester at unlawful! games, and
hath been convicted of incontinency and adultery before Doctor Warren and
others, Justices of peace, &c ; and hath expressed great malignancy against the
Parliament/'

22.—-(28). Dausew, Peter, Vicar of Camberwell, Surry, "a common
drunkard, and drunke at the times of officiating at Burials and Baptizings 5
and hath by his debaushed conversation, disabled himseife from preaching,
and hath not preached for these 12. yeares and upwards, &c. 5 and hath
extorted undue and unreasonable fees from his Parishioners, and after the
administring of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, expended the money given
to the poore in Sack, and dranke it in the Church -, And in delivering the
Sacrament to one Mistris Wilson, one of his Parishioners, cast the Bread upon
the ground, saying to her, take it there if thou wilt have iti and is a common
curser and swearer, and hath read in his Church his Majesties Declaration
against the Parliament, concerning Levies, &c."

23,—(79). Daves, I o se ph, Curate and Hospitier, of St. Thomas Hospitall
in Southwarke, ^tf a common drunkard, &c ; and a common swearer, and hath
expressed great malignancy against the Parliament, &c."

24.—(8:). Dawes, Humphrey, Vicar of Mount-Nezing, Essex, "hath
discouraged his parishioners from assisting the present defensive War, &c¿
hath read the Book of Sports, and incouraged his parishioners to prophane the
Sabbath and hath been often drunke, and came so drunke to Church on the
Lords day, as he bad his people sing a Chapter in the Hebrewes for a Psalme,
not knowing what he did."

25.—(42). Denn, î oh ν, Vicar of Dartford, Kent, "commonly drunke,
and on Sabbath dayes, useth to sit till twelve of the clock at night, sending for
bottles of Wine, and clubbing, and in a Sermon, described a drunkard to be
only such an one as lies in the Cart-way, foamifig at mouth} and not able to
remove fro?n the Cart-wheels, and refuseth to preach on the Lords dayes, &c,
and hath expressed great malignity against the Parliament, &c."

2-6.— (84). Duxon, Richard* D.D. Parson of St. Clement-Danes^London,

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     2¡

irregularity in the management of his Church, &c. ;" and hath betaken himselfe
to the Army of cavaleers, and was seene in Oxon since in a coloured hat
and coat."

27.—(52). Evans, William, Parson of Sandcroft, Suffolk, " a notorious
drunkard, and hath altogether neglected the publike Fast, even since the
Order of Parliament for the better observation thereof, and spent the same
dayes, or greater part of them in Ale-houses, &c, and in his Pulpit delivered,
That those that did give or lend to the Parliament, were accursed, &c."

28.—(18). Fairefax, William, D.D. Rector of S. Peters, in Cornhill,
London, and Vicar of East-Ham, Middlesex, " hath refused to deliver the
Sacrament to such of his Parishioners as refused to come up to the railes, &c. ;
useth to prophane the Sabbath-day, by playing at Cards!, and hath been often
drunke in Ale-houses and other places, and usually seeketh and haunteth the
company of women, notoriously suspected of incontinency, and intrudes
himselfe into their company, and into the company of other women, walking
alone in the streetes in the darke and twi-light, and tempteth them to unclean-
nesse, leading them into darke places, and into Tavernes, fit for such workes of
darknesse, and hath expressed great malignity against the Parliament, &c."

²9*—(3)· Forbench, Charles, Parson of Heny, Essex, "a common
swearer, oftentimes breaking forth into fearfull Oathes and Imprecations, and
very carelesse of his pastorall function, and wholy neglecteth the observing of
the monethly Fast, setting his men to plow, himselfe also working on those
dayes in the fields, and hath affirmed, that the Earle of Strafford was no
traiteur, and that he was put to death wrongfully by the Parliament."

30.—(11). Fothersby, Francis, Vicar of S. Clements, Sandwich, and
Parson of Lingsteede, Kent, **a common drunkard, and common swearer
and curser, and hath expressed great malignancy against the Parliament, &c."

3t.—(62). Geary, Thomas, Vicar of Beddingfield, Suffolke, "often
orunke even to vomit, and hath been and is a common swearer of bloody
oathes, and curser in a fearfull manner, as God damne me₇ the Devill damne
E

---

2,6                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

me, refused to preach for many Sabbath dayes together, and said, he thought
preaching would doe his Parishioners no good, and useth in his Sermons to
raile upon his Parishioners, calling them, sowded Piggs, Bürsten Ramrnes, and
Speckled Frogs, and one of the chief e women of the Parish, greatly grieved at
such miscarriages, and going out of the Church, the said Geary openly in his
Pulpit thereupon said, that if there were hut one Whore in the Parish, she
would kick and-fling, and never keepe her seate, and affirmed, that he had
absolute power to forgive sinnes, &c, and hath expressed great malignancy
against the Parliament."

32.—(58). Goade, Thomas, of East-Hatley, County of Cambridge, " for
that he was for his scandalous life and misdemeanours, deprived of his Benefice
at Guningson in the County of Nottingham, about 20. yeares since, and hath
not since reformed his life, but is still a common frequenter of Ale-houses,
and very often drunke, and oft on the Lords day j And on Newyeares-day
was twelve-moneth, the Sacrament of the Lords Supper being to be admin-
istered in his Church, he came from an Ale-house where he had been all night,
and was so drunke, that he fell downe twice or thrice in the presence of the
Parishioners, who expected him at the Church-doore ; &c. And hath oft sate
so long drinking, that he hath bepist himselfe, and sometimes the rooxne
where he sate, and is an outragious common swearer and curser, and in his
Tipling useth to say, Now Deviili doe thy worst, and caused his servants to
goe to their earthly laboures upon the Fast-dayes, and finding his neighbours
Hoggs trespassing, wished the plague of God in Hell might take her and her
Hoggs, and hath been a great practiser and presser of the late illegali Innova-
tions in the Worship of God $ And because his Parishioners would not come
up to the railes to receive, caused the Parish-Clarke to carry away the Bread
and Wine, and hath expressed great malignancy against the Parliament."

33·—(88). Goffe, Richard, Vicar of East-Greensteed, Sussex,^u a common
haunter of Tavernes and Ale-houses, a common swearer of bloudy oathes, and
singer of baudy songs and often drunke, and keepeth company with Papists
and scandalons persons, and hath confessed, That he chiefly studied Popish
Au tfiours, and highly commended Queene Maries time, and disparaged Qoeene
Elizabeths, as an enemy to learning» and hoped to see the time againe that

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                      27

there should be no Bible in mens houses." A preacher of the doctrine
of transsubstantiation, &c, and an enemy of the Parliament.

34.—(8). Gordon, Iohn, Rector of Ockley, Sussex, "a common haunter
of Ale-houses and Tavernes, sitting and tipling there, night after night, and
hath spent the whole Sabbath there, so that no Service nor Sermon was in his
Church by reason thereof, &c., and hath published in his Church, all those to
Ite Traitours that lent to the Parliament, &c."

3_ι5·—-(ΐ3). Gorsuch, Iohn, D.D. Rector of Walkerne, Hertford, " often
drunke; and oft sitteth gaming whole nights together, and is seldome in the
Pulpit, preaching scarce once a quarter ; refused to administer the Sacrament
to such as would not come up to the railes, &c. ; and hath published a wicked
Libell against the Parliament, &c."

36.—(71). GouLTiE, Miles, Vicar of Walton, Suffolk, "practiser of the
late illegal Innovations &c, and hath been often drunke, and hath expressed
great malignancy against the Parliament."

37-—(34). Graunt, William, Vicar of Iselworth, Middlesex, ^u hath
called the singing Psalmes, Hopkins Hgges, And affirmed, That he had rather
heare a pair of Organs ten to one than the singing of them." Has read the
Declarations of the King and refused to read those of the Parliament, &c,
"often drunke, and that many times in one weeke, &c."

38.—(35). Hancocks, Henry, Vicar or Fornax-Pelham, Hertford, "hath
preached, That it is as lawfull for a woman if she dislike her Husband, to
leave him, and take another, as for one to goe out of his Parish to heare
another Minister ; &c. 5" has in sermons slandered the Puritans, &C.5 ^£' is a
common tipler and haunter of Ale-houses, and a profane swearer of bloudy
oathes."

39·—(96). Hannington, Henry, Vicar of Hougham, Kent, ^aa common
and notorious drunkard, and oft, lying .dead-drunke in high-wayes, and hath
continued so for the space of twenty yeares and upwards, and useth. to sing in

---

28                      SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

his cupps in the Ale-house baudy songs, which he calleth Cathedraîl Songs,
&c."í administered the Sacrament when drunke ¿"And when he read the
Book of Sports on the Lords day, there was Beere laid into his Barne, and
dancing and drinking there that day, and to give them the more time for it, he
dismissed the Congregation with a few prayers, and left off preaching in the
after-noone j" a promoter of late innovations, &c. ; *' and when young people
and servants have come to him to pay their offerings and be examined of their
fitnesse to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, his manner alwayes was,
to aske them, How many Piggs their Fathers and Masters had, and how many
Fowle they kept, and how many Lambes, and when they had fully in- ,
formed him thereof, admitted them to the Sacrament without any further
examination."

40.—(31). Hart, Richard, Rector of Hargrave, Suffolk, ^a a common
Ale-house haunter, and upholder of private Ale-houses, and commonly sitteth
drinking in them divers days together, and lately continued drinking and
tipi ing there, from Tewesday till Sunday-morning, and that morning being
come home, durst not come to Church, his face was so battered and beaten,
&c. And upon Whit-sunday last, though he had administered the Communion
in the fore-noone after Evening prayer read, he drew a man and his wife to a
private Ale house, and there kept them drinking till night, and after led them
to his owne house, and there made the man so drunke, as he fell asleepe, and
then enticed the mans wife up into his Chamber, where they were all night
suspitiously together, and drinking and taking tobacco, and hath expressed
great malignancy against the Parliament, &c."

41.—(98). Heard, Thomas, Vicar of Wesfc-Tukely, Essex, "a common
drunkard and companion of drunkards, and hath been so drunke, that he hath
tumbled into ditches and mire, and hath been oft drunke since he* was com-
plained of in Parliament, and in one of his drunken fitts, called for a fire to be
made, and vowed he would burne his Wife and children in it, and refused to
deliver the Sacrament to his Parishioners for not kneeling at the ledge of the
railes, &c. -, and when the former Parliament brake up, said boastingly, That he
hoped then to live to see all Puritans hanged,"

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     29

42.—(65). Heny, Thomas, Vicar of Arundell, Sussex, a drunkard, and
swearer, seldom preaching himself except for special reward ; ^t( and hath
caused scandalous persons to be placed for schoolmasters in the said Towne
to corrupt the youth, and hath expressed great malignancie against the
Parliament."

43.—(16). Hiliard, Robert, Vicar of Ewell, Surry, "he said, The Parlia-
ment is a Parliament for the Devill, and the Devils Courts and that the
Petitions of the Parliament to the King, are like the Petitions of Jeroboam to
Rehoboam, commands not Petitions, &c. ; is often drunke, and is a common
curser and swearer, &c."

44.—(78). Horsmanden, Daniel, DD. Parson of Vlcomb, Kent, "very
often exceeding drunke, and hath expressed great malignity against the
Parliament, &c."

45.—(67). Hugget, Anthony, Parson of Cliffe, Sussex, "hath sued
divers of his Parishioners for going to other Churches to heare Sermons, when
he preached not, and forced two of them to doe pennance for it, &c. ; and
instead of a Sermon on the Lords day, did reade to his people the late new
Canons, and is greatly suspected of Incontinency, and hath had the French-
pox, and was cured thereof by one M. Abell for 10. pound promised him.
And the said Huggets wife, asking him for a peece of gold, which he tooke
from her, and gave to a light woman, in furie he spurned her on the belly,
when shee was quicke with child, so that she was forced presently to take her
chamber, and was delivered of a dead child, notwithstanding w^ch he vowed he
would never have more children by her : And hath wholy deserted his Cure
for above 6 months from the time of the said sequestration, and hath been
seene in the Army of Cavaleers raised against the Parliament.'*

46. (91). Hurt, Iohn, Vicar of Horndon, Essex, "a common drunkard
and gkrnester, a common swearer and curser, and hath beene convicted before
the Justice of peace for six oathes at a time, and then sware by God, he did
not sweare, and hath a very evill report of uncleannesse and abuse of women,
and hath spoken basely of the Parliament, &c.^M

---

3O                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

47.—(32). Ienkinson, Edward, Parson of Panfield, Essex, " did set the
Communion Table Altar-wise, and railed it in, &c*j And he is an encourager
of prophaning the Lords-day, sending then for Cudgels for his people to play
withallj and being present himself at the Cudgel! playing: And hath expressed
great malignancie against the Parliament."

48.—(23). Ieofperis, —, D.D. Vicar of Feversham and Ticehurst, Kent,
preached in favour of the King and against the Parliament, " and hath deserted
his said Cure, for the space of hälfe a yeare now last past."

49.—(26). Kidd, IoHN, Curate of Egerton, Kent, irregularity in times of
his preaching, bowing to the Communion-Table, &c.; and, in administering
the Sacrament, he " asaulted one of the Communicants, and pulled him by
the haire of the head, and thrust him out of the Church and Congregation
without any just cause, &c."

50.—(59). King, Nicholas, Vicar of Friston and Snape, Suffolk, ^u is a
common Ale-house haunter, and companion of scandalous persons, and men
of evill fame, and oft drunke, and attempted the chastity of Elizabeth
Scotchmer, who going to his house to pay him some moneyes, he inticed her
to lye with him, and did strive a long time with her to abuse her by force, and
would have corrupted her thereunto with moneyes, but she protesting unto
him she would not sell her soule to the Devill for money, he replied to her,
She was a fooie> for God did forgive the greatest sinners, and hath expressed
great malignancy against the Parliament.'¹

51.—(44). King, Thomas, Vicar of Chesillmagna, Essex, a drunkard and
Sabbath breaker, refused to deliver the Sacrament to such of his Parishioners as
would not come up to the rails, set up the Table Altar-wise, ^£iand used bowing
and cringing to it, &c."

52.—(74)· Kybert, Henry, Parson of S. Katherine-Coleman, London,
^t( got into the said parish indirectly, by meanes of a false Certificate, &c. 3 And
the said Kybert is a common frequenter of Tavernes and Ale-houses, and
commonly frequents the company of a married woman of very ill fame, and

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                    3!

hath been seen to imbrace and kisse her very lasciviously, and hath been in a
very suspicious manner in private with her, and hath not been ashamed in
Divine-service, publikely to expresse unseemely gestures and behaviours towards
her in the Church j &c, and hath expressed great malignancy against the
Parliament, and hath deserted his said Cure, for more than foure Moneths last
past before the said sequestration."

S3'—(66). Laud, Erasmus, Rector of Little-Tey, Essex, a drunkard, and
swearer, " and sitting drinking late on a Satur-day night, was demanded, who
should preach on the next day, he answered. Let the devill preach, give me
another cup of sacke, and hath used frequent superstitious cringing to the
Altar, and seldome preacheth to his Parishioners, not above once in five or six
weekes before the Parliament, and divers times through his neglect, his Church-
doores have beene shut up all day on the Lords-dayes and Fast-dayes, and at
those times set his servants to worke, and did work himself with them."

54·—(^I0)· Leigh, Philip, Vicar of Redburne, Hertford, a drunkard,
"swearer and quarreller, and hath expressed much malignancy against the
Parliament."

SS·—(5¹)· Lowes, Nicholas, Vicar of Much-Bently, Essex, a drunkard,
" even on the Lords dayes, and hath expressed great malignancy against the
Parliament."

56*.—(50). Man, Iohn, Curate of Stroode near Rochester, Kent, a drunk-
ard, swearer, and a "quarreller and fighter, and said, That he scorned the
Parliament, and that the Parliament-men were ?iot Gentlemen of quality, &c."

57·—(40)· Manby, Iohn, D.D. Rector of Cottenham, Cambridge, a
practiser of Popish rites, " and a common swearer and curser, Woundes and
■ßloud, and Pox and Plague, and such like horrid oathes and curses doe com-
monly proceed out of his mouth, and did bragge, that he hath out-sworne a
great swearer, and is a frequent Gamester, even upon the Lordes dayes, &c. 5"
read in his church the King's proclamations, but refused to read those of the

---

3 2                          SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

Parliament, " or to contribute to the Parliament; or associate for the publike
defence."

58.—(85). Marten, Edward, DD. Parson of Houghton-Conquest, Bed-
ford, and of Dunnington, Cambridge, a practiser of Popish rites, and " illegali
Innovations, and he forced divers women that came to be churched to come
up to the Altar, and there to ducke and kneele unto it &c. ; And that having
great yearely revenues, did notwithstanding upon the Sabbath-day steale
wheate-sheaves out of the field in harvest, and laid them to his tithe shock,
and hath not preached since he was parson of Houghton-Conquest in five
yeares, not above five Sermons there, &c. ; And hath openly preached that the
Parliament goeth about in a factious way, to erect a new Religion," and confessed
that he lent money to the King.

59.—(75). Mattock, Walter, Parson of Storrington, Sussex, a practiser
of illegal Innovations, a swearer and gamester, a drunkard, has deserted his
cure, has "countenanced the reading of the Book of Sports in his Church to
prophane the Lords day, and hath sent his Armes to assist the illegal! Com-
mission of Array, an4 to oppose the Forces of the Parliament, &c."

60.—(24). MouNTFORD, Iames, Rector of Tewing, Hertford, a practiser of
Popish rites, ^u and hath published in his Church the Booke of Sports on the
Lords day, &c. ; And hath preached, That if the King should set up flat
Idolatry_y we ought to submit, and not to take up Armes, as some doe now ;
and enveighed against the Parliament, for endeavouring to take away Epis-
copacy, &c."

61.—(29). Mou NT ford, IoHN, D.D. Rector of Austie, Hertford, a
practiser of Popish rites, " and hath endeavoured to leaven his people to the
doctrines of Arminianisme, &c."

62.—(41). Muffet, William, Vicar of Edmonton, Middlesex, " a com-
mon swearer, curser and blasphemer, and is a common fighter and quarreller,
not sparing his Majesties Officers, and is commonly dranke, and scarcely

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     fâ

sober at all, bat when he wanteth money to consume in drinke, and in his
drunkennesse, goeth up and downe the said Towne, breaking glasse windowes,
which hath cost him twenty shillings at a time to repaire, and is a common
drinker of healths, and forcer of others to doe the same, and hath expressed
great malignancy against the Parliament."

63.-—(55) Nicholson, Richard, Parson of Stapleford Tawny, Essex, a
drunkard and swearer, " and had three wicked and scandalous Libells against
the Parliament found in his Study, and did sing one of them in an Ale-house."

64.—(80). Osbalston, Henry, D.D., Parson of Much-Parudon, Essex,
" in his absence, supplied his said Cure by scandalous and insufficient Curates,
and hath in his Sermons preached against frequent preaching, &c, and said to
one of his parishioners, that he could not abide him, because he stänke of two
Sermons a day ; and hath read in his said Church, the Booke of Sports on the
Lords-day, and encouraged men to Foot-ball and other like sports on that day j
And being demanded to contribute to the association of the Counties for the
publike defence, said he would first have his throate cut before he would.'¹

65.—(25). Peckam, Iohn, Rector of Hosteede parva, Sussex, " very
negligent in his Cure, &c. ; and is a common drunkard, and notorious adulterer
and uncleane person, having drawne divers women to commit uncleannesse
with him, and hath bragged, that he could lie with women, and never get them
with child, and hath used sordid and beastly carriages towards women, to intice
them to satisfie his lust, not to be named among the Heathen, and hath
expressed great malignity against the Parliament and proceedings thereof, and
hath affirmed publikely, that a man might live in murther, adultery and other
grosse sinnes from day to day, and yet be a true penitent person."

66.—(33). Plumm, Ioseph, Parson of Black Novelty, alias Notly, Essex, a
drunkard, " useth superstitious bowing at the Name Jesus, &c. ; hath absented
himself from his said Cure, for the space of eighteene weekes last past, and is
reported to have betaken himself e to the army of the Cavaleers, &c."

6$.—(69). Rannew, Iohn, Parson of Kettlebaston, Sufïolke, "much given
F

---

34                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

to tipling and drinking j hath preached, That Originali sinne is washed away in
baptisme : And read the booke of Sports on the Lords day, k; a zealous
practiser of the late illegali Innovations, and hath wholy deserted his Cure for
hälfe a year and upwards.*'

68.—(47). Reynolds, Iohn, Parson of Haughton, and Witton, Hunting-
ton, " a common Ale-house haunter and tipler therein, and swearer, and in-
stead of preaching did reade the Booke of Canons, condemned in Parliament,
to his people, &c. And hath altogether left his said Cure for foure months
last past."

69.—(27). Roberts, Griffith, Vicar of Ridge, Hertford, "a practiser of
the late Innovations, hath openly declared the Earle of Essex, and all his
followers, and Armies of the Parliament to be Traitours, &c. 5 and that the
said Roberts is a common drunkard and tipler in Ale-houses, and drinker of
healths, quarrelling with them that will not pledge him therein."

70.—(99). Scrivener, Samuel, Parson of Westhropp, Suffolk, "did
frequently bow towards the communi on-Table, affirming, That there was an
inherent holinesse in that place, and hath committed adultery with Margaret
the Wife of George Woods, often drunke, and hath preached against this
present defensive war of the Parliament and Kingdome."

71.—(73). Senior, Robert, Vicar of Feering, Essex, "commonly drunke,
&c. j marries any manner of persons even without licence, and of the rnonethly
Fast said, he wondred who a pox devised it, and sware by his Maker, that he
would preach no more on it, and hath expressed great malignancy against the
Parliament, &c."

72.—(94). Shepard, Robert, of Hepworth, Suffolk, "a common drunk-
ard, and frequenter of Tavernes and Ale-houses, lying and continuing drunke
in the said houses divers nights, sometimes twice or thrice a weeke, and is
greatly suspected of incontinency, having had divers maid-servants depart from
his house great with child, none living in the house with them but himselfe,
and some of them have returned againe to live with him, and within a short

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     35

time have been with-child againej And hath been a great practiser of the
Altar-worship, &c. ; And in his Catechising and preaching, calls his parish-
ioners, Black-mouthed hell-hounds, Limmes of the Bevili, Fire-brands of Hell,
Plow joggers, Bawling doggs, Weaverly lacks, and Church-Rollers, affirming,
that if he could terme them worse he would; And hath endeavoured to perswade
poore men to forsweare themselves for him, and hath affirmed, That the Par-
liament were but a company of factious spirits."

73.—(15). Snell, Robert, Vicar of Maching, Essex, an upholder of
Popish rites, " and hath expressed great Malignancy against the Parliament."

74.—(17). Soane, IosEPH, Vicar of Aldenham, Hertford, a gamester, a
drunkard, and a " quarreller, and hath called the Parliament Souldiers, under
the Command of his Excellency the Earle of Essex, Parliament doggs"

75'—(97)· Sowthen, Samuel, Vicar of Malendine, Essex, "often drunke
even upon the Lords day, and is a common provoker of others to drinke
excessively, rejoicing when he had made them drunke ; and is a common
swearer and curser," a practiser of Popish rites and late Innovations -, "and
hath frequently enveighed against painfull Preachers and their hearers, com-
paring them to Pedlers and Ballad-singers, that have most company, when rich
Merchants have but few, &c. ; hath expressed great malignity against the
Parliament, and is vehemently suspected of living incontinently, and in adultery
with Katherine Hayward, &c."

7<5.—(53). Sguire, IoHN, Vicar of Shorditch,-Middlesex, "hath publikely
in his Sermons affirmed, the Papists to be the Kings best Subjects, for their
Loyalty, &c."

77· (89). Staple, Thomas, Vicar of Mundon, Essex, a drunkard and
frequenter of « debaushed and malignant persons : And upon the first of June
in this instant yeare, 1643. being the next day after the Fast, invited to his house
a riotous company, to keepe a day of profanenesse by drinking of healths round
about a joyn'd-stoole, singing of prophane songs with hollowing and roaring,
and at the same time enforced such as came to him upon other occasions, to

---

36                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

drinke healths about the stoole with him, untili they were drunke." Has
neglected his cure, refused to attend sick persons, and preached heretical
doctrine.

78.—(68). Sydall, Iohn, Vicar of Kensworth, Hertford, a drunkard, a
practiser of Popish rites, "hath neglected his Cure, and expressed great
malignancy against the Parliament.' '

79.—(43). Tanton, Richaud, Parson of Ardingly, Sussex, "a common
drunkard, and in his Sermons hath wished, That every Knee might rot that
would noi bow at the name Iesus, &c. ; and hath stirred up his Parishioners to
joyne with the Kings forces, &c."

80.—(82). Taylor, Richard, Parson of Buntingford, Westmill, and
Aspeden, Hertford, " hath not only used frequent bowing to the Communion-
Table set Altar-wise, but affirmed, That there, was a more peculiar presence
of God there then in the Church, &c. ; and urged some of the parish to make
auricular confession to him, affirming that he could forgive them, &c. 3 hath
affirmed the fourth Commandment, to be meerely ceremoniall_t and accordingly
useth to hire servants, ride journeyes, buy wood, and send his Hopps to market
on the Lords day, and upon the dissolution of a late Parliament, he said, If he
were as the King, he would never have Parliament more, while he lived : And
affirmed, that the last Parliament was the weakest that ever sate, &c. ; and
charged this Parliament with doing great wrong in committing and executing
the E ari e of Strafford, and would neither preach on the Sabbath daies in the
after-noone, nor suffer others to preach, &c."

81. (7). Thrall, Thomas, Vicar S. Mary Mount-thaw, London, "hath
neither Preached nor Catechized on the Lords day in the after-noone, &c, and
hath been often drunke, and not only read the Booke for Sports on the
Sabbath in his Church, but hath stirred up his Parishioners thereunto, and
countenanced them with his presence at Cudgells and the like other sports on
that day, and said, that the House of Commons in Parliament was an unjust
Court ; and doth ordinarily sweare and curse, and useth superstitious bowing
and cringing to the Communion Table."

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                      37

g₂.—(14). Thurman, Edward, Rector of Hallingbury, Essex, "a Common
drunkard, &c. ; and hath affirmed, that he would drive away all the Puritans
out of his Parish, and enforced his Parishioners to come to the railes, and hath
wholy deserted his said Cure for the space of hälfe a year e now last past."

83.—(60). Turner, Edward, Parson of S. Lawrence, Essex, "a common
swearer, and common Ale-house haunter, and strong to beare strong drinke,
&c. ; a common practiser and presser of the late illegali innovations, and hath
deserted his Cure for the space of a yeare now last past,"

84.—(12). Tutivall, Daniel, Preacher of Suttons Hospitall, Middlesex,
commonly called Charter-house, " often drunke, and that on the Lords day,
and hath taught in his Sermons to the said House, that Aloses and Aaron being
before them (meaning two Pictures set up in the Chappell) and the Organs
behind them (newly also set up there) they were a happy people, and what
greater comfort could mortali men have ? &c. ; and procured scandalous and
Malignant Ministers to preach there to corrupt his people."

85.—(37). Tutsham, Zachary, Vicar of Dallington, Sussex, "a common
drunkard, and hath solicited the chastity of one Alice Thorpe, and is a
common quarreller, and did way-lay one Edmund Gore about mid-night,
and fell upon him, and beate him, and hath greatly neglected his Cure, &c. ;
and hath spoken very disgracefully of the Earle of Essex, and expressed great
malignity against the Parliament."

86.—(87). Vau g h an, Thomas, Curate of Chatham, Kent, ^ifa grate prac-
tiser of the late illegali superstitious Innovations &c, very negligent of his
Cure, &c. And is a common frequenter of tavernes, sitting a tipling there,
and hath been often drunke, and drew one to the taverne that had vowed not
to drink wine, and mingled wine and beere and drew him to drinke it, and
then clapt him on the shoulder and bad him make vowes no more, for he had
now broken it, &c. j And said upon the dissolution of the late Parliament,
that the Members of that Parliament were a company of logger headed
fellowes."

---

38                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

87.—(22). Vdall, Ephraim, Rector of S. Austins, London, "hath
affirmed, That the great reformers of the Church now were Hypocrites ; and
hath made, framed and published a Booke, intituled Jloli me tangere, without
Licence, Charging the Parliament with Sacriledge, in endeavouring to abolish
Episcopacy, &c. ; and otherwise expressed great Malignancy against the
Parliament."

88.—(76). Vincent, Clement, Rector of Danbnry, Essex, " a practiser of
the late illegali Innovations, and doth not only encourage sports and playing
on the Sabbath-day before his own doore, but hath also been a practiser
himselfe thereof, &c. ; suffered on the Fast-day, Foot-ball playing in his own
ground, himselfe being a spectator thereof, and is a common drunkard, and
common swearer and curser, and hath expressed great malignancy against the
Parliament."

89.—(,<;). Vty, Emanuel, D.D., Rector of Chigwell, Essex, affirmed, that
there hath leene no true Religion in England these forty yeares, and that he
loved the Pope with all his heart, &c. j and hath denied the Kings Supremacy,
and exalted the Power of Bishops above the Authority of the Prince, affirming
them to be the head of the Church 5 and blasphemously broached, That the
Command of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury was to be equally obeyed with the
Word of God, and hath declaimed against the Authority of Parliament, and
affirmed, that Parliament-men are Mechanicks and illiterate, and have nothing
to doe to intermeddle in matters of Religion."

90.—(9). Washington, Lawrence, Rector of Purleigh, Essex,^e< a common
frequenter of Ale-houses, not only himselfe sitting daily tipling there, but also
incouraging others in that beastly vice, and hath been oft drunke, and hath
said, That the Parliament have more Papists belonging to them in their jirmies,
then the King had about him or in his Army_f &c. ¡ And hath published them to
be Traitours, that lend to or assist the Parliament."

91.—(46), Webb, Christopher, Vicar of Sabridgworth, Hertford, "»a
common drunkard, negligent of his Curé, &c. -, and hath expressed much

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     39

malignity against the Parliament, affirming among other things, That he hoped
in God he should see the Confusion of the Parliament.'¹

92.—(61). Wells, Iohn, Parson of Shimplyn, Suffolk, " for that he is a
common Ale-house haunter and common drunkard, and in his drunkennessse
hath layne abroad in the fields, lost his hat, fallen into ditches, and so bemired
himselfe, that he hath been faine to be washed, and hath attempted the
chastity of divers women, and sould his Calves for kisses with them, and
having lokt himselfe up in a chamber in an Inne with a lewd woman, after a
long time the doore was broken open upon him, upon his refusal! to unlock
it, and he found in a very suspitious manner upon a bed with her, after which
he conveyed her secretly away, and sent guifts unto her $ And hath affirmed,
That the Land was governed by wicked men, and that the Papists were the
Kings best subjects, and is a common swearer of very great Oathes."

93.—(ïoo). Westrop, Ambrose, Vicar of Much-Totham, Essex, "for
that he doth commonly prophane the ordinance of preaching, by venting in
the Pulpit, matters concerning the secrets of Women, to stir up his auditory to
laughter j And hath taught in his Sermons, That a man that useth carnali
copulation with his wife the night before the administration of the Sacrament of
the Lords Supper, unlesse his wife require him so to doe, ought not to come to the
Sacrament of the Lords Supper ; and that a woman that hath Monethly sick-
nesse, ought not to come to the Sacrament ; That a Woman is worse then a Sow,
in two respects ; First, Because a Solves skinne is good to make a Cart-saddle,
and her Bristles good for a Sow ter. Secondly, Because a Sow will runne away
if a man cry but Hoy, but a woman will not turne head, though beaten downe
with a Leaver ; and that all the difference between e a Woman and a Sow, is in
the nape of the neck, where a Woman can bend upwards, but the Sow cannot,
and that a woman is respected by a man, onelyfor his uncleane lust, and that she
that is nursed with Sowes milke, will learne to wallow ; and divers modest
women absenting from Church, because of such uncivill passages, he affirmed,
That all that were then absent from Church were whores: And having been a
sutor to a Widdow whom he called Black Besse, who rejected him and
married another, he observed in his Sermon out of one of the Psalmes, That
David prayed to God, not to Saint or Angeli, nor yet to black Β esse, who was

---

40                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

then in the Church before him ; and that Jacob to deceive his brother of the
blessing, made Lie upon lie_i but when Esau came home and perceived it, he
flung away with a pox, and speaking against such as pleased him not in paying
the tithes, in the Pulpit he turned toward his brother in-law then in the
Church, and said, You brother Block-head will pay no tithe-Bushes neither, And
being angry with one whose name was Kent, he said thus in the Pulpit, they
say the Devill is in Harwich, but I am sure he is in Kent ; And speaking of the
Parable of those that made excuses for not coming to the marriage, he observed,
That the married man had no excuse, but said in plaine termes, he could not coinè.
Nay said he, the married man cannot come, but must goe to Hell in his whore :
And at another time told a story in the Pulpit of two severall women, that in
their husbands absence had familiars, and said, ¿hat when it was night they
went up into the chamber together with a candle, and put out the candle, and
there is sport, heavenly sport, such sport as never was in little Heaven ; and
when their husbands come home, they must enquire the way by Home-row,
and that Rahab was a whore, and kept an Ale-house at Jerico, and that so are
all Ale-wives whores and their husbands Cuchouids ; And being a sutor to one
Mistris Ellen Pratt a Widdow, he did write upon a peece of paper these
words, Bonny Nell, I love thee well, and did pin it on his cloake, and ware it up
and downe a Market-Towne, which woman refusing him, he did for five or
six weekes after, utter little or nothing else in the Pulpit, but invectives against
Women ; And being sutor to another woman, who failed to come to dinner
upon invitation to his house, he immediately roade to her house, and desiring
to speake with her, she coming to the doore, without speaking to her, he
pulled off her head-geere and rode away with it, and many other like passages
fall from him in his preaching, and were proved against him."

94.—(1). Wilson, Iohn, Vicar of Arlington, Sussex, ^rifor that he in a
most beastly manner, divers times attempted to commit buggery with
Nathaniel Browne, Samuel Andrewes, and Robert Williams his
Parishioners, and by perswasions and violence, laboured to draw them to
that abhominable sinne, thai (as he shamed not to professe) they might make
up his number eighteene ; and hath professed, that he made choice to commit
that act with man-kind rather then with women, to avoide the shame and danger
that oft ensueth in begetting Bastards ; and hath also attempted to commit

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                        4I

Buggery with a Mare, and at Baptizing of a Bastard child, blasphemously said,
openly in the Church, That our Saviour as he was in the flesh, was a Bastard ;
and usually preacheth, That Baptisme utterly taheth away originali sinne, and
that the sinnes committed after Baptisme, are only by imitation, and not by
naturall corruption ; and hath in his Sermons, much commended Images in
Churches, as good for edification, and that men should pray with Beades, and
hath openly said, that the Parliament were Rebels, and endeavoured to starve the
King, and that whatsoever the King commands, we are all bound to obey, whether
it be good or evill ; and hath openly affirmed, that Buggery is no sinne, and
is a usuali frequenter of Ale-houses, and a great drinker."

95.—(4). Withers, Stephen, Parson of Kelvedon, Essex, "for that he
hath sollicited oftentimes the Wife of Philip Glascomb to commit adultery
with him, and divers other women, affirming it to be no sinne to lie with them.
And hath practised Altar-worship, &c., and in his Church read the Booke for
prophanation of the Sabbath by sports, &c, and hath expressed great malignity
against the Parliament."

96.—(64). Wood, Iohn, Vicar of Marden, Kent, "did reade the Booke
of sports upon the Lords day in his Parish Church, and did preach for
the maintenance thereof, and is notoriously infamous for sundry adul-
teries, a common Ale-house haunter, oft drunke, a common gamester
and quarreller in gaming, a great swearer, and was punished at a quarter
Sessions for adultery, committed with the Wife of one Prior of the
said Parish, and having contracted one Margaret Parkes his servant to
Thomas Maplesden, his own Wife happening to die, afterwards tooke to
Wife the said Margaret, against the will of the said Thomas Maplesden ;
And on the Fast-dayes, useth to sit drinking and tipling two or three honres
together in an Ale-house, in the company of other mens wives, by him seduced
thereunto, and hath said, That the Parliament hath no power to doe any thing in
the Kings absence, no more then a man without a head, and hath otherwise
expressed great malignity against the Parliament."

97·—(39)· Woodcock, Iohn, Vicar of Elharn, Kent, a drunkard and " com-
mon swearer, by Wounds, Ehud, and other like execrable Oathes, &c. j hath

---

42                     SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.

deserted his Cure ever since the first of August last, and hath expressed great
Malignity against the Parliament and the proceedings thereof."

98.—(95). Woolhouse, IoHN, Vicar of West-Mersea, Essex, "a common
and excessive ti pier and drinker both at home and abroad, &c. 5 a common
dicer and gamester for money, inticing his tipling companions thereunto, and
is a common curser and swearer, and hath tempted women to incontinency,
and hath expressed great malignancy against the Parliament."

99.—(56). Wright, Francis, Vicar of Witham, Essex, " for that he hath
tempted divers women, both his servants and Parishioners, to uncleannesse,
and is a common haunter of Ale-houses and Tavernes, and a common
drunkard -and prophaner of the Worship of God, by publike performing of the
same in his drunkennesse, and a common swearer, and common user of
corrupt communication, and hath not officiated in the said Cure for the space
of twelve Moneths last past before the sequestration."

100.—(38). Wright, Nicholas, Doctor in Divinity, Rector of Thoydon-
Garnon, Essex, " he hath not preached above twice or thrice a yeare to his
Parishioners, &c. ; And hath procured the Communion-Table to be set Altar-
wise, with stepps to it, and railes about it, and constantly bowed towards it,
&c. ; and read the Booke for Sports* on the Lords day, &c. ; and hath deserted

* A note may not be out of place here concerning the Book of Sports so
frequently mentioned in the above notices- King James I, ** in his returne
from Scotland, comming through Lancashire, found that his Subiects were
debarred from Lawful Recreations vpon Sundayes after Euening Prayers
ended, and vpon Holy dayes," he therefore published in 1618, Cï)l Ütttgä
Platíátteá Ihctaratúm to ^tá $vfoîtct*, omcemttig laiofitïï dporttí to be Hß,
which was reissued by Charles I. in 1633. In this pamphlet,, of 17 pages
ex title, it is declared : " That after the end of Diuine Seruice, Our good
people be not disturbed, letted, or discouraged from any lawful recreation,

---

SCANDALOUS, MALIGNANT PRIESTS.                     43

his said Cure ever since Palme-Sunday last, and betaken himself e to the Army
of the Cavaleeres, and is in actuall War against the Parliament and Kingdome.
And hath brought and continued long under him for his Curate, a drunken,
lewd and scandalous person, that hath been indited and found guilty at the
Sessions for a common drunkard."

The crimes of these ioo ministers are painfully monotonous,
the same, or almost the same, offences being imputed in
nearly every instance—popish practices, neglect of cure,
drunkenness, blasphemy, sabbath-breaking, swearing, some-
times incontinency, and in a few cases more heinous crimes.
One offence, however, predominates : it is hatred against
the parliament; and it would seem that for this misde-
meanour chiefly the priests in question were prosecuted.
The picture here afforded of England's spiritual teachers

Such as dauncing, either men or women, Archery for men, leaping, vaulting,
or any other such harmelesse Recreation, nor from hauing of May-Games,
Whitson Ales, and Morris-dances, and the setting vp of May-poles & other
sports therewith vsed, so as the same be had in due & conuenient time,
without impediment or neglect of Diuine Seruice : And that women shall
haue ieaiie to carry rushes to the Church for the decoring of it, according to
their old custome. But withall We doe here account still as prohibited all
vnlawfull games to bee vsed vpon Sundayes onely, as Beare and Bullbaitings,
Interludes, and at all times in the meaner sort of people by Law prohibited,
Bowling." These wholesome sports, from which the people were debarred
chiefly by "Puritanes and precise people," were calculated, the King sup-
posed, to prevent "filthy tiplings and discontented speeches in their Ale-
houses." A revival of King James's enactment would surely not be amiss in
the present day.

---

44                             CRIMES OF THE CLERGY.

during the great revolution is certainly not a bright one,
and we may reasonably suppose that the ioo "scandalous,
malignant priests " here enumerated were not the only ones
who then existed ; doubtless, some equally culpable were to
be found on the side of the parliament, but whose politi-
cal proclivities screened them from punishment.

€í)t Crimes! Of tì)t Clergp, or the Pillars of Priest-Craft
Shaken; with An Appendix, entitled the JbJCOtirge 0Î
irrfairt; And an Account of the Enormous Rewards
received by the Clergy, to induce them to do their
Duty to God and Man.

To the Bench of Bishops I dedicate this Book.

W. Benbow.

London : Beñbow, Printer and Publisher, Byron's Head,
Castle-Street, Leicester-Square. 1823

Large 8vo. (counts 4); pp. bastard title and title page,
Address and Contents x, The Crimes 240, The Scourge, with
full title page and new paging, xvi and 60 ; an etching, in the
manner of Rowlandson, as frontispiece, subscribed " Pluralist
Benbow Publisher." The work appears to have been issued
in numbers, each sheet of The Crimes concluding with Ben-
bow's name and address, the last sheet however of The Scourge
terminates with : " Printed by R. Macdonald, 30, Great

---

CRIMES OF THE CLERGY.                             45

Sutton Street, Clerkenwell." The volume complete sold for
7s. 6d. in boards.*

The Crimes of the Clergy is a very remarkable work, and if
the scandalous memoirs placed on record in it are not in-
variably accurate they are certainly true in the main, and
the book has consequently a proportionate historical value,
although it is without any literary merit. The publisher says :
"Pure and undefiled religion is an object of our admiration,
and to save religion by an exposure of those who try tò ruin
it by their unhallowed ways, is the chief object of this
work." (p. 6).

The Scourge of Ireland consists of tabulated statistical mat-
ter concerning the church of that country, and has no special
interest for the present work.

I add an alphabetical synopsis of the persons mentioned
in The Crimes of the Clergy with the offences, &c, laid to their
charge :

Anderson, Parson, murder, about 1802. (p. 101).

An son, The Hon. Parson, swindling, adultery, (p. 95).

Atherton, Bishop of Waterford, seduction and sodomy, executed at
Dublin, December 5, 1640. (p. 25).

Barrington, Shute, Bishop of Durham, general debauchery, (p. 81).

Barton, Parson of Yallahs, Jamaica, fornication with Betsy Christian,
&c. (p. an).

* The volume has been described in ftottá antf <&ume¿, 5th S., vii., 74.

---

46                              CRIMES OP THE CLERGY.

Bate man, Rector of Farthingstone, Cumberland, exciting to murder, &c.
(pp. 147, 188).

Bates, Rev. Robert, of Whalton Northumberland, " odious and indecent
practices." (p. 225).

Beb vor, Augustus, Rector of Berghapton, Norfolk, pugilism, (p. 84).

Blacow, Curate of St. Mark's, Liverpool, slander of a married woman and
of Queen Caroline, (p. 201).

Blake, of Twickenham, Methodist Parson, adultery, (p* 220).

Browne, Vicar of Little Clacton, convicted of defrauding Sir Colin Camp-
bell of £6,000. (p. 75).

Buckner, Bishop of Chichester, "gallantry at the siege of Valenciennes."
(p. 224).

Bull, Miss Farly, gobetween, employed by Rev. Mr. Cooper, (p. 66),

Burgess, Thomas, F.R.S., Minor Prebend of St. Paul's, &c, pugilism,
drunkenness, whoring, &c. (p. 192).

Byrne, James, convicted of falsely charging the Bishop of Clogher with an
unnatural crime, (p. 42).

Cadogan, Lady, adultery with the Rev. Mr. Cooper, (p. 65).

Campbell, Rev. Mr., violent conduct, (p. no).

Capel, William, Hon., Rector of Watford, Hertfordshire, irreligion, horse-
dealing, whoring, (p. 28).

Chandler, Rev. Robert, pugilism, adultery, &c. (p. 47).

Childe, John, Tithe Proctor, sodomy, hanged in JÓ40. (p. 25).

Chisholm, Parson of Hammersmith, seduction, adultery, (pp. 62,109, 183).

Church, John, Minister at Dover Street, London, hypocrisy, drunkenness,
sodomy, (p. T9).

Clarke, Adam, hypocritical methodist preacher, (p. 158).

Cooper, alias Stewart, Rector of Ewhurst in Essex, sodomy, perverting
the minds of his pupils by showing them the plates of Fanny HUL (p. 118).

Cooper, Rev. Mr., son of Sir Grey Cooper, adultery with Lady Cadogan,
tried in 1794. (p. 65).

Courtney, Lord, sodomy, escaped to France, (p. 230).

Cox, Tom, brothel keeper in Covent Garden, friend of Rev. R. Chandler.
(p. 48).

Creswell, Rev., Parson of Nottingham, brutality, sleeping in church,
drunkenness, blasphemy, (p. 232).

Croft, Herbert, author of Love and Madness, (p. 54).

---

CRIMES OP THE CLERGY.                              47

Cundall, Jonas, Methodist parson of No. 5, Low Street, St. Peter's, Leeds,
cruelty to a boy. (p. i6i).

Curtis, Rector of St. Martin's, Birmingham, intemperance, robbing the
poor. (p. 196).

Davison, Parson, drunkenness, adultery, general depravity, (p. 150).

Day, Thomas, methodist preacher, condemned for bigamy at Bristol.

(p· 154)·

De Brook, Lord. (p. 170).

DoxFORD, John, itinerant preacher, extortion, adultery, (p. 31).

Dudley, Sir Henry Bate, Bart., Dean of Ely, known as Parson Bate,
novel writer, &c. (p. 45).

Dyer, John, Curate of St. George's, Southwark, pilfering the church offer-
ings, (p. 14).

Ethelston, Rev. Mr., furious conduct at Manchester, (p. 23).

Evans, Rev. W. B., of Conbridge, South Wales, attempt to defraud his
creditors, (p. 174).

Eyre, Parson, tried at Aylesbury for violating a girl 11 years of age, ac-
quitted, (p. 112).

Fenwicr, John, Vicar of Byall, Northumberland, rape, swindling, sodomy,
fled to Naples in 1797. (p. 8).

Fletcher, Rector of Berkhampstead, adultery, seduction, forgery, murder.
(p. 214).

Freer, Parson, of Mulberry Gardens, afterwards of Uxbridge, and of Cum-
berland Street, swindling, (p. 231).

FülleRTON, Rector of St. Ann's, Jamaica, habitual drunkenness and forni-
cation, (p. 211).

Gordon, Rev. John, tried at Oxford for aiding his brother Lockhart to
commit a rape upon Mrs. Antonia Lee. (p. 57).

Govett, Vicar of Staines, oppression, (p. 164).

Griffiths, Parson of Manchester, blasphemy and habitual drunkenness.
(p. 121),

Gurney, Rev. Dr., perjury, (p. 22).

Hackman, Parson of Gosport, shooting Miss Re ay. (p. ¿4).

Hendrik» Parson of Lynn, Norfolk, betting and sleeping in church, attempt
to murder, (p. 16).

---

48                              CRIMES OP THE CLERGY.

Heppel, T, travelled and preached, during 1793 and 1794, in the northern
counties, as Miss Jane Davison, and seduced and robbed several girls, trans-
ported for stealing dead bodies at York. (p. 3$).

Hodgson, Rev. Septimus, Chaplain to the Orphan Asylum. Westminster
Road, violated an orphan 13 years old. (p. 27).

Hogarth, Henry, Curate of Perath, novelist and poet, adultery, attempted
murder, robbery, drunkenness, (p. 67).

Holland, John, alias Dr. Saunders, Methodist preacher, robbery, rape,
sodomy, (p. 124).

HoRRiDGE, George, Parson of Newton, near Manchester, condemned to
two years' imprisonment for violating a child 11 years old. (p. 77).

Huntington, William, Minister of Providence Chapel, Gray's-Inn-Lane,
hypocrisy, imposture, &c. (pp. 176, 197, 227).

Jephson, Rev. Thomas, Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, attempted
sodomy, fled from the country to escape punishment, (p. 239).

Jocelyn, Percy, Bishop of Clogher, sodomy with a soldier, Movelly, in
July, 1822. (p. 41).

Latton, Vicar of Woodham, &c, a verse writer, and contributor to the
magazines, drunkenness, adultery, riotous conduct, (p. 52).

Laud, Bishop, persecution of Rev. Dr. Leighton. (p· 85).

Leicester, Earl of, sodomy, fled the country, (p. 230).

Lindsey, Bishop of Kildare, covetousness. (p. 116).

Littlehales, Rev. V. P., Prebendary of Southwell Cathedral, attempted,
sodomy with a footman in 1812, fled to America, (p. 238).

Milles, Richard, Prebend of Exeter, &c, charged with an unnatural
offence, and fled from the country, (pp. 40, 138).

More, Kitty, prostitute, mistress of Parson Dayison. (p. 151).

Morgan, Parson, cruelty to slaves in Jamaica, (p. 211).

Mouncey, Major, (pp. 148, 188).

Murray, Lord Charles, Dean of Boeking, Essex, sabbath-breaking, and
general irreligion, (p. 37).

NicHOLL, Vicar of a parish in Northumberland, indecent preaching, &c.
(p. 168).

Orenshaw, Methodist preacher, seduction and robbery, (p. 46).

Parkins, W., sheriff, (pp. 148, 188).

---

CRIMES OP THE CLERGY.                              49

Peat, Sir Robert, D.D., King's Chaplain, general dissipation, (pp. 106,
127).

Percy, Hugh, Archdeacon, neglect of duty, &c. (p. 106).

Purdy, J., Curate of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, drunkenness, blasphemy.
(p. 99).

Pusey, Philip, (p, 170).

Radford, Parson of Ebenezer Chapel, robbery, (p. 230).

Ratcliffe, alias Big Ben, Minor Canon of Canterbury, &c, adultery,
drunkenness, &c. (p. 100).

Rigsbye, Parson of Nottingham, cruelty to his wife, adultery, (p. 235).

Rivers, Rev. Sir Henry, neglect of duty. (p. 89).

RoBsoN, Rector of St. Mary's, Whitechapel, drunkenness, seduction,
whoring, (p. 71).

Roe, Parson of Newbury, adultery with widow Greekway. (pp. 14a, 162).

Rogers, Parson of Langadock, burnt in effigy, for which he brought an
action, at Shrewsbury, v. Lloyd, Lewis, and Williams, and recovered ¿£10.

(p. 178).

Rowland, Rev. T., seduction and perjury, by which Mary Drury was
condemned to death, (p. 144).

Saddler, Jonathan, Methodist Parson, hypocrisy, seduction, procuring
abortion, (p. 216).

Sande lands, Rector of Five Fields Chapel, Chelsea, drunkenness, impos-
ture, swindling, whoring, "nameless offence," fled to France, (p. 223).

Saunders, Dr., Vicar of St Ann's, Blackfriars, neglect of duty. (p. 132).

Saunders, Dr., Methodist preacher, &c. See Holland.

Sawyer, Capt., condemned for " indecent familiarities with Mankind."
(p. 13).

Sawyer, Rev. H·, sodomy and debt. (p. 13).

Se comb, Rev. Francis, levity of conduct, (p. 38)1.

Sneyd, Curate of Hanbury, adultery with Mrs. Cecil, tried at Guildhall,
June 26, 1790. (p ss).

South wo od, Rey. W., fraud, (p. 174).

Sydney, Rector of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, &c, natural son of the Marquis of
Granby, drunkenness, neglect of duty, cruelty to his wife, &c. (p. 181).

H

---

50                              CRIMES OF THE CLERGY.

Tomline, Prettyman, Bishop of Winchester, &c., author of The Life of
William Pitt, avarice, &c. (p. 153).

Vause, Curate of Christchurch and Garston, Liverpool, adultery, whoring,
blasphemy, &c. (p. 171).

Vialls, Rev. Mr., injustice, gluttony, (p. 39).

Walker, Parson of Chichester, sodomy, fled to America, (p. 229).

Ward, Barnard, Parson of Springfield, &c, drunkenness, adultery, swear-
ing, (p. 193).

Webb, Minor Canon of St. Paul's, &c, neglect of duty, &c. (p. 140).

Wesley, John. Tirade against, (p. 157)·

WiLBERFORCE. Tirade against, (pp. 135, 170).

Wildbore, Vicar of Tilton, drunkenness, singing obscene and blasphemous
songs, ridiculing religion, cheating his creditors, (p. 227).

Wright, Rev. Mr. (of Boughton under Blean in Kent), singing the
Athanasian Creed "to a fox-hnnting tune " during divine service, (p. 234).

Wylde. Parson of Nottingham, called " The Amorous High Priest," tried
for cruelty and oppression, (p. 206).

Besides the memoirs above noted, The Crimes of the Clergy
contains three articles : The Baule of the Students at Cambridge,
The Pluralist, and Reverend Conspirators against Freedom.

It may be readily supposed that such a publication would
get its author into trouble. W. Benbow was prosecuted by
what he is pleased to term " the Society for Spreading Vice.' '
His incarceration however did not daunt him, and he continued
to write from prison, where, he says, he is ^α surrounded by
guilty and infamous parsons. On my right is a gambling
parson, on my left a drunkard ; behind me an adulterer, and
before me victims of beastly sensuality and vices I dread to
think of, and dare not name." A second article is signed
W. B. King's Bench Prison, May 7, 1821.

---

K^^abíHaC i^eÍJÍbtfaUS», Being a Narrative Of the late
||EKw| Tryal of Mr. James Mitchel A Conventicle-
Preacher, Who was Executed on i$>th of
January last, for an attempt which he made on the
Sacred Person of the Archbishop of St. Andrews. To
which is Annexed, An Account of the Tryal of that
most wicked Pharisee, Major Thomas Weir, who
was Executed for Adultery, Incest and Bestiality. In
which Are many Observable Passages, especially re-
lating to the present Affairs of Church and State. In
a Letter from a Scottish to an English Gentleman.
London, Printed by Henry Hills, 1678.

Small 4to. ; pp. 78 in all. This small and curious
volume contains many particulars both useful and interest-
ing to a student of the controversies of the Scotch church.
With such matters, as well as with the trial of Mitchel,
which is here given in detail, together with many curious
documents connected with it, we are not now concerned.
I shall confine myself to the sketch given of the infamous
career of Major Thomas Weir.

---

¡2                       TRIAL OF MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.

He was born, and bred in the Western parts of this Kingdom (Scotland).

.....There he was early prepossessed with the principles of Schism, and

Rebellion, which he shew'd upon all occasions, particularly in the beginning
of the late Rebellion, wherein he was a forward stickler, and by his extraordi-
nary zeal for the Cause, raised himself to a greater command in some Troop,
or Company, than Men of bis mean Original use to arrive unto here. About
the year 1649. he had the great trust of the Guards of this City committed
unto him under the quality of Major, and from that time, to the day of his
Infamous Death, was always called by the Name of Major Weir. He behav'd
himself in this Office with great cruelty, and insolence towards the Loyal
party, being very active in discovering and apprehending the Cavaliers, and
bringing them to be arraign'd, and try'd for their Lives. He used to insult and
triumph over them in their miseries, and persecute them with all manner of
Sarcasms and Reproaches, when they were led out like Victims to publiek
Execution ; as many yet alive can testine to the World. In particular, the
barbarous Villian treated the Heroick Marquess of Mont rosse, with all
imaginable insolence, and inhumanity, when he lay in Prison, making his very
calamities an Argument, that God, as well as Man, had forsaken him, and
calling him Dog, Atheist, Traytor, Apostate, Excommunicate Wretch, and many
more such intolerable Names. This cruel manner after which he used to
outrage the poor Royalists, pass'd among the people for extraordinary zeal j
and made them consider him as a singular Worthy whom God had raised up
to support the Cause. He studyed the Art of Dissimulation, and Hypocrisie,
always affecting a formal gravity, and demureness in his looks, and deportment ;
and employing a vast and tenacious memory, which God had given him, in
getting without Book such words, and phrases of the Holy Scriptures, as
might serve best in all companies to make him pass for an Holy and gifted
Man. He had acquir'd a particular gracefulness in whining and sighing, above
any of the sacred Clan, and had learn'd to deliver himself upon all serious
occasions in a far more ravishing accent than any of their Ministers could
attain unto. By these and other Hypocritical Arts he had got such a name for
sanctity, and devotion, that happy was the Man with whom he would converse,
and blessed was the Family in which he would vouchsafe to pray.....

After this manner, and in this mighty reputation he lived till the Year
1670. which was the 70th. year of his Age. When like the Tyrant Tiberius,

---

TRIAL OF MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.                       53

after so many Murthers, and sorts of unnatural Lusts, he was no longer able
to endure the remorse of his awakened conscience, but to ease the inquietudes
of his guilty mind, was forced to accuse himself ; which he first of all did
among those of his own party, and desired them to bring him to publiek
Justice to expiate for his abominable crimes. But they considering what a
confounding scandal, and dishonour the Hypocrisie of such an eminent Pro-
fessor would reflect upon the whole Sect, did with all possible care and industry
strive to conceal the Major's condition, which they did for several months j
till one of their own Ministers, whom they esteem'd more forward than
wise, revealed the secret to the Lord Abb otshall, then Provost of Edinburgh,
who judging humane Nature nncapable of such horrid crimes, as the Minister
told him the Major had confessed, concluded he was fallen into a phrenzy, or
high degree of melancholy, and therefore courteously sent some Physicians of
his own perswasion and acquaintance to visit him, and Physic him for his dis-
tempered Brain. But the Physicians returning to the Provost, assured him,
that the Major was in good health, and that he was free from Hypocondriack
Distempers, and had as sound intellectuals as ever he had had, and that they
believed his Distemper was only an exulcerated Conscience, which could not
be eas'd till he was brought to condign punishment, as with cryings, and
roarings he desir'd to be. Afterwards the Provost for his further satisfaction
sent some Conventicle-Ministers, to enquire into his condition, and make a
report thereof ; who finding it impossible to disguise the matter, which now
was Town-talk, told his Lordship that the Major was not affected with
melancholy ; but that the terrours of God which were upon his Soul, urg'd
him to confess, and accuse himself. The Provost thereupon began to con-
clude, that he had good grounds to take publiek notice of this affair ; and
therefore without further enquiry sent the guards of the City to seize upon the
Major, and his Sister, who was involv'd in his confessions, and carry them
both to the publiek Goal. There they were visited by Persons of all Sorts and
Qualities, Clergy-men, Lay-men, Physicians, Lawyers, Conforming, and Non-
conforming Ministers, who all flocked thither to see this Monster, and
discourse with him about his horrible crimes.

They had not been long in Prison before they were brought to Tryal, which
was on the ninth day of April, in the aforesaid year, 1670. They were try'd
before that Learned Civilian Mr. William Murray, and Mr. John

---

54                      TRIAL OP MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.

Prestoune Advocates, who were made Judges by Commission for that
time. They were pursued by his Majesty's last Advocate, Sir John Nisbett,
and the Jury by which they were try'd, was Gideon Shaw, Stationer; James
Penderer, Vintner j James Thomson, Felt-maker -, Robert Brown, Sta-
tionery James Brown, Felt-maker ; Robert Johnston, Skinner; John
Clighorn, Merchant; with many more sufficient Citizens of Edinburgh;
most of which, together with the greater part of the Witnesses hereafter men-
tioned, are yet alive.

The Court being set, the Majors Libel was read, the sum of which was
conta in'd in these four particulars.

Primai That he entised and attempted to defile his German Sister, Jane
Weir, when she was but ten years old, or thereabout, and that he lay with
her when she was sixteen years old, while they both dwelt in Family with
their Father ; and afterwards had frequent carnal dealing with her in the House
of Wicket-Shaw in her younger years ; and lastly, that after she was 40. years
old, he iiv'd in a state of Incest with her, in his house at Edinburgh, where
they dwelt together many years.

Secundo, That he committed Incest with Margaret Bourdon, daughter to
Mein, his Deceased Wife.

Tertio, That he committed frequent Adulteries, during the Life of his said
Wife, both with married, and unmarried Women, and particularly with
Bessy Weems, his Servant Maid, whom he kept in his House for the space of
twenty years, during which time he lay with her as familiarily as if she had
been his Wife.

Quarte, That to his Fornications, Adulteries, and Incests, he proceeded to
add the unnatural Sin of Beastiality in lying with Mares, and Cows ; par-
ticularly in polluting himself with a Mare, upon which he rode into the West
Country, near New Mills. All which crimes particularizó in manner afore-
, said, he acknowledged judicially at the Bar......

They then proceeded to swear the Witnesses, . . . . ♦

Master John Sinclair, a Conventicle-Minister depon'd, that the day before
his Tryal he freely confessed unto him, that he was guilty of Adultery, Incest,
and Bestiality, and that his Sister had often been taken out of Bed from him :
whereupon asking him if he had ever seen the Devil, he answered, that he had
felt him in the dark. But as to his conversation with the Devil» the Deponent

---

TRIAL OF MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.                        55

might have declared more j for he had confessed to him and many others, par-
ticularly to the Lord Bishop of Galloway, then Minister of Edinburgh, that he
had lain with the Devil in the shape of a beautiful Woman.

Margaret Weir, Wife to Alexander Weir, Bookseller in Edinburgh,
testify'd, that when she was of the age of 27. years, or thereabouts, she found
the Major her Brother, and her Sister Jane, lying together in the Barn at
Wicket-Shaw·, and that they were both naked in the bed together, and that she
was above him, and that the Bed did shake, and that she heard some scanda-
lous Language between them in particular, that her Sister said, she was confi-
dent she should prove with Child. Furthermore, she Deponed ' that
Catherine Cooper a Servant of the Majors, told her, that he had layn
with Margaret Bourdon his Wives Daughter, so that she would stay no
longer in the House.

Anne Wife to James Simpsom, Book-binder in Edinburgh, declared, That
on Monday preceding, and that day in the morning, that he confessed to* her
he had committed Incest with his Sister. Jane, and Margaret Bourdon his
Wives Daughter ; as likewise bestiality with a Mare in the West Country, and
that he had carnally conversed with his Maid-servant Bessy We ems for two
and twenty years.

Mr. Archibald Nisbett, Writer to the Signet, declared, That in the year
51 or 52. it was reported in the Country, that the Pannel had committed
Bestiality with a Mare near New Mills, and that he heard it reported the same
day, in which it was said he did the Fact. Mr. John Alexander of Leith
deponed the same, and said he was then but half a mile from the place.
After these depositions, the Major being examined about his act of Bestiality j
declared, That a Gentleman having given him a Mare, he rode upon her into
the West Country to see some Friends, and dealt carnally with her near New
Mills, and that a Woman saw him in the Act, and complained of him to Mr.
John Nave the Minister of New Mills ; at whose instance he was brought
back to the place by some Soldiers, but was there dismissed for want of
further probation. And further being asked about the time, he answered,
That to the best of his remembrance it was when the Lords, Gentlemen, and
Heritors were taken by the English at Elliot. .....

The Process being thus ended, the Jury did unanimously find the Major
guilty of Incest with his Sister, and Bestiality with a Mare, and a Cow, and

---

56                        TRIAL OF MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.

found him guilty of Adultery, and Fornication by a plurality of Votes. They
also unanimously brought in Jane guilty of Incest with her Brother j where-
upon the Deputed Judges Sentenced him to be strangled at a Stake betwixt
Edinburgh and Leith, on Monday following, the nth of April, and his Body
to be burnt to Ashes ; and condemned her to be hanged on the Tuesday follow-
ing in the Grass~market of Edinburgh.

Thus far have I given you a juridical Account of the detestable crimes of
this Hypocritical Monstrous Man} I now proceed to acquaint you with other
particulars, no less surprizing than the former ; which upon strict enquiry I
have reason to believe to be as true, as those that are judicially prov'd.

When they were seized, she desired the Guards to keep him from laying
hold on a certain Staff, which, she said, if he chanc'd to get into his hand, he
would certainly drive them all out of doors, notwithstanding all the resistance
they could make. This Magical Staff was all of one piece, with a crooked
head of Thorn-wood, she said he received it of the Devil, and did many
wonderful things with it ; particularly that he used to lean upon it in his
Hypocritical prayers, and after they were committed* she still desired it might
be kept from him j because if he were once Master of it again, he would
certainly grow obdurate, and retract the Confessions which he had so publickly
made. Apollonius Thyaneus had such a Magical Staff as this, which I
believe was a Sacramental Symbol which the Devil gave to the Major, and the
Court had some such apprehensions of it, for it was ordered by the Judges to
be burnt with his Body.

She also confessed in Prison, that she and her Brother had made a Compact
with the Devil j and that on the 7th of Septemb. 1648. they were both
Transported from Edinburgh to Musselborough, and back again, in a Coach
and Six Horses, which seemed all of fire, and that the Devil then told the
Major of the defeat of our Army at Preston in England ; which he confidently
reported in most of its circumstances several days before the news had arrived
here. This Prediction did mach increase the high opinion the People began to
have of him, and served him to make them believe, that like Moses, he had
been with God in the Mount, and had a Spirit of Prophecy, as well as of
Prayer. Bat as for her self, she said, she never received any other benefit by
her Commerce with the Devil, than a constant supply of an extraordinary

---

TRIAL OP MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.                       57

quantity of yarn, which she was sure (she said) to find ready for her upon the
Spindle, what ever business she had been about.

Besides the Bestialities which the Major judicially acknowledged he had
committed with the Mare, and Cow, he confessed he had done the same
Abominations with three Species more ; and the Woman that delated him for
the Fact near New Mills, was by order of the Magistrates of Lanerk whipped
through the Town by the hand of the Common Hangman, as a slanderer of
such an eminent Holy man.

The Fornications, and Adulteries which this α\αγξνόμ*ρο* (as Buggerers
are called by the Council of Ancyra) (Can. 16) Committed with the most
Sanctimonious, and Zealous Women of the Sect, are too numerous to be
related here. He had got himself the Priviledge, under a pretence of Praying
and Exhortation, to go to their Houses, and into their Bed-chambers when he
pleased -_f and it was his practise to visit married Women at such times especi-
ally as their Husbands were from home : One especially, who lived in the
Street called the West-bow in Edinburgh, he had several times sollicited in her
Husbands absence to gratifie his unclean desires ; till at last wearied out with his
importunity, she told him how much she abhorred his design, and charged him
never to come more to her House. Upon this he forbore to visit her for some
time, till one night, when she was undressed and ready to step into Bed, the
Major suddenly appears standing by her, at which she was so extreemly
frig;htedj that she fell into a swoun ; she had no sooner recovered, but the
Major endeavoured to comfort, and assure her, and confirm her against that
strange surprize ; and renewing his addresses, he Tempted her with many
Arguments, and filthy Speeches, and Gesticulations, telling her he had taken
that marvelous way of appearing in private with her, on purpose to secure her
Reputation j that he would go out of her House in a manner as invisible as he
came in. But she by this time having recovered her usuai courage and strength,
pushed him off with violence, and cry'd out for help to her Maid, upon which
he immediately disappeared. The Windows, and Doors were all close shut ;
and I make little doubt, but his Coachman to the fiery Coach conveighed him
in and out through the Chimney, or perhaps by the Door, which the cursed
Familiar might open and shut again, as well as the Angel of the Lord did
unlock, and lock the Prison Door, wherein the Apostles were put.

I

---

58                        TRIAL OF MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.

All the while he was in Prison, he lay under violent apprehension of the
heavy Wrath of God, which put him into that which is properly called
Despair j a Despair which made him hate God, and desist from Duty to him,
and with which the Damned Souls in Hell are reasonably supposed to be con-
stantly affected. In this sence he was desperate, and therefore would admit
neither Churchy nor Conventicle-ministers to pray for him, or discourse with him
about the infinite mercy of God, and the possibility of the forgiveness of his
Sins. Much less could he endure to be exhorted to repent, or be brought to
entertain any thoughts of Repentance, telling all the World, that he had sinned
himself beyond all possibility of Repentance, and Pardon; that he was
already damn'd, that he was sure his Condemnation to Eternal burnings was
already pronounced in Heaven, and that the united Prayers of all the Saints
in Heaven, and Earth would be vain, and insignificant, if they were
offered to God in his behalf. So that when some charitable Ministers of
the City, by name the present Bishop of Galloway, and present Dean of
Edinburgh, were resolved to Pray before him for his Repentance, and Pardon,
against his consent, he was with much difficulty withheld from interrupting
of them in their devotions, and the posture he put himself in when they began
to pray, was to lye upon his Bed in a most stupid manner, with his Mouth
wide open ; and when Prayers were ended, being ask'd if he had heard them
and attended to them, he told them, They were very troublesome, and cruel to him,
and that he neither heard their devotion, nor cared for it, nor could be the better for
all the Prayers that Men or Angels could offer up to Heaven upon his account.

It was his Interest to believe there was no God j and therefore to ease the
torments of his mind, he attempted now and then to comfort, and flatter up
himself into this absurd belief. For he was sometimes observ'd to speak very
doubtfully about his existence ; in particular to say, that if it were not for the
terrors which he found tormenting him within, he should scarce believe there
was a God......

I have been told by very credible Persons, that the Body of this unclean
Beast gave manifest tokens of its impurity, as soon as it began to be heated by
the Flames, &c.

I have been induced to quote thus at length, because no
paraphrase of mine could have conveyed so forcibly as the

---

TRIAL OP MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.                       59

words of the author do a notion of the career of this " most
prodigious sinner that ever was extant of humane race,"
and also for the sake of the light thrown upon the feelings
with which his crimes and atheism were then regarded.
Between Mitchel and Weir there was an " intimate Famili-
arity," and I cannot refrain from yet transcribing the follow-
ing curious and rabid satire To the Memory of Mr. James
Mitchel, in which they are associated, and which shows the
rancour then raging between the sects :

O-y-es O-y-es Covenanters

Filthy, Cruel, lying Ranters

Come here, and see your murdering Martyr

Sent to Hell i' th' Hangmans Garter 5

Your sealing Witnesses we hear

Are Mr. James Mitchel, and Major Weir :

One with his hand, but had no pith,

Th' other your Wives know well wherewith,

Which makes them sigh, and sighing say,

Welsh can but Preach, but Weir could pray.

It's this that all Religion shames,

To give Hells Vices Heavenly names.

Then Devils, then cast off your Masks,

Murder, and Whoredom are your Tasks,

Which you to all the World proclame,

Boasting, and glorying in your shame,

And say your Covenant doth allow

This, Maugre your Baptismal vow,*

* You see the Poet upbraids their_ Baptismal Vow with the Covenant ; not,
as I conceive, upon the common account, as another Poet may do, but because

---

6O                       TRIAL OP MAJOR THOMAS WEIR.

And that the holy Oath doth bind you
To leave such holy Seed behind you.
For at, and after your long prayers,
You lye together pairs by pairs,
And every private Meeting-place,
is a Bawdy-house of Grace -,
You shew it is your loving Natures,
To be sweet fellow-feeling Creatures.
But to prophane your Holy Order
With incest, Buggery, and Murder,
Is plainly to proclame you Devils,
And horrid Crimes to be no evils.
Mas James Mitchel lay four year
In Gifiald's house with Major Weir,
And from his Ghostly Father learns
To lye with Women, and get no Barns,
The Mystery of the Tribe, a Trick
Makes all the Women mad Fanatiek,
And now they both in Hell are met,
Where for your Company they wait.
Then fill your measure, and post on
To your deserv'd Damnation.
Go Whore, and Bugger, Kill and Pray,
Till every Dog shall have his day j
Or go together to Hell in Troops,
Else strive for new Grass-market-loops.*
He that Whores best, and Murders most,

'tis the frequent practise of our Whig-preachers to Baptize the Children of
their Disciples into the Solemn League and Covenant, as well as into the
Covenant of Grace. Same work, p. 59.

* Halters. It will have been observed that Jane Weir was condemned to
be hanged in the Grass-market.

---

TRIAL OP MAJOR THOMAS WEIR»                       6l

Of him the Sect shall always boast.
And put him, as they've put Mas James
Among their Saints, and Martyrs Names.

Major Weir occupied a house in the Bow, Edinburgh, " on
the right hand coming up from the Grass Market," " a wood-
cut of it is given in ' Chambers' 0ÍÍÍXOV CrafcttfOUÖ ùf
©ÎUnfturffï), ^î%33>" where it is shown as within a courtyard,
approached from the Bow by a narrow covered entrance, still
standing, and which forms the subject of a vignette in ⁽ Mr.
Wilson's Jïlemorialö Οΐ <B%ftlburg& in the Olden Time,
Edinburgh, 1848/" After Weir's execution, his house was
looked upon as haunted, and for one hundred and thirty years
no one ventured to inhabit it. "Modern improvements in
the neighbourhood of the West Bow, Edinburgh, 'near the
castle ' have swept away all vestiges of the ^c haunted ' and
dark abode of this notorious individual, and the site is
covered by a building belonging to the Secession Church."*

Weir is mentioned at p. 332, Vol. 2, of Chambers'

Bomeetfc 3tmafó ûî Scottano, and in Scott's dettero Dit

ìBemOltOlOffg atto fflMítCfttraft (p. 329), a frontispiece to the
latter work also represents the Major's house.

* jHtitftrtfeg of tfje dcottúf$ Í8orHer, 1810, Vol. 2, p. 48, Note; and
putrii attìi (Suenas, 5 S., II., p. 273.

---

RPíSoannis Caspari settler In &ejrtum Ueralogt

f^JS praeCíptum, In Conjugum Obligationes, et
Quaedam Matrimonium Spectantia, Praelectiones.
Ex ejusdem Theologiâ morali universa excerpsit, notis
et novis qusesitis amplificavit ac denuò typis mandari
curavit P. J. Rousselot, SS. Theoiogiae in Seminario
Gratianopolitano Professor. In Gratiam Neo-confes-
sariorum et Discipulorum. Gratianopoli, Prostat apud
Augustum Carus, bibliopolam et editorem, Via Vulgo
Brochen, No. 16. 1840.

8vo. (counts 4); pp. 192 in all; small circular fleuron on
title page. On the verso of the bastard title is printed :
" Cet ouvrage, comme propriété, est placé sous la garantie
des lois. Tous les exemplaires non revêtus de ma signature
seront réputés contrefaits." Signed with the pen, " Carus
Auguste."

There is a later issue, size, pagination, and title page
identical, with omission of the fleuron, addition of " Editio
altera/' and alteration of No. 16 into No. 8, and the date
into 1844.

---

J. C. SuETTLER IN SEXTUM DECALOGI PRÄCEPTUM.        6¡

As indicated on the title page, this volume forms part of
the greater work by the same author, published at Gre-
noble in 5 vols, 8vo., or rather it forms a supplement to
that work.*

Few, if any of the Romish casuists have gone deeper
into matters connected with the sexes, or have given more
scabrous details than Saettler. I extract from the table of
contents a few only of the impure questions considered
in this remarkable volume :

Quid de incestu Confessarli cum pœnitente, parodii cum parochianâ.
Quid sit locus sacer ; qaenam seminis effusio locum polluât, aut non polluât,
licèt sit sacrilega. An et in quo casu liceat copulam abrumpere. An liceat
semen conceptum ejicere. Quandònam pollutio censeatur voluntaria in sua
causa, et quando ac quomodò sit culpabilis. An et qualia peccata sint
pollutiones nocturnae. An sacram communionem impedire debeant i° Muli-
erum menstrua. 2° Pollutio seu voluntaria seu involuntaria. 3⁰ Actus
conjugalis. An et quando interrogandum circa bestialitatem. Quid de
concubitu cum muliere mortuâ. Quid de modis coeundi innaturali-
bus. Quid et quale peccatum sit ¿enocinium. An quid teneantur parentes
qui prolem in xenodocbio exposuerunt. Quid sit impedimentum im-
potentiae. Quse conjugibus incumbat obligatio petendi et reddendi
debitum. Quomodò conjuges ulteriùs adhùc peccare possint in usu matri-
monii. Quid sit dicendum de obscenis tactibus, aspectibus, osculis inter
conjuges. An peccet conjugatus, qui in absentia compartís seipsum im-
pudicè tangitj vel delectatur de copula habita vel habendâ. An peccent
soluti, ipsique adeò sponsi qui de copula habendâ, vel vídui qui de
copula habita delectantur. Quid agere debeat Confessarius erga uxorem
cujus maritus onanista est. Quid sit abortus et an liceat eum procurare.

* %ñ littérature ¿fratuatee, vol. 6, p. 388.

---

64 J. C. SETTLER IN SEXTUM DECALOGI PR^CEPTUM.

An baptizari possit fetus, in quo nullum signum vitae advertitur. An,
si fetus in lucem edi nequeat, liceat faceré operationem, ut vocant, caesaream.
In matre mortuâ. In matre adhùc viva. An mulier sit ad subeundam opera-
tionem caesaream adigenda. An baptizari possint ac debeant monstra. Dis-
ciplina ecclesiae circa Clericos sollicitantes aut turpiter viventes.

To show how each of the above points is treated in
detail, how each abomination is probed to the quick, would
be undoubtedly interesting, but would exceed the limits of
a simple bibliographical compilation. I cannot, however,
refuse space for the enumeration of one or two of the
subtle obscenities which Sagttler and his commentator,
Rousselot, consider necessary for the enlightenment of their
priests and confessors :

Jam vero, cum puellae sint capaces seminationis ante pubertatis annos, et
etiam in sexto aetatis anno, citiùs possunt irreparabiliter amittere virginita-
tem, quàm masculi impúberes. Si mulier vi aut metu copulam ab adolescente
extorserit, hase extorsio etiam est stuprum, &c. Liceret tarnen in fornicationis
actu copulam abrumpere, ex odio et displicentiâ peccati, quamvis quasi neces-
sario tune semen efïunderetur extra vas. ínter Doctores disputatur, an qui in
vase praepostero cognovit virginem, virginitatis circumstantiam declarare
debeat. Expedit ... à muiieribus et etiam à puellis, quaerere utrùm cum
bestia aliquid inhonesto egerint, ν.g., best i am in lectura intromittendo seque ab
eâ lambente tangj procurando. Ipsa mulier interrogetur nùm semen, completa
copula, ejicere conata sit ? Puella libere stuprum passa, non est de virginitate
interroganda. Inveniuntur et puellae, sed non ita raro, quae quamvis non
nubiles, jam à [decennio, imo à septennio voluptatem carnalem venereosqve
motus sibi per tactus, situm cor por is, femorum compressi onem, tibí arum
extensionem procurant. Probabiliàs etiam excusantur, qui moderata friction©
praritum molestissimum extinguendi causa sese tangunt, ... 1 nec obstat,

---

J. C. SiETTLER IN SEXTUM DECALOGI PR^CEPTUM.        6¡

quòd forte possit exindè suboriri pollutio, &c. Puellse quae turgentes sibi
addunt mammas . . . peccant venialiter, &c.

The conduct of the wedded pair is most minutely defined.
Time when copulation maybe permitted: "licite dum mulier
lactat infantem—si mulier fluxu sanguinis innaturali veluti
morbo quasi continuo laboret, quando habet fluxum men-
struum, aut in puerpera post partum continuatur fluxus
sanguinis, multi existimant actum conjugalem tali tempore
exercitum esse culpam venialem—tempore quo mulier gravida
est, actus conjugalis est graviter illicit us, si exerceatur cum
probabili abortus periculo;" place: "in loco profano et secreto
—graviter peccant ilium exercentes in loco sacro, in loco
publico et coram aliis etiam infantibus," &c. ; frequency : " ter
quaterve in eâdem nocte;" posture: "ut jaceant conjuges, et
vir muliebri incumbat—graviter peccant conjuges, si stantes rem
habeant, vel mulier viro incumbat, aut vir à tergo accédât,"
8cc. ; manner : " graviter peccant in vase non naturali consum-
mantes, vel inchoantes etiam cum intentione eum consummandi
in vase naturali, vir seminationem ante copulam inchoando, vel
hâc habita se retrahendo, antequàm seminaverit," &c. ; are ail
specified. In fact, every contingency which could present
itself to the most vivid of perverted imaginations is considered
in every possible detail.

Many of the questions above cited are due to Saettler's
commentator, Rousselot, and as each is initialed in the volume
itself, I have not-thought it necessary to make any distinction
in reproducing them. The fourth chapter is De Abortu et
Embriologia Sacra, the most curious items of which are
included in my extracts.

κ

---

66                                        MOECHIALOGIE.

$lOttl)í<llO%ít ou Traité des Péchés contre Les Sixième et
Neuvième Commandements du Decalogue, et de toutes
les Questions Matrimoniales qui s'y rattachent, directe-
ment et indirectement; suivi d'un Abrégé Pratique
D'Embryologie Sacrée. Ouvrage mis à la hauteur des
sciences physiologiques, naturelles, médicales et de la
législation moderne. Il est exclusivement destiné au
clergé. Par P.- J.- C- Debreyne, Docteur en Médecine
de la Faculté de Paris, Professeur particulier de Médecine
pratique, Prêtre et Religieux de la Grande-Trappe (Orne.)

Ecce, hoc ut investigavimus, ita est ;

quod auditum, mente pertrcta (sic).

Job, 5, 27.

Deuxième Édition. Bruxelles. Imprimerie—-Librairie
de H. Goemaere, Rue de la Montagne, 52. 1853

Large i2mo. (counts 6) ; pp. viii and 404 ex titles. There
are two other editions, of 1846 and 1865.* The work bears
the sanction of the vicar general, and although " exclusive-
ment destiné au clergé," could be purchased but a short
time since of any bookseller at Brussels for 3 francs.

Moechialogie is a treatise for the use of priests in the con-
fessional ; in it every crime which can possibly be embraced
under the 6th and 9th commandments is considered in all
its bearings. The author explains his purpose as follows:

* Cat. binerai tfe la Etbraíríc if rancate*, vol. 2, p. 31.

---

MOECHIALOGIE.                                        6j

Le but de ce travail est de prendre l'homme seulement par son côté charnel
et animal 5 de le considérer dans cet état de servitude et d'abjection où
l'enchaîne inexorablement l'empire tyrannique de ses sens j de le contempler
enfin avec un sentiment de douloureuse compassion dans l'état de dégradation
morale où l'ont réduit de brutales et d'avilissantes passions.

Nous suivrons donc l'humanité dans la route fangeuse du vice honteux de
la chair ; nous marcherons dans cette voie sombre et méphitique de la mort, en
portant toujours devant nous le flambeau des sciences physiologiques et
médicales.

Being a physician as well as a theologian, Dr. Debreyne
is able to handle his subject with as much success
physically as morally; and no writer with whose works I
am acquainted, not even Sanchez, has amassed more filthy
details, manipulated them more thoroughly, or argued upon
them with more morbid and pertinacious subtlety than the
author of Moechialogie. Father Chiniquy * writes : "I do
not know that the world has ever seen anything comparable
to the filthy and infamous details of that book."

The latter part of the volume is occupied by a Traité
pratique a"Embryologie sacrée ou théologique,*f~ that is, the

* €3μ Ikúst, ti)î OToman, anïr tí)e Ctmffáátonal, to be noticed more fully
presently.

t Few of the Romish casuits have omitted to notice, more or less fully,
this strange and scabrous subject. The most thorough treatise which I have
met with is by Francesco Emmanuele Cangiamila : Embriología â>acra
overo dell uffizio de' sacerdoti, jnedici e superiori circa l'eterna salute dei lami-ini
racchiusi neW utero, &c. Milano, 1751, which he afterwards rendered into
Latin as : éatra Embriologia sive de officio sacerdoium &c. It is replete with

---

68                                        MOECHIALOGIE.

proper treatment of the fœtus, or still born infant, with
regard to baptism. But Dr. Debreyne extends his researches
and instructions much further; and considers, inter alia, the
various causes of abortion, the conduct to be observed
towards a woman who dies during pregnancy, the cesarean
operation performed upon a woman either dead or alive, the
obstacles to parturition, the baptism of monsters, &c.

The volume we are considering forms a sequel to an earlier
work by the same author : ÖÊÖöai öur la Còltogli jBOVÜk,
considérée dans ses rapports avec la Physiologie et la Médecine.
In this work the same subjects are treated as in Moechialogie,
but not so minutely, or with so many nauseous details.

Pierre-Jean-Corneille Debreyne was born at Quoedy-
pre, November 7, 1786. After studying medicine at Paris
he took his diploma in 1814, and became doctor to the
convent of La Trappe, near Mortagne. In 1840 he joined
the order. He is the author of numerous medico-theological
works.*

remarkable instances of child birth, of which the most difficult and perverse
are not unfrequently attributed to sorcery, and is interesting to one not
specially interested in either theology or medicine. The work has been
further translated into Portuguese : Cmönologta J^ajrtaÎïa &c.» Lisboa,
1791-92, 2 vols., 8vo., into French, and into modern Greek. Consult
jffiamtet Îfu Htfcratre, vol. 6, art. 7402, %a ¿pratice Uttleratre, vol. 2, p. 41,
38ío$rrapí)ú SFrubetöeïte, (Midland), vol. 6, p. 543.
* fitc. ïfea Contemporaine, 1870, p. 493.

---

LLAVE DB ORO.                                        69

3Uab£ ìit ©V0> ó Série de Reflexiones que, para abrir
el corazón cerrado de los probres pecadores, ofrece á
los confesores nuevos el Excmo. é limo. Sr. D. An-
tonio María Claret, Arzobispo de Cuba, seguida
del íSpparatUO et Praxis Formae pro Doctrina Sacra in
Conclone Proponenda, Auctore R. P. Richardo
Arsdekin, Societatis Jesu. Con aprobación del Ordi-
nario. Librería Religiosa Imprenta de Pablo Riera,
calle del Robador, n°- 24 y 26. i860.

Small 8vo. ; pp. Llave 143, apparatus 288, in all. On the
verso of the title page we read : " Varios Prelados de España
han concedido 2,400 días de indulgencia para todas las pub-
licaciones de la Librería Religiosa."

It is a painful task to wade through the crass superstition
and nauseous puerility with which the Llave de Oro abounds—
a book for the propagation of which 2,400 days of indul-
gence are offered.

Archbishop Claret invents miraculous stories to be told to
adult sinners, generally too childish and foolish to be worthy
of any special notice. Here is a passage however which
must be given as it stands : " Algunos autores dicen que
Nuestro Señor Jesucristo tiene tanto horror á ese delito
(sodomy), que la noche que nació en Belén mató á todos
los sodomitas." (p. 91). No authorities are given.

---

JO                                        LLAVE DE ORO.

Here are the archbishop's experiences respecting young
girls. They are, he says, " mas fáciles en cometer impurezas
que los niños, mientras son pequeñitas ; pero cuando son
mayores va enteramente al revés, pues mas son los mozos y
hombres lascivos que las muchachas y mujeres. La razón de
esto à mi ver es la misma naturaleza de la mujer ; pues que
cuando pequeña luego se ve inclinada á formar muñecas,
etc., y estas cosas le sirven de juguete en su infancia. Si se
reúne con otras niñas ó niños, juegan á veces á padres y
madres, que dicen, y quizás á parir, etc., ttc.^ (p. 139).

The following are the points upon which confessors are
to question their youthful female penitents. I leave them in
the language in which they are given :

1.  " Pollutionem facientes, aspicientes et tangentes seipsas (1). Palma
manûsj tangendo leviter super vas (2). Digito tangendo se leviter intra vas in
clitori, etc. (3). Mittendo digitum intra vaginam (4). Mittendo fust am,
etc., intra vas (5). Appìicans se contra vas in mensa, pariete, etc., sedens in
sedia applicando se contra ipsam sediam. Sedens in terra applicando se contra
ipsum pedem suum. Aliquando jungens crura et opprimens ipsum vas,
movendo leniter seipsam, etc." Todas estas maneras son de una misma
especie, ni hay necesidad que expliquen si fue de esta manera ó de otra, porque
á mas de no ser de ninguna necesidad, como se ha dicho, se exponen á que por
vergüenza no digan la verdad, y quedar después con el remordimiento de haber
hecho mala confesión por esta causa.

2.  "Tangendo se turpiter cum una_T vel cum aliquibus puellis. Faciendo
sodomitice cum puelìis j aliquando cum sororibus maxime in eodem lecto per
noctem, jam applicans vas unius cum pede, crura, etc., .alterîuSj et sic se
polluendo."

3.  " Tangendo se mutuò cum puero in 'pudendis. Aliquando copulans se,
quamquam imperfecte."

4.  " Bestialitas (ι) applicans vas suum cum aliqua bestia (2), aliquando
mittens ostrum pulii vel gallinae intra vas. Aliquando ponens salìvam aut

---

LES MYSTÈRES DU CONFESSIONNAL.                     7I

panem in vas et cogens canem ut lambat. Aliquando cogens canem et
mittendo pudenda canis in vas suum." (p. 140).

" Horreur, abomination ! (exclaims M. Maurice Lachatre)
Après avoir pris connaissance des monstruosités décrites par le
docte archevêque, les lecteurs pourront comprendre mieux que
par les raisonnements, les dangers du Confessionnal."

That part of the Llave de Oro which has reference to the
sixth commandment has been done into French, and anno-
tated by M. Lachatre, as, €it 0'Θΐ> and added to his
i2mo. edition of the ¿Kamttl Ü£0 €Qnft$$tUV$** The
passages given above in the original Latin are there trans-
lated.

The Apparatus has no special interest for the present work.

3t*Ô iWpößrai ïm ConfeÔÔtOnnal par Monseigneur Bouvier
Evêque du Mans.

Illustrated title page, on the verso of which we read :
Jïlanuel ïreö COttfeS&eurSÍ ou Les Diaconales Dissertation
sur le Sixième Commandement & Supplement au Traite du
Mariage &c. M$&tttUtÍQ ïtt &tpt\m ©etalogt Prœceptum
& Supplementum ad Tractatum De Matrimonio Auctor e J.- Β.
Bouvier, Episcopo Cenomanensi; there is a second title page:
&e0 iïlpotèreSÎ &c. par Le Curé X*** Imprimeur-Éditeur :
E,- J. Carli er, Rue de Γ Escalier, 14, Bruxelles &c.

* See next article.

---

J2                      LES MYSTÈRES DU CONFESSIONNAL.

4to. ; pp. 157 and 1 page unnumbered of Table; double
columns ; price 3 fres. There are numerous illustrations on
the page which have no special reference to the text.

This work, by M. Maurice Lachatre, is a translation,
with annotations, of the work of Bishop Bouvier, of
which the title is given above.

The Manuel des Confesseurs (M. Lachatre informs us) "en
est à sa 20^me édition, dans le texte latin ; Deux Cent Mille
Exemplaires sont actuellement répandus dans le clergé et en
tous pays.

" C'est pour la première fois que ce livre est traduit en
français. La traduction a été faite sur la dixième édition, la
dernière qui ait été revue et corrigée par Fauteur avant sa mort.

" On a publié depuis le décès de Monseigneur Bouvier, dix
autres éditions sur lesquelles certains changements ont été
opérés. Notre traduction est placée en regard du texte latin
dans une spéciale édition," (that which heads this notice).

The contents of the volume are as follows : Prologue ; The
work of M. Bouvier ; Abrégé dEmbryologie ; Origine de la
Corfession ; Le Confessionnal ordinaire et le Corifessionnal particu-
lièrement secret ; Le Confessionnal^ fléau de Γ enfance &c. ; Con-
fesseurs et Congréganistes devant la Justice, Outrages aux Mœurs
&c. ; Abbesses Confesseuses ; L'Aumônier du Couvent ; Caté-
chisme à lusage des Jésuites ; Guide des Ames ; Le Sceau de la
Confession ; Les Drames du Corfessionnal, La Signora F~irgìnie
de Leyva ;* Le Confessionnal^ fléau du prêtre chaste; Le

* The history of Virginie de Leyva is one of the most terrible and
dramatic on record, and presents a vivid picture of the laxity of convent life,
the venality of the priests, and the general depravity which pervaded Italy
during the 17th century. M. Phixaríüte ChasleSj basing his labour upon

---

MA.NUEL DES CONFESSEURS.                             73

Syllabus, Doctrine religieuse enseignée dans le Confessionnal;
Encyclique; Derniers Conseils.

Another edition was published in 1876: áífUUttlrf ÎÏ£S»
COttftÖÖfUrÖ ou Les Diaconales Dissertation sur le Sixième
Commandement et Supplément au Traité du Mariage par Mgr.
Bouvœr, Évêque du Mans Librarie du Progrès Louis Lincé,
Libraire-Éditeur 6j, Rue Crapaurue, 67 Servier s (Belgique).*
Large 12010. (counts 6); pp. 396 in ail; a second illus-
trated title page, with Imprimerie E.-J, Carlier, A Brux-
elles &c. ; the outer wrapper gives the title more in detail,
and the price 2 fres. ; there are a few illustrations which
have no reference to the text. From this edition the Latin
text has been omitted, but it contains in addition, with full
title page: <£l£ M'®t, ou Série d'Exhortations destinées à
ouvrir le cœur fermé des pauvres pécheurs offerte aux nouveaux
confesseurs par Le très excellent et très illustre seigneur don
Antonio Maria Claret, &c. This is an annotated

that of Dandolo, has worked the proceedings instituted against the Signora
di Monza into a pleasant and attractive tale : Virginie tit ïUgba ou Intérieur
d'un Couvent de Femmes en Italie au commencement du dix-septième siècle
d'après les documents originaux &c. Paris 1861. A portrait of the heroine,
printed by Dblatre, should be added to the volume

* For this edition it was intended to make an illustrated wrapper represent-
ing a cathedral, &c, and a frontispiece with a confessional, &c. The designs
for both exist, but were never engraved. The former is by M. Poteau, the
latter by F. L. See fnfcfefr Etfcrontm lïroïjifcitörum, London, 1877, p. 17a.

L

---

74                             MANUEL DES CONFESSEURS.

translation of that part of the ïiaitt ÌSt ®Γ0* which
relates to the sixth commandment.

The Dissertatio in Sextum Decalagi Prœceptum^ç which was
intended by its author exclusively for the use of priests, is
one of the most esteemed works of the Romish Church.
The number of editions through which it has passed has been
already shown. It is to a great extent a résumé of the various
opinions of former casuists, which bishop Bouvier confronts
and passes his opinion upon. This it is which makes the
book specially valuable to the young priest. The author
treats most exhaustively the subject of the relation of the
sexes, from the first regards and thoughts of the young
engaged couple to the kinds of embraces which may be
permitted between married people, from the times when the
act should be granted or denied to the performance of the
cesarían operation and the christening of the stillborn, or even
unborn fœtus.

Here are a few of the most curious subjects discussed :
Masturbation before the statue of the Virgin ; If a doctor sins
by spending while handling the private parts of a woman in the
pursuit of his calling ; Commerce with a demon under the
form of a man, a woman, or an animal ; Corpse-profanation ;

* Noticed at p. 69, ante.

f In the áHoubtlU Biograph« Generate (vol. 7, col. 147) two editions are
given, viz.: " Cenomani, 1827,1 vol. in-X2/' and " 12^e edit., Paris, 1850."
Lorenz notes another edition, " 1861, in-12." Cat. otturai, vol. 1, p. $$$.

---

MANUEL DES CONFESSEURS.                             J¡

The German walse is strictly forbidden ; Absolution is not to
be granted to actors or actresses, even when on the point of
death, unless they promise to renounce their calling ; Impo-
tence, either on the part of the man or woman, is frequently
caused by the malice of the devil ; Whether copulation may be
performed when the woman is with child, or during the time
of menstruation ; The cesarían operation is most minutely
described, and every circumstance connected with it fully
discussed.

M. Lachatre does not perhaps speak too strongly when he
exclaims :

Quel code d'immoralités! Quel recueil de turpitudes dans cette élucubra-
tion episcopale !

Quelle boue infecte remuée dans tous les sens, et comme à plaisir, par un
vieux ribaud, un satyre mitré ! Rien n'est oublié dans cette œuvre, depuis
l'origine d'une pensée sensuelle jusqu'à l'action la plus dégradante ; depuis un
simple désir jusqu'au plus mauvais acte de bestialité, accompli avec l'animal
le plus vil, ou sur une femme déjà morte, ou avec un démon de l'un ou de
l'autre sexe ayant pris une forme sensible.

Les abominations étalées dans ce livre, dépassent les obscénités des soupers
de la régence sous le duc d'Orléans, les turpitudes du Parc aux Cerfs de
Louis XV, et sont de nature à faire rougir les plus éhontées messalines, à faire
bouillir le sang du plus austère des anachorètes. (i2mo. edit. p. 9).

Nous devons également faire mention (adds M, Lachatre) d'un chapitre
curieux qui a été ajouté au Manuel des Confesseurs, dans la 14^e édition, par le
successeur de Mgr Bouvier au siège du Mans, lequel chapitre ne se trouve pas
dans notre traduction qui est faite sur le texte de la io^me édition. Le nouvel
évêque du Mans tenait à honneur de compléter l'œuvre de son devancier et de
remplir une lacune importante qu'il y avait découverte. En effet, Mgr Bouvier
avait omis de parler de certains engins de lubricité qui sont en usage dans les
bordels, dans certains lieux encore plus infâmes, et dans les couvents de
femmes. Le prélat a donc réparé l'omission volontaire ou involontaire de
l'auteur du Manuel des Confesseurs. Les jeunes diacres_; les séminaristes, les
confesseurs ont alors reçu le complément de leur éducation religieuse. On

---

*]6                             MANUEL DES CONFESSEURS.

leur explique que le condom—est une sorte de fourreau en baudruche dont on
couvre le membre viril—pour pratiquer le coït ononasticè ou condomisticè, pour
éviter de procréer des enfants, ou pour introduire le membre dans l'anus, ou
pour se préserver des maladies contagieuses vénériennes. Le prélat vise encore
dans ce chapitre, les instruments de lubricité de pays de Sodome et de
Gomorhe, en usage dans les lupanars et particulièrement dans les couvents de
femmes, objets étranges qui servent aux débauches contre nature et qui
tiennent lieu du sexe absent. Schoking (sic) ! honte ! abomination !

Ce curieux chapitre a été reproduit en latin dans le savant ouvrage Γ Examen
du Christianisme, par Morin, imprimé à Genève.

.... Coeunt ononasticè vel condomisticè id est intendo nejarlo instrumento
quod vulgo dìcitur condom. Manuel des Confesseurs, 14^me édition, p. 137.
Ceux qui coïtent à la manière d'Onan ou avec le membre viril enfermé
dans un fourreau de baudruche, c'est-à-dire en se servant d'un instrument
défendu qu'on appelle condom.

Quels enseignements ! quelle éducation pour les séminaristes, les diacres, les
confesseurs jeunes et vieux ! (i2mo. edit. p. 275).

Such a publication as the Manuel des Confesseurs could not
fail to arouse the anger and resentment of the powerful
Catholic party in Belgium. M. Lachatre was prosecuted and
condemned, and many copies of his work destroyed.

Jean-Baptiste Bouvier was born January 17, 1783, "au
hameau de la Crote, commune de Saint-Charles-la-Forét
(Mayenne)," and died at Rome, December 29, 1854.* He
became bishop of Mans (Sarthe) in 1834.

M. A. Rispal has given a brief analysis of the bishop's
labours, which he says: "jouissent d'une grande autorité ."-f"

* E'IittmraiìJtatrt» vol. 10, col. 190.

t Jtaubelle *Oi0ßra#i)te Omerale, voi. 7, col, 147.

---

DE LA DÉMONIALITÉ.                                  77

Mt la Btmom'altte et des Animaux Incubes et Succubes
où Ton prouve qu'il existe sur terre des créatures rai-
sonnables autres que l'homme, ayant comme lui un corps
et une âme, naissant et mourant comme lui, rachetées
par N.-S. Jésus-Christ et capables de salut ou de dam-
nation. Par le R. P. Louis Marie Sinistrare d'Ameno
de l'Ordre des Mineurs Réformés de l'étroite Observance
de Saint-François (17^e siècle) Ouvrage Inédit publié
d'après le Manuscrit original et traduit du Latin par
Isidore Liseux.

St ffiatmOMalttiite et Incubis et Succubis Auctore
A. R. P. Ludovico María Sinistrari de Ameno
Ripari¿c S. Julii, Diœcesis Novariensis, Ordinis Minorum
Strictioris Observan tiae S. Francisci Reformatorum.
Opus ducentis abbine annis conscriptum, et nunc
primum e MS. Codice nuper reperto in lucem editum
Paris Isidore Liseux, 5, Rue Scribe 1875

8vo. (counts 4) ; pp. xvi and 224 in all ; title page in red
and black, with publisher's fleuron ; issue 598 copies num-
bered; the original text and the translation are en regard
throughout the volume; published at fres. 10.

This is a very curious and carefully done book, both as
regards the author and the translator-editor. The title suffi-
ciently explains its object, and the propositions set forth are
argued out with logical closeness. Although the author under-

---

/8                                 DE LA DÉMONIALITÉ.

takes to prove both by authority and from his own experience
that Incubi and Succubi exist and perform the act of copula-
tion,* yet he handles the subject as a tenet fully recognised by
the church. He even enumerates several great men who owe
their existence to such commerce, among whom we find
Romulus and Remus, Servius Tullius, Plato, Alexander
the great, Seleucus King of Syria, Scipio the African,
Augustus Caesar, Aristomenes. " Aj ou tous encore (he con-
cludes) l'Anglais Merlin ou Melchin, né d'un Incube et
d'une fille de Charles le Grand ; et enfin, comme l'écrit
Cocleus, cité par Maluenda, ce damné Hérésiarque, qui a
nom Martin Luther." (p. 51).^ It is affirmed that Incubi
are :

doués de sens, et conséquemment qu'ils ont un corps ; conséquemment
aussi, qu'ils sont des animaux parfaits. Il y a plus : portes et fenêtres closes,
ils entrent partout à leur fantaisie ; donc leur corps est subtil \ enfin ils con-
naissent et annoncent l'avenir, ils composent et ils divisent, toutes opérations
qui sont le propre d'une âme raisonnable : donc ils sont doués d'une âme
raisonnable, et ce sont bien, en réalité, des animaux raisonnables, (p. 115).

Ici se place une observation ; lorsque ces Incubes s'unissent charnellement
aux femmes dans leur corps propre et naturel, sans métamorphose ni artifice,

* Several anecdotes are given in the Sltftíotmatre Ihtfmtaï, the ih'rttomtatrt
Uc la droite ît fce la Maison, ft&toire iitä Jfantomeä tt lieo unno ná, E a
êëoxcùvt, Cunosítíá Öf l'fòùftotre tttó Croyances! ^Populaire*; au JKojjen %e.
Consult fHallnts» áüKaltfuavtun J. Sprengeri, îla îStnumomame tt«l torciera»
par J. Bodin, &c.

f I have cited the translation rgther^than the original, in order that my
readers may judge how ably M. Liseux has performed his task.

---

DE LA DÊMONIALITÉ.                                   79

les femmes ne les voient pas, ou, si elles les voient, c'est comme une ombre
presque incertaine et à peine sensible : ***. Quand, au contraire, les galants
veulent se rendre visibles à leurs maîtresses, atque ipsis delectationem in
congressu carnali afferre, alors ils revêtent une enveloppe visible, et leur corps
devient palpable. Par quel art, ceci est leur secret. Notre philosophie à courte
vue est impuistante à le découvrir, (p. 197).

It was held formerly that Incubi borrowed their seed from
some man, but Sinistrari is of opinion that they really do
emit semen of their own. They do not restrict themselves
to women, but have connection with animals as well.

The author has of course an equal faith in evil spirits,
sorcerers and witches of the ordinary kind, with which how
ever these curious beings must not be confounded. The
former can be got rid of by holy incantations, whereas Incubi
are deaf to the voice of the priest.

Enfin, chose prodigieuse et presque incompréhensible, ces Incubes, qu'on
appelle en Italien Folletti, en Espagnol Duendes, en Français Follets, n'obéis-
sent pas aux exorcistes, n'ont aucune peur des exorcismes, aucune vénération
pour les objets sacrés, à l'approche desquels ils ne manifestent pas la moindre
frayeur : bien différents en cela des Démons qui tourmentent les possédés ;
car, si obstinés que soient ces malins Esprits, si rétifs qu'ils se montrent à
l'injonction de l'exorciste qui leur commande de déloger du corps du possédé,
il suffit pourtant de prononcer le très-saint nom de Jésus ou de Marie ou
quelques versets des Saintes Ecritures, d'imposer des Reliques, principalement
le Bois de la Sainte Croix, ou d'approcher les Saintes Images, pour qu'aussitôt
on les entende rugir à la bouche du possédé, et qu'on les voie grincer des dents,
s'agiter, frémir, montrer, en un mot, tous les signes de la crainte et de l'horreur.
Mais ces coquins de Follets, rien de tout cela n'a d'effet sur eux : s'ils dis-
continuent leurs vexations, ce n'est qu'après longtemps et quand ils le veulent
bien. De ceci je suis témoin oculaire, &c. (p. 31).

---

8o                                  DE LA DÉMONIALITÉ.

Copulation between a demon and a witch is naturally graver
than bestiality, and is indeed "le plus grand de tous les péchés."
The question is reasoned out with casuistic minuteness :

Quant au commerce avec l'incube, où ne se rencontre aucun élément, si
faible soit-il, d'offense contre la Religion, il est difficile de voir pourquoi ce
délit serait plus grave que la Bestialité et la Sodomie. * * * L'Incube, du chef
de son esprit raisonnable et immortel, est l'égal à l'homme ; du chef de son
corps plus noble et plus subtil, il est plus parfait et plus digne que l'homme.
Conséquemment, l'homme qui s'unit à l'Incube n'avilit pas sa nature, il la
dignifìe plutôt ', &c. (p. 201).

The volume terminates with a brief Notice Biographique,
from which I extract the following particulars :—

Sinistrar 1 was born at Ameno, 26 February, 1622, and
died, March 6, 1701. He studied at Pavia, where in 1647
he entered the order of the Franciscans. He was a man of
great talents and attianments. At Rome he occupied the post
of " Consulteur au Tribunal suprême de la Sainte Inquisition,"
was during two years vicar-general of the archbishop of
Avignon, and afterwards theologian attached to the archbishop
of Milan. In 1688 he was requested to compile the statutes
of his order, which he did in his flrattfta ttfmUialtó
áíflútorum illustrata» His collected works were published
at Rome in 3 vols., folio, 1753-1754,* of which however
De Dœmonialitate does not form part.

* Consult also faiutf Etbrontm Ikdjtbttonim, Romae, mdccclxxvi,

p· 303-

---

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. 8l

illustrations on ti)t incarnation ana immaculate Com

CepttOn Of tfte ©trgtn iKlarg and the Miraculous
and Mysterious Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, by
D^r Edmund Skiers, M.D., Of the Faculty of Paris,
London and Edinburgh, Author of a Treatise, on the
Croup,—a Sketch on Stomacal affections, Diarrhoea,
Dysentery, Sporadic and Asiatic Cholera, etc., etc.
Paris, Printed by E. Brière and Co, Rue Sainte-
Anne, 55. 1854

8vo. ; pp. 16 in all. This is one of the most curious
pamphlets which I have ever met with. Whether the author
is in earnest, or whether his intention is to mystify his readers,
my knowledge of medicine or theology is not sufficient to
enable me to determine. I once saw a small volume written to
show that the world was flat, and Archbishop Whately wrote
a book the object of which was to prove that Napoleon I.
never lived. The work before me may perhaps be classed
in the same category with such productions. Dr. Skiers,
however, appears to be serious, and undertakes to show
that there is nothing supernatural or difficult to believe in
the immaculate conception, but that it may be accounted
for by the foetal kyst theory. If it be allowed for one of
the greatest casuists * to enquire whether the virgin spent

* Thomas Sanchez. 3Bt Maneto jíEtattímonít Sacramento.

M

---

82 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OP THE VIRGIN MARY.

during copulation with the Holy Ghost, " utrum virgo Maria
semen emiserit in copulatone cum Spiritu Sancto," surely a
medical man of the same faith may be permitted to take
a step further back and enquire into the virgin Mary's con-
ception. Here are the doctor's own words :

*' The stumbling block " to the Faith, and to convincing teaching, lie at the
very origin of our Christian religion ; here, with every sense of deep humility
and strict feeling, I will allow myself to enter familiarly into explanation.

To arrive at the unknown we must interrogate intimately the well known.
What is strenuously our object here, is it not to inquire into the ^<( Immaculate
conception of the Virgin Mary?" Conception! we take the term "in
extenso," its evident sense implies, beside the power of imagination, " to
conceive," ^<lto admit into the womb;' conception again, might be ^u extra
uterine;"* conception might also be a pregnancy of a double nature "in ovo"
ab ovo " from the very origin of the germ, the developement of which is the
product of a fœtal kyst ; a fœtal kyst, is an abscess, borne by the indi-
vidual, and independently of the will of the bearer, and is not known ¿o, nor
conceived by the bearer ; & foetal kyst is an abscess containing an embryo, a foetus
in it ;—this fœtal kyst might happen to, and be borne by, either a male or a

* This question has occupied the attention of several writers. One of the
most curious disputes will be found noticed at p. 261 of the ItttJejC Ettorum
$rdj)ÜHtorum, London, mdccclxvii. In his witty and erudite little volume
upon the ^<e Fille de Tureoing/¹ the Abbé Valmont writes : " Mais vous qui
voulez absolument des explications, voudriez-vous bien m'expliquer comment
ce Louis Roossel de Vlasloo, auprès Dixmude, accoucha d'un enfant par la
cuisse. Ne vous moquez pas de moi, s'il vous plaît. C'est un grave Théo-
logien, qui l'a dit, et qui a fait sur cela seul un traité fort singulier j c'est
le R. P. Loth, Dominicîan, Resolutiones Theohg. tract, 15." üütesíertattoií #ur
lesi JKaïtoea, &c, Lille, 1862, p. 82.

---

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OP THE VIRGIN MARY. 83

female ;—it may be hidden internally in the body,—or it appears externally as
a tumour, or it may appear externally as a monstruosity, having appending the
limbs of a foetus, attached to the body of the person born so, without any
envelope—but the continuous skin ;—and this fœtal external appendix might
have, or might not have movement given to it, by any excitement on its skin ;
the phenomenon of this foetal kystal appendix might be, with the body of this
grafted fœtus, more or less perfect ; this graft too, might nearly equal the size
of its parent ;—and again this monstruosity might be equal in size, and have a
life, even to that of a separate alimentary system for taking food;—and again
in addition to which, a separate and complete and perfect locomotive existence,
to be, and feel, as if separate bodies, save in their bond of union j the two indi-
viduals being only separate in head and limbs.—It is therefore well known,
that foetal kysts and monstruosities are as common in animals, as incidental to
the human species ; we have only to examine the exhibitions at fairs to find
living specimens of some curious cases, whilst museums of comparative and
human anatomy have shelves full of the most curious varieties, obtained some
from post mortem examination, others abortive products, and others after having
been born alive and have lived for some moments, or minutes, hours, days,
months, or years.—These fœtal graftings, from a double conception, human as
animal, are therefore consistent in nature, and the published, depicted, and
preserved varieties in the various museum collections are great and startling for
the senses to contemplate ; the chain of causes being occult, the strained imagi·
nation can only depict vaguely, to conceive the effect, origin, and wonderful
secret combinations of nature ; therefore, the links of organic matter connect-
ing insensibly the transition of the animal to the vegetable, the terrestrial
animal to the aquatic, the terrestrial to the aerial, the terrestrial to the terres-
trial, not even taking the extremes, that is, from the elephant to the mouse, or
the man from the monkey, etc., without entering into the minuter wonders and
greater intricacies of the insect, or the marvellous microscopic creation, or the
organic vegetable, to the inorganic mineral combination, in the which, our
blindness shews the wisdom of God, and the limit to man's.

Resuming then, with regard to the animal, as the human species, from what
is known, as to extra uterine fœtation, gestation, it cannot be difficult to
imagine a foetal kyst^fi sine concubitu " that is a germ (C) finding its way into
the cavity of the uterus of a fœtus (M), at what period God only can know,

---

84 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

but its presence there will be that of its forming a kyst, and finding a natural
nidus ; the imagination can he helped when we consider that a foetal kyst, " sine
concuhitu *' does find its way into the cavity of other muscular organs, therein,
to form its nidus, and from finding in primis, a more or less vital force of
organic life in that part, the kyst would receive an impulse, a motor, for
developement to ad vanee more or less the growth of its parts, partially, or the
whole of the foetal formation 5 so, on the contrary, in secundo, where the graft
of the foetal kyst does not find that natural congenial organic vital vascular
nidus, a check, or an arrest of growth, from want of ample nutrition from that
part would, as a natural consequence, blight, derange its developement, so as
either to disease or kill it, so that none, or little, of an organic trace of a
foetal formation might be found remaining, except those parts the most
resisting and imperishable, consisting and constituting the bones, the teeth, ύψ
hair of the foetus, the which would give a data of its existence ; also, the
external growth of the foetal kyst, its vascular, and its membranous parts,
would depend on the nature of the tissue it is grafted into, as well as its means
for furnishing nutriment for active, or passive circulation, expansion and
developement of parts held and inclosed in it.

Then, allowing to picture to the imagination a double conception or impreg-
nation (A) to have taken place " a priori " that is " ab origine " in the maternal
uterus (A) of Anne? the mother of the Virgin Alary ; from the knowledge
already of the fœtal kyst, the imagination here, might vividly depict that a
birth might be given to a foetus (M) which might contain " a posteriori " in its
body, a tumour ! and that tumour a foetal kyst (C) and this fœtal kyst (C), with
its vital and tenaceous embryo germ egg (C) might be found imbedded,
grafted in the cavity of a muscle endowed with a mucous membranous lining
of a very vascular character, and that muscular cavity with its ?nucous mem-
branous vascular lining a uterus; and why not this, as well as any other
muscular cavity ?—as this nidification by chance attractions, might, all in all,
through God's will, be ordained from the commencement of the " ab originale
nature of the double conception (AJ, when, the two germ eggs (M C) detached
oí of one conception "primo;" combining to form "secundo" the two germ
eggs (MC) united, at the same time having, each» an innate separate force of
vivifaction ; both, having also, as is well known, whether the conception is
single or double, its own separate and proper protecting amniotic albumenous

---

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. 85

membrane, and this too, whether the "ovum " germ egg is impregnated in the
uterus, near or at a distance, that is, in the Fallopian tube near to the ovarium
or egg reservoir ; the presumption being that the two germ eggs (M C) are
preserved j the outer coating of the amniotic membrane forming the high
vascular membrane of the chorion, the grafting of this choricn of the one germ
egg (C), taking place on the highly vascular chorion of the other germ egg (M) j
from this immediate contact of the two impregnated germ eggs (M C), from
their intimate contiguity, and grafting, the one (M) might at last entirely
envelope the other (C) j from (M) having a greater inherent vital organic
activity and force of developement 5 so that the germ egg (M) most forward in
developement will become the enveloping maternal and absorbing one, from its
greatest vital activity ; the other germ egg (C) impressed on, will become the
imbedded, the enveloped germ ; and, not losing its vitality it has only a check
given to its vital power of growth, but not destroying its vitality j because,
this germ egg (C) finding in this graft a " nidus " a nestling place, at this stage
of "its life in (M), of a similar nature of resource of tissue to that of its own,
though, depassing it in power, with rapidity of progress, as to change, and
formation into organic vitality, offering (C) at the same time maternal
resources for its perfect rest, and nidification, and growth, though comparatively,
with an abeyance, and suspense, from the germ egg (M), being itself drawn on
for accommodation and nutriment, but the life of both germ eggs (M) and
(C) will be maintained by the superior absorption of nutriment of the germ egg
(M) the one most fully advanced, so that the metamorphoses of both germ eggs
might progress, and harmonize together from this one source, with the envelop-
ing embryo maternal germ (M), now rapidly increasing over ¿he enveloped germ
(C), whilst this latter embryo germ (C) is impelled by an imperceptible
nascent force of change, insensibly to yield, and to fall inducted into the
channel of a cavity, a " nidus " oj an intestinal formation of the embryo germ
(M) where, by after maturing nature, from the attraction and congregation of
molecules, by the early and rapid embryotic changes, evolutions, and meta-
morphoses taking place, it happens, normally, to form, and to become, the
rudiment of that organ in the embryo (M) which, by nature,is destined, ultimately,
io be an important organ, the very natural fœtal uterus ;—hence fortuitously,
accidently, through the will of God!—the included, nucleated, enveloped, ^w α
priori*¹ separate and distinct germ egg (C) of the "ab origine " double con·'

---

86 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OP THE VIRGIN MARY.

ception (A) finds itself abducted, attracted to be imbedded and nidified, nestled,
with its original preservative amniotic albumenous membrane, to be preserved,
nourished "a posteriori" and protected, to develope in a deeply seated vital
uterine organ of the germ egg (M) its companion " ab origine " ovum, egg, of
the double " a priori" or "al origine " conception (A). In the which vital fœtal
uterine organ (M) the natural agencies and accomodations, and sympathies of
which, is that constituting all, and exclusively, and professedly, the only normal
nidus for an embryo egg, viz the Uterus ! where, its vascular fibrous and
expansive functions are all for the reception, protection, warmth, accommoda-
tion and preservation ; the supply of nutriment being most ample and special
for, and in accordance with the need, on the rapid growth and full development of
the foetal germ " in utero."

The fœtal germ (C) however intricately, wonderfully and miraculously intro-
duced into the fœtal womb oí the germ (M) and there incarnated to be im-
bedded after the " a priori " and " ab origine ** germ fecundation and double
conception (A) is beyond demonstration, but not beyond credence, and the force of
imagination, for as a truth it is most possible, and can be illustrated from what
we see, in other things marvellous in nature, subject to the creative will of God ;
and if we question this, we question and deny that power, which pervades all
things, and which presides with soothing and watchful care over us, even
when, poor mortals, we look up in distress to God and cry aloud to Him,
for help.

Thus a miraculous uterine graft of a fœtal kysi (C), " sine concubitu " can be
well imagined as conceived ; and it would not stagger and surprise a feeling, if
such another miraculous uterine graft (C), should again occur, to be accidentally
detected, and demonstrated, as a possibility, to offer astonishment to the world ;
not that another Christ should be born, but a birth from a virgin uterine
conception "sine concubitu," to strengthen the faith in God, the belief in Jfesus
Christ, and the almighty wonders in creation.

From the above extract my readers will be able to judge for
themselves in how far Dr. Skiers has succeeded in proving
his point, and will probably agree with me that his pamphlet
is at any rate fit to be placed among the curiosities of
literature.

---

f^jSSomptlibíUm COÏe ÌSt$ SiöUtteÖ d'après plus de 300

ïw|pi ouvrages des casuistes-jésuites. Complément

indispensable aux Œuvres de MM. Michelet

et Quinet. 9^e édition, populaire augmentée d'une

préface et de notes. Paris Edmond Albert, Éditeur.

Rue du Hasard-Richelieu, N° 3. 1846

lamo, (counts 6) ; pp. 109. First published in 1845.*
This little volume, as its title indicates, contains extracts
from various Roman Catholic writers, sanctioning crimes of
every description, In his preface the author, Georges
Dairnv^ell, informs us that : " La censure s'est vertueuse-
ment indignée et la cour de Rome a mis notre livre à l'index.
Nous ne sommes cependant que copiste et nous défions nos
adversaires de nous prouver la moindre alteration de texte.
Si ce livre n'avait contenu que des calomnies, huit éditions
n'auraient pas été vendues en six mois." The extracts are
in French, except a few relating to unnatural crimes, which
are left in the original Latin.

* ütcttotmaíre lita nnangmtä, vol, i, col. 625.

---

88                                 FRAMMENTO INEDITO.

JframmetttO fimStÍD di Pietro Giordani.

8vo. ; pp. 29; printed privately, in 1862, by R. Clay,
Bread Street Hill, London ; a second half title bears, ïl |ktfatXI

impostole 1838.

This pamphlet is an answer to the Caöl' fôfSftrbatt (written
as the author observes in ^u latino diabolico ") and more par-
ticularly to an article therein (Tavola 2^a, Articolo 6°) : Con-
cubitus cum dœmone : qui quamvis non sit ejusdem speciei cum
homine, tarnen assumit formam hominis, sive viri sive mulieris.—
" il peccato impossible " in fact. Giordani adduces several
instances of men and women, who having refused to comply
with the monks' wishes, were punished as sorcerers and witches.
A wider field is then taken, and the church at large and par-
ticularly the confessional are severely criticised. The subject
is treated seriously, and the pamphlet is ably written.

€í)t ConfeÖÖtOnal ©nmasíkeO, or the Curiosities of Romish
Devotion.

This is the name by which the tract I am about to notice
is generally known, and that which forms the half title of
most of the various editions issued by the " Protestant Evan-
gelical and Electoral Union." The wording on the outer
wrappers differs however materially. I note three different

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                           89

editions at present before me : Cfte Confesional ©itmaofteìl :

showing the Depravity of the Romish Priesthood, the Iniquity of
the Confessional and the Questions put to Females in Confession,
&c, buff wrapper, 8vo., pp. iv and 76 ; the half title reads

€jrtrartj5, etc., published about 1871 ; Cïm'ötian Ceötimonp
agaûtôt ^apal »irferîmestë δρ ©nmaöfemg tfte Confesé
otoñal; &α, 8vo., pp. 98, buff wrapper; Cöe áMoralítp of

Potatói) ©eÜOtíOlt, or the Confessional Unmasked : &c, 8vo.,
pp. 116 and 8 unnumbered, begins with A Report of the Trial
of Mr. George Mackey, At the Winchester Quarter Sessions,
iSth and igth October, 1870, green wrapper.

The tract was not originally published by the " Protestant
Evangelical Union," but had been issued four times at least
before that society took it in hand. The " Union " has
published three (if not more) pamphlets concerning it :

€i)t Jîtètorp of "Cttf Confessional fflnmaöïtrt/* ^8νο·>
pp. 40; Cöe áttjure anö Condemnation of "&öe Com
ösiöional/* 8vo., pp. 32; ^Cöe Confessional 3anmaôfeeïi^^f

A Military as well as a Moral Plea for abolishing  the Corifes-

sional. By Lieut-Col. H. J. Brockman, 8vo., pp.  15. From

the former work I gather the chief part of "the   particulars
given in this notice :

The ßrst publication of the Pamphlet is surrounded with somewhat of
obscurity. The compilers, translators, and publishers appear to have been
anxious to inform the public upon questions of such deep importance as those
we have noticed _} but they thought it prudent to remain unknown,

Ν

---

CO                          THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED,

However, David Bryce, publisher, Paternoster Row, who
died suddenly, May i, 1875, was the reputed translator.*
The " Union " continues :

We have before us a copy of the Second Edition, published in Dublin, 1836.
The title page is as follows :—

$&mé'â Cinologi). Extracts from Peter Dens on the Nature of Confession
and the Obligation of the Seal. " If hat soever ye have spoken in darkness
shall he heard in the light ; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets
shall be proclaimed upon the housetops*' Second Edition. Dublin: O'Neill,
Printer, 1836.

The Pamphlet consists of Extracts, taken exclusively from Dens' Theology,
with a few comments by the Compiler. It does not appear to have been
published in the ordinary way of trade, or with any motive less worthy than
that of admonishing innocent men of the hordes of Romish marauders—con-
spirators against the morality and liberty of the people, which the Government
of the country had patronized and let loose upon Society.

In subsequent editions of the Pamphlet now under consideration, several
extracts were taken from Liguori and other ^a guides and masters " used in the
" Royal College " for the education of Romish Priests. The Pamphlet was
then entitled " Maynooth and its Teaching." It was published in London
in the ordinary way of trade. The following is the title-page of the Pamphlet
when it came into the possession of "The Protestant Electoral
Union:''—

ÍHagítOOtí) fflti ÍU Cearfjtng. The Confessional Unmasked: showing the
Depravity of the Priesthood, the Immorality of the Confessional, and the
Questions put to Females in Confession, etc., etc. Being Extracts from the
theological works used in Maynooth College, and sanctioned by the " Sacred
Congregation of Rites.¹' With Notes, By C. B.

* See €%t 33û0Ït#ilI«f, June 3,1875, No. 211, p. 497.

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                         91

** For 'tis a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
(Eph. v. 12.)

(Act III., Scene i.—A Confessional).

Prior. Within this chair I sit, and hold the keys
That open realms no conqueror can subdue,
And where the monarchs of the earth must fain
Solicit to be subjects.

Alar. O, holy father ! my soul is burdened with a crime.

Prioh. My son, the Church awaits thy sin.

Alar. It is a sin most black and terrible ;
Prepare thine ear for what must make it tremble.

Prior. Thou dost speak to power above all passion, not toman.

Alarcos, by the Author of' Vivian Grey'*

London: W. Strange, 3, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row.

The way in which the Pamphlet came to be the property of ⁽⁽ The Pro-
testant Electoral Union " was as follows :—

An ex-Sheriff of London, and a member of the Protestant Electoral Union,
went, in 1865, to the House of Commons to hear a debate on some Protestant
question. The House on that occasion resembled a " Bear-Garden," and the
Protestant speakers could not obtain a hearing. This patriot thought that the
misconduct of the House arose from its ignorance of what Popery was, and
he resolved to inform them of its true character by bringing under their notice
its teachings and practices, as declared by Romanises themselves. He entered
into arrangements with " The Christian Book Society " for printing an edition
of the Pamphlet, which he called

"Cije Ucprabttg of tfje tornan Catíjolú iPmatïjoofc and the Immorality
of the Confessional."

With reference to this edition we ought to say that some of the most
disgusting enquiries and instructions by the Priest were omitted. A copy
of the Pamphlet was sent to each member of both Houses of Parliament,
and the copies remaining were presented to the Society.

The Pamphlet sold by Mr. Strange, Paternoster Row, was printed from
stereo plates, which he expressed a readiness to sell ; and as the Com-
mittee of the "Protestant Evangelical Mission and Electoral Union" had
found the pamphlet to be a most formidable weapon of defence against
the priestly assailants of the purity and liberty of this Protestant Kingdom,
they purchased the plates with the pamphlets Mr. Strange had in stock.
For some time the Committee printed from these plates. They changed the

---

92                         THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

cover, however, giving the opinions of several eminent men as to the evils of
the Confessional.

The Committee would at once have made several changes in the pam-
phlet, such as they afterwards did make in the New Edition, but their
funds were so limited that for years the Treasurer never received ten pounds
that was not appropriated to defray some very necessary expense already
incurred.

The first internal change made was the expurgation of a song, " The
Fryar and the Nun/' p. 37, showing "The Progress of the Confessional."

This was replaced by two descriptions of a " Confessing Priest," one of
which was by Mr. Hogan.

We come now to a point which invests The Confessional
Unmasked with an interest which its literary merits would not
entitle it to. I mean the legal proceedings to which it has
given rise, and which now form a precedent in English law.
The first prosecution took place at Wolverhampton in 1867.
when, after some lectures by William Murphy, the " Watch
Committee" obtained a warrant under Lord Campbell's Act
to search the premises of H. Scott, where the objectionable
pamphlet was being sold. A seizure of " a quantity of books "
was made at Scott's house on the 18th March, upon which
the magistrates delivered the following decision :

" We consider that the book produced before us is an obscene book within
the meaning of the Act, and calculated to contaminate the public morals, and
of such a character that the publication of it becomes a misdemeanour. The
sale and distribution have been sufficiently proved before us, and we hereby
order the books to be destroyed."

The case was taken to the Quarter Sessions, and the verdict of the Magis-

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                         93

trates was quashed by the Recorder, he giving authority for his judgment.
The Popish party appealed from the verdict of the Recorder to the Queen's
Bench. That court said it did not lelieve the evidence put forth by the book,
and and added new matter to the case submitted to it for judgment j and upon
the ground of the matter added, and for other reasons, reversed the decision of
the Recorder ! ! {The Queen v. Hicklin, April, 1868).

This judgment is very ably dealt with in a Pamphlet, " Printed for private
circulation," and generally considered to be by Mr. Powell, the Recorder of
Wolverhampton.

The Committee, desirous of keeping within the Law, even when so grossly
perverted, remodelled the entire work, and entitled it The Morality of Romish
Devotion ; or, The Confessional Unmasked, omitting much of the lewd in-
quisitiveness of the Priests contained in the former work, but enough to show
the nature and tendency of the Confessional, and to justify Protestants in
seeking its utter destruction* This new work was brought under judgment in
the followay way :—

Mr. George Mac key having been invited to Lymington, Hants, hired the
Town Hall, for a course of five lectures, and after having delivered three of
these lectures, during the week ending August 27, 1870, he was prevented by
the Mayor and police from giving the last two lectures of the course advertised.
He was then summoned before the Mayor, James C orb in. Mr. Mackey
was confined as a Felon in Winchester Jail for fifteen months ! For a full
report of his trial, or Condemnation rather, see pamphlet entitled The
Lord's Prisoner, published by The Protestant Evangelical Mission,
price 6d.

The Committee feeling assured that Mr. Mackey was prosecuted out of
malice, and that he was unjustly condemned by an unsworn jury, to which he
objected, printed a Report oí the first trial at Winchester. This included the
pamphlet with the sale of which he was charged, and which was taken as read
in Court. This Report was seized by the Police, under a warrant signed by
Sir Thomas Henry, in the Offices of the Protestant Evangelical Mission and
Electoral Union, on January 26th, 1871. Mr. Steele, the Secretary of the
Society, who was indicted for publishing the work, gives his reasons in full
for doing so in the Monthly Record of the Society for March and November,
1871. The case of Mr. Steele was heard in the Court of Common Pleas,

---

94                        THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

Westminster, before Chief Justice Bovill, April 29, and 30, 1872. A full
report of the trial is given in the Monthly Record for June, 1872.

In this Case, Steele v. Brannan, Justices Keating, Brett,
and Groves were on the bench with the Chief Justice, Mr.
Samuel Kydd was for the appellant, and the Attorney
General for the respondent. Judgment was given without
reserve against Mr. Steele. In delivering judgment Chief
Justice Bovill said : " I entirely agree in the decision of
the Queen's Bench in the case of the ^ueen v. Hicklin,
and I think the present case falls quite within that deci-
sion." Justice Keating was of opinion that : ^<£ these
extracts, if correctly reported, do contain obscenity to an
extent from which the mind of every right-minded man
will absolutely revolt."

The Confessional Unmasked, it will have been observed, is
chiefly composed of extracts from the works of Dens, to
which were afterwards added specimens of the teaching of
LiGUORi. As the works of neither of these writers are other-
where noticed in the present volume, I propose to extract
a few passages from the pamphlet before me, adding the
translation and observations there given.

ON JUST CAUSES FOR PERMITTING MOTIONS OF SENSUALITY.

Hujusmodi justae cansae sunt auditio Just causes of this sort are, the
confession urn, lectio casuum consci- hearing of confessions, the reading of
entiae pro Confessarlo, servitium ne- cases of conscience drawn up for a

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                         95

cessarium vel utile praestitum infirmo. Confessor, necessary or useful attend-
ance on an invalid.

Justa causa faceré potest ut opus The effect of a just cause is such,
aliquod, ex quo motus oriuntur, non that anything from which motions
tantum licite inchoetur sed etiam arise may be not only lawfully begun,
licite continuetur : et ita Conf essari us but also lawfully continued : and so
ex auditione confessionis eos percipi- the Confessor receiving those motions
ens, non ideo ab auditione abstinere from the hearing of confessions,
debet, sed justam habet perseverando ought not on that account to abstain
rationem, modo tarnen ipsi motus illi from hearing them, but has a just
semper displiceant, nee inde oriatur cause for persevering, providing, how ·
proximum periculum consensus.— ever, that they always displease him,
Dens, torn. 1, pp. 299, 300.                   and there arise not therefrom the

proximate danger of consent.—Dens,
v. 1, pp. 299, 300.

Thus it appears to be a matter of course, that hearing confessions is a just
cause for entertaining sensual motions. Dens explains ^u sensual motions " to
be, ^ft sharp tingling sensations of sensual delight shooting through the body,
and exciting to corporeal pleasures."

Now, if a lady appears modest, the Confessor is instructed that " that
modesty of hers must be overcome, or else he is authorized to deny her abso-
lution." " Pudorem ilium superandum esse, et nolenti denegandam esse
absolutionern."-—De ia Hogue de pœn., p. 68.

Attendance upon invalids is also a just cause for sensual motions.- After
reading this, who would marry a woman who frequents the confessional ?
Think of allowing a wife or daughter to go alone to confession to such corrupt
sensualists, or of permitting such loathsome Priests to enter their sick cham-
ber, especially when they are recovering !

ON REFUSING OR DENYING MARRIAGE DUTY.

In omni peccato carnali circumstan-        In every carnal sin let the circum-

tia conjugii sit exprimenda* in con-     stance of marriage be expressed in

fessione.                                                confession.

An aliquando interrogandi suntco%        Are the married to be at any time

---

0,6                         THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

jugati in confessione circa negationem     asked in confession about denying the

debiti ?                                                   marriage duty ?

R. Affirmative : presertim mulieres,        Answer, Yes : particularly the

quae ex ignorantia vel prae pudore pec-    WOMEN, who, through ignorance or

catum istud quandoque reticent : ve-     modesty, are sometimes silent on that

rum non abrupto, sed prudenter est     sin j but the question is not to be put

interrogatio instituenda : v. g. an cum     abruptly, but to be framed prudently :

marito rixatae sint, quae hujusmodi     for instance, whether they have quar-

rixarum causa ; num propter talem     relied with their husbands—what was

occasionem maritis debitum negarint :     the cause of these quarrels—whether

quod si deliquisse fateantur, caste in-     they did upon such occasion deny

terrogari debent, an nihil secutum    their husbands the marriage duty ;

fuerit continenti« coniugali contrari-     but if they acknowledge they have

urn, v. g. pollutio, &c.—Dens, v. 7,     transgressed, they ought to be asked

p. 149.                                                   chastely whether anything followed

contrary to conjugal continence,
namely, pollution,* &c.—Dens, v.
7, p. 149.

Hinc uxor se accusans in confes-        Hence let the wife, accusing herself

sione quod negaverit debitum interro-     in confession of having denied the

getur, an maritus ex pieno rigore juris     marriage duty, be asked whether the

* The following is a tolerably minute description, considering that the
author was sworn to celibacy from early youth :—

Notâtur, quod pollutio in mulieribus It is remarked that women may be
quandoque possit perfìci, ita ut semen sometimes guilty of imperfect pollu-
earum non effluat extra membrana tion, even without a flow of their
genitalej indicium istius allegat Bil- semen to the outside of the genital
luart, si scillicet sentiat seminis reso- member (the passage) of which Bil-
lutionem cum magno voluptatis sensu, luart alleges a proof :—If, for instance,
qua completa passio satiatur.—Dens, the woman feels a loosening of the
torn. 4, p, 380.                                       semen, with a great sense of pleasure,

which being completed, her passion is
Satiated.—-Dens, v. 4, p. 380.

---

THE CONFESSÏONAL UNMASKED.                         97

sui id petiverit : idque colligetur ex eo, husband demanded it with the full
quod petiverit instanter, quod graviter rigour of his right ; and that shall be
fuerit offensus, quod aversionis vel inferred from his having demanded it
alia mala sint secuta, de quibus etiam instantly, from his having been grie-
se accusare debet, quia fuit eorum vously offended, or from aversion or
causa : contra si confiteatur rixas vel any other evils having followed, of
aversiones adversus maritum interro- which she ought also to accuse her-
gari potest -, an debitum negaverit ?— self, because she was the cause of
Dens, torn. 7, p. 150.                             them. On the other hand, if she

confess that there exist quarrels and
aversions between her and her hus-
band, she may be asked whether she
has denied the marriage duty.—Dens,
v. 7, p. 150.

In this manner the Confessor not only ferrets out the most secret acts of the
married, but also ascertains, whenever he chooses, what is the peculiar mettle
of the husband and disposition of the wife. Indeed, under direction of these
Priests, in case the husband is inclined to heresy, the wife is obliged to refuse

------as long as the husband is contumacious. But if she has "longings," she

is solicited to go to the Priest. We have two cases in point before our mind
while we write.—See Western Daily Mercury, Aug. 31, 1866.

ON THE CARNAL SINS WHICH MAN AND WIFE COMMIT WITH ONE
ANOTHER.

Certum est, conjuges inter se pee-        It is certain that man and wife

care posse, etiam graviter contra vir-     may sin grievously against the virtue

tutem castitatis, sive continenti«,     of chastity, or continence, with re-

ratione quarundam circumstantiarum :     gard to certain circumstances relating

in particular! autem definire, quae sunt     to the use of their bodies 5 but tb

mortales, quae solum veniales, perob-     define particularly what are mortal,

scürum est, nee eadem omnium sen-     what only venial, is a matter of very

tentiaj ut vel ideo solicite persuaden-     great difficulty; nor are all writers of

dum sit conjugatis, ut recordentur se    one opinion on the subject ¿ so that,

esse filios Sanctorum, quos decet in     even on that account the married
o

---

98                         THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

sanctitate conjugali filios procreare, ought to recollect that they are the
Quidam auctores circumstantias circa children of the saints, and should
actum conjugalem praecipue observan- therefore beget children in conjugal
das, exprimunt his versibus :—              sanctity. The circumstances which

" Sit modus, et finis, sine damno, are chiefly to be observed in the con-
solve, cohaere.                               jugal act, some authors express in the
Sit locus et tempus, tactus, nee following words :—■

spernito votum."                               [These investigations conducted by

Ergo debet servari modus, si ve situs, priests with married men and women
qui dupli citer invertito, imo. ut non are much too filthy for translation,
servetur debitum vas, sed copula ha- It is sufficient to say that we are told,
beatur in vase praepostero, vel quo- in another part of the same volume,
cumque alio non naturali : qúod sem- that the wicked wretch who invades
per mortale est spectans ad sodomiam his father's bed, and commits incest
minorem, seu imperfectam, idque with his step-mother, is not so guilty
tenendum contra quosdam laxistas, in the eyes of the Church as the man
sive copula ibi consummetur, si ve who circulates the Bible. The latter
tantum incohetur consummanda in ^ct is excommunicated with an excom-
vase naturali.                                         munication reserved to the Supreme

Pontiff j whilst the offence of the
former does not constitute even a
reserved case. —^te Incestus privigni
cum noverca non reservatur. (Vol.
6 p. 287.) Nothing is so " atrocious "
as Protestantism—neither incest nor
sodomy. What say our Judges and
Magistrates to this ?]

Modus sive situs invertitur, ut ser- Manner or posture is inverted,
vetur debitum vas ad copulam a natura though the connection takes place in
ordì natu ra, ν. g. si fìat accedendo a the vessel appointed by nature for
praepostero, a latere, stando, sedendo, that purpose ; for instance, if it be
vel si vir sit succubus. Modus is done from behind, or when the parties
mortalis est, si inde suboriatur pericu- are on their sides, or standing, or
lum pollutionis respectu alterius, sive sitting, or when the husband lies
quando pericu lum est, ne semen per- underneath. This method of doing

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                        99

datur, prout saepe accidit, dum actus it is a mortal sin, if there should there-
exercetur stando, sedendo, aut viro from arise to either party a. danger of
succumbente -, si absit et sufficienter pollution, or of losing the seed, a
praecaveatur istud periculum, ex com- thing which often happens* when
muni sententiâ id non est mortale : the act is performed standing, or sit-
est autem veniale ex gravioribus, cum ting, or the husband lying under-
sit inversi o ordinis naturae ; estque neathj but if that danger be suffi-
generatim modus ille sine causa tali- ciently guarded against, it is not, in
ter coeundi graviter a Confessariis the common opinion of Divines, a
reprehendendus : si tarnen ob justam mortal sin ; yet it is one of the
rationem situm naturalem conjuges weightier sort of venial sins, since it
immutent, secludaturque dictum peri- is an inversion of the order of nature ;
culum, nullum est peccatum, ut die- and in general, that method of thus
turn est in numero 48.                           coming to coition must, when with-

out sufficient cause, be severely cen-
sured by the Confessors. If, however,
man and wife, for some just reason,
change the natural posture, and if the
aforesaid danger (of losing the seed)
be avoided, there will be no sin, as
has been said in number 48.

Minuitur periculum perdendi se- The danger of losing the seed is
men, si verum sit,quod dicunt Sanchez, lessened, if that be true, which is said
Billuart, et Preinguez, scilicet quod in by Sanchez and others, to wit, that
matrice sit naturalis vis attractiva the womb has a natural power of
seminis, ut in stomacho respectu cibi, attraction with respect to the seed, as

the stomach has with respect tò meat.

Debet finis esse legitimus; de quo The "end" ought to be legi-
et quomodo ratione finis peccari pos- tímate ; concerning which, and
sit, dictum est Num. 51 et sequent!« in what manner the parties may
bus.                                                       commit sin with regard to the end,

* Often happens ! How do these purient "Divines " know ?

---

100                       THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

we have treated in No. ¿i, and those
following it.

Per particulam "sine damno " im- The words "without loss" import
portatur cavendum esse damnum turn that care must be taken that no in-
prolis conceptee et concipiendae, turn jury be done to an offspring already
ipsorum congredientium, de quibus conceived, or about to be conceived,
egimus Num. 47.                                   or to the parties themselves meeting

in the act of coition, concerning
which we have treated in No. 47.

Verbum " solve " importât obliga- The word " pay " imports the ne-
tionem solvendi sive reddendi debitum cessity of paying the debt when iegi-
legitime petitum, de qua obligatione timately asked, concerning which we
diximus Num. 46 et sequentibus.           have treated in No. 46, and those fol-

lowing it.

Per verbum "cohaere" intelligitur By the word "cohere'.' is under-
cohaerentia usque ad perfectam copu- stood the necessity of coherence (or
lam, seu seminationem perfectam, ita sticking close) till the act of copula-
ut per se mortale sit, inchoatam, copu- tion is perfected, or until the parties
lam abrumpere.—Dens, torn. 7, pp. spend completely ; so that it is of it-
166-7.                                                    ^se^ ^a mortal sin abruptly to break off

when copulation has been once be-
gun.—Dens, vol. 7, p. 166-7.

Our bachelor Saint now expatiates upon various delicate matters.

VI. Si fìat modo indebito, verbi        If it (copulation) takes place in an

gratia—1. Si non servetur vas naturale :     improper manner -, as, for example*—

quod multi docent esse veram sodo-     ist, if the natural vessel be not kept,

miam, alii esse grave peccatum contra     which many teach to be real sodomy 5

naturam. Vide 6 praeceptum.—2.     others that it is a real sin against na-

Si sine justa causa situs sit innatura-     ture. See 6th com. 2ndly, if with-

lis, praaposterus, etc. quod aliqui dicunt     out just cause the position be un-

esse mortale, alii, secluso perieulo effu-     natural, from behind, &c._? which some

sionis seminis, veniale tantum, etsi     maintain to be mortal sin j others»

grave, et graviter increpandum, Dian.     danger of spilling seed being avoided,

pte. 3, t. 4, res. 204. 3. Si alter con-     that it is only a venial sin, although

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                       ΙΟΙ

jugum ex morositate, vel alia ratione     grievous and severely to be repre-

seminationem cohibeat quod quídam    hended. Dian, &c. 3. If one of the

generatim dicunt esse mortale, quia    married parties, either from sulkiness

finis actus conjugalis, scilicet genera-     or other reason, refrain from spend-

tio, impeditur ; quidam tarnen, ut     ing, which some generally maintain to

Propositi et Sanchez dicunt in femina     be mortal sin, because the end of the

nullum esse. Vid. Bonac. p. 6, n. 15     conjugal act, viz., generation, is im-

et p. j.—Lig_t t. 6, n. 915.                      peded ¡ some, however, with Sanchez,

say it is no sin in the female.—Lig.
vol. 6, n. 915.

Quseritur I. An peccet mortaliter        It is asked, ist, does a man sin

vir inchoando copulam in vase prae-     mortally by commencing the act of

postero, ut postea in vase debito, earn     copulation in the hinder vessel, that

consummet. Negant Navarr. 1. 5.     he may afterwards finish it in the

Consil, de Pœnit. cons. 7, ac Angel,    proper vessel ? This is denied by

Zerola, Graff. Zenard et Gambac.     Navarr., &c, provided there be no

apud Dian, p. 2, tract 17, r. tf, modo     danger of pollution 5 because other-

absit periculum pollutionis j quia alias,     wise, as they say, all touches, even

ut ahmt, omnes tactus etiam venerei     venereal, are not grievously illicit

non sunt graviter illiciti inter conju-     among married persons. But it is

gatos. Sed comm. et verius affirmant     commonly and more truly affirmed

Sanchez, 1. 1, d. 17, num. 5, Pont     by Sanchez, &c. The reason is, be-

lib. 10, c. 11. n. 3, Pal. ρ 4 § a. n. 6.     cause the very act of copulation after

Bonac. p. 11, n. 12. Spor. n. 497.     this manner (even without spending)

Ratio, quia ipse hujosmodi coitus (etsi     is real sodomy, although not consum-

absque seminatione) est vera sodomia,     mated, just as copulation itself in the

quamvis non consummata, sicut ipsa     natural vessel of a strange woman is

copula in vase naturali mulieris alienae     real fornication, though there may be

est vera fornicado, licet non adsit     no spending.—Lig, vol 6", η. 916.
semi nati o. An autem sit mortale viro

perfrìcare virilia circa vas prœpos-         [This loathsome nastiness we leave

terumuxoris? Negant Sanchez num.     in Latin for the special edification of

5, et Boss. n. 175, cum Fill, et Perez,     those learned and virtuous personages,

quia tangere os vasis prseposteri non     who do not believe that such filthy

est ordinatimi ad copulam sodomiti-     talk can take place, and who, in ig-

---

102                       THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

cam. Sed veri us pari ter affirmant     norance, we trust, persecute us for

Pontins loco citato, Pal. n. 6. Atque    endeavouring to warn Society against

Tambur, η. 32. (qui testatur ex ali-     the baneful influence of such lewd

quibus codicibus sententiam Thomae    conversation between lustful priests,

Sanch. esse deletam ; imo Moyas     and the wives and daughters of honest

asserii ipsum Sanchez se retractasse     men. Lord Chief Justice Cockburn

in editione Antuerpiensi anno 1614.)     declared in the open court he did not

Ratio est, qui saltern talis tactus non     believe in su-ch things. A strange

potest moraliter fieri sine affectu sodo-     foregone conclusion for an English

mitico. Lig. torn. 6, η. 916.                 judge. " J don't believe the accused

did the deed," rather suits the courts
of Spain or Portugal.]

Queerit. II. An et quomodo pec-         [This also we leave in the Latin of

cent conjuges coeundo situ innaturali.     ** Holy Church." It is a repetition of

Situs naturalis est, ut mulier sit suc-     the same nasty talk between the priest

cuba, et vir incubus ; hie enim modus     and the first Lady in the land, whose

aptior est effusioni seminis virilis, et    husband or parents will allow a young

reception! in vas femineum ad prolem     wifeless confessor such access to her.

procreandam. Situs autem innaturalis     In England, these things are talked of

est, si coitus aliter fìat, nempe sedendo,     in ladies' chambers, and if the hus-

stando, de latere, vel prepostere more     band know the priest is there, by his

pecudum, vel si vir sit succubus, et     shoes being left against the door, it is

mulier incuba. Coitum hunc, prater    presumed bad manners for him to in-

situm naturalem, alii apud Sanchez,    trude. Once let Roman Catholics

1. 9, d. 16, num. 2 generice damnant     submit to this indignity, and they are

de mortali ¿ alii vero dicunt esse mor-     completely at the mercy of their priest

tale últimos duos modos, dicentes ab     ever afterwards.]
his ipsam naturam abhorrere. Sed
cornmuniter dicunt alii omnes istos
modos non excederé culpam veni-
alexn. Ratio, quia ex unâ parte, licet
adsit aliqua inordina tío, ipsa tarnen

non est tanta, ut per tingat ad mortale,        Note.—in the early editions of

cum solum versetur circa accidentalia     The Confessional Unmasked, notably in

copulae ¡ ex alia parte, mutatio situs     that first mentioned at p. 19 ante, the

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                         IO3

generationem non impedit, cam semen     foregoing passages are fully translated,

viri non recipiatur in matricem muli-     I have thought it more interesting to

eris per infusionem, seu descensum,     reproduce instead the editorial re-

sed per attractionem, dum matrix ex     marks which occur in the later issues.
se naturaliter virile semen attrahit.
Ita. S. Anton, 3 ρ, tit 2, c. 2. § 3. in
fine, cum Alb. M. Nav. c. 16, n. 42.
Pont. 1. io, ci i, num. 1. Petrocor,
t. 4, p, 445, v. Tertius casus, Salam. c.
15. n. 73. Boss. c. 7, n. 68. Hol. n.
458. Sporer, η. 493· Rone. p. 184,
q. 4, &c—Lig. t. 6, η. 917.

TOUCHES, LOOKS, AND FILTHY WORDS.

We now give a few extracts on the above subjects, which the ingenuity of
very fiends could not surpass. Yet it is for this nasty teaching that Maynooth

College receives a Parliamentary Grant of ¿"30,000 a year. We hope the days
of that iniquitous grant are numbered.

Quaeres an, et quando líceant tac-        You will ask, whether, and at

tus, aspectus, et verba turpia inter     what times, touches, looks, and lewd

con juges.                                               words are permitted among married

persons.

R. Tales actus per se iis iicent :        Ans. Such acts are in themselves

quia cui licitus est finis, etiam Iicent     lawful to them, because, to whom the

media j et cui licet consummatio,     end is lawful, the means are also law-

etiam licet inchoatio. Unde licite     fui ; and to whom the consummation

talibus naturam excitant ad copulara,     is lawful, so also is the beginning :

Quod si vero separating et sine ordine     consequently, they lawfully excite

ad copulam, v. g. voluptatis causa    nature to copulation by such acts.

tantum fiant ; sont venialia peccata,    But, if these acts are performed sepa-

€0 quod ratione status, quia illos actus     rately and without order to copilla-

cohonestat, habeant jus ad illos : nisi     tion, as, for example, for the purpose

tarnen, ut sspe conti ngit, sint eoe-     of pleasure alone, they are venial sins,

---

104                      ^THE CONFESSIONAL ÜNMASKED.

juncti cum periculo pollationis j aut because, in respect of the state which
conjuges habeant votum castitatis, renders those acts honourable, they
tune enim sunt mortalia, ut dictum have a right to them -_y unless, however,
supra 1, 3. t. 4. c. 2. d, 4. Dian. p. 3. as often happens, they are joined with
t. 4. r. 204, et 216.—Lig* t. 6, η. 932. danger of pollution, or the married

parties have a vow of chastity, for in
that case they are mortal sins, as has
been said above.—Lig. vol. 6, n. 932.

Unde Resolves.                               Whence it will be resolved.

l_t—Conjux venialiter tantum pec-        I.—A husband commits only venial

cat—1. Tangendo seipsum ex volup-    sin—ist. By touching himself from

tate, et tactum non ita expresse refer*     pleasure, and by not referring the

endo ad copulam, ut contra Vasquez    touch so expressly to copulation, as

et alios probabiliter docet Sanch. 1. 9.     Sanchez more probably teaches, inop-

d. 44. 2. Oblectando se veneree sine     position to Vasquez and others.

periculo pollutionis de actu conjugali     2ndly, In pleasing himself venereaily

cogitato, dum abest compars, vel     without danger of pollution, in think-

actus exerceri non potest. Fill. Lay·     ing of the conjugal act, whilst the

mann. Tann. Haider cum Dian. p. 3.    partner is absent, or the act itself can-

t. 4. res. 224. contra Nav. Azor. etc.       not be exercised.

II.—1. Peccat graviter vidua, quae        II.—ist. A widow sins grievously

se veneree oblectat de copula olim     when she derives venereal pleasure

habita ; quia est illi illicita per statura,     from amorous reminiscences, because

2. Bigamus, qui in actu conjugali,     such is unlawful to her, in conse-

cum secundo exercito, représentât     quence of her state. 2ndly. Also a

sib i priorem, et de ea earn aliter delec-    person married a second time, who,

tatur, quia est permixtio cum aliena,    during the conjugal act, had with the

Laym. 1. 1. t. 9. n. 3.                             second wife, represents to himself the

first, and derives carnal pleasure there-
by, because it ís permixture with
another woman.

Quserit ÏI. quid, si conjuges ex his        It is asked—JL, If married persons*

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                       IO5

turpibus actibus prsevideant pollutio-     from these filthy acts, foresee pollution

nem secuturam in se vel in altero,     about to follow, either in themselves

Plures adsunt sententi«. Prima sen-    or their companion ? There exist

tentia, quam tenent Sanch. lib. 9. d.     many opinions. The first opinion,

45. ex n. 34. fill, tract. 3. c. 9. n.     which is maintained by Sanchez, ex-

356. Viva q. 7. art. 4. η 4. Escob.    empts that from all sin, even in the

1. 26. n. 207. Elb. n. 393. cum He-    person demanding, if pollution be not

rinex, et Spor. n. 500. id excusât ab    intended, and there be no danger of

omni culpa etiam in petente, si pollu-    consenting to it, and provided the

tio non intendatur, nee adsit periculum    touches be not so lewd that they ought

consensus in earn, et modo tactus non    to be considered as begun pollution

sit adeo turpis, ut judicetur inchoata     (such as would be to move the fin-

pollutio (prout esset digitum morose    ger morosely within the female vessel);

admovere intra vas femineum) -, ac     and besides there might be some grave

praeterea adsit aliqua gravis causa    cause of applying such touches, viz.,

talem tactum adhibendi, nempe ad se    for the purpose of preparing one's self

praeparandum ad copulam, vel ad    for copulation, or for promoting mu-

fovendum mutuum amorem. Ratio,     tual love. The reason is, because in

quia tune justa illa causa tales actus    that case the just cause renders such

cohonestat, qui alioquin non sunt    acts honourable, which are not other-

illiciti inter conjuges ; et si pollutio     wise unlawful among married persons,

obvenit, hoc erit per accidens. Dici-    and if pollution ensues, this will be

tur si adsit gravis causa j nam, si non     by accident. It is said, if there be

adsit, praedicti actus non excusantur    grape cause for it ; if there be not, the

a mortali. Secunda sententia, quam    fore-mentioned acts are not excused

tenent Pal. p. 4. § 2. n. 2. Boss. cap.     from mortal sin. The second opinion,

7. n. 213. et Salm. cap. 15. num. 86.     maintained by Pal. &c, distinguishes

cum Soto, Caject. Dec. Hurt. Aversa,     and affirms, that unchaste toyings are

et communi ut assero at, distinguit et     a mortal sin, if pollution is foreseen

dicit esse mortalia tactus impúdicos,    to proceed from them, because since

si prasvideatur pollutio ex eis proven-    these proximately lead to pollution,

tura ; quia, cum hi proxime influant     and are not of themselves instituted

ad pollutionem, et non sint per se     to promote conjugal affection, they

instituti ad fovendnm affectum con-     are considered voluntary in effect j

jugalem, censentur voluntara in causa :     otherwise if they are chaste, such as

Ρ

---

Ιθ6                      THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

secus, si sint pudici, ut oscula et am-    kisses and embraces, because such

plexus, quia actus isti per se inter    acts are of themselves lawful among

conjuges sunt liciti, cum per se apti    married parties, since they are natur-

sint ad fovendum conjugalem amorem.    ally calculated to cherish conjugal

Tertia sententia, quam tenet Diana,    love. The third opinion, maintained

p. 6, tr. 7. r. 6ζ. cum Praepos. et    by Dian. &c, affirms that touches,

Vili, dicit tactus tam impúdicos quam    both the unchaste and the chaste, are

púdicos esse mortalia, si praevideatur    mortal sin, if danger of pollution be

periculum pollutionis. Ratio, quia    foreseen. The reason is, because

ideo tactus licent inter conjuges, in    touches are therefore lawful among

quantum quaeruntur intra limites ma-    married people, in so far as they are

trimonii, in quantum nihil sequitur    sought within the limits of matri-

repuguans fini et institutioni seminis :     mony, or in so far as nothing follows

cum au tern praevidetur seminis dis-    repugnant to the end and the institu-

persio, licet non intendatur, quales-    tion of seed ; but when the dispersion

cumque tactus sunt illiciti.                      of seed is foreseen, although not in-
tended, touches of whatsoever nature
are unlawful.

An autem sit semper mortale, si        But is it always a mortal sin, if the

vir immittat pudenda in os uχ ori s ?         husband introduces his — into the

mouth of his wife ì

Negant Sanch. lib. 9. 17. n. 5. et        It is denied by Sanchez and others,

Boss. cap. 7. n. 175. et 193. cum     provided there be no danger of pollu-

Fill. ac Perez, modo absit periculum     tion. But it is more truly affirmed by

pollutionis. Sed verius affirmant     Spor. de Matrim. and others, both be-

Spor. de Matrim. n. 498. Tamb. lib.     cause in this case, owing to the

7· c. 3. § 5. n. $3. et Diana p. 6. tract    heat of the mouth, there is proxi-

7. r. 7. cum Fagund. turn quia in hoc     mate danger of pollution, and be-

actu ob calorem oris adest proximum     cause this appears of itself a new

periculum pollutionis, turn quia haec    species of luxury, repugnant to na-

per se videtur nova species luxuriae    ture (called by some* irrumati&n)_f

contra naturam (dicta ab aliquibus     for as often as another vessel than the

irrumaiio) : semper enim ac quaeritur     natural vessel ordained for copulation,

a viro aliud vas, piaster vas naturale     is sought by the man, it seems a new

ad copulara institutum, videtur nova     species of luxury. However, Spor.

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                       IO7

species luxuriae. Excipit tamen     and others make an exception, if that
Sporer i.e. cum. Fill, et Marchant,     be done casually j and in truth, San-
si id obiter fiat j et hoc revera sentire    chez seems to be of this opinion,
videtur etiana Sanch. dum excusât    whilst he excuses that act from mortal
actum ilium a mortali., si cesset omne    sin, should all danger of pollution
periculum pollutionis. Excipit etiam    cease. Pal., also, makes an excep-
Pal. p. 4. § 2. num. 6. si vir hoc    tion, "if the husband does this to
faeeret, ut se excìtet ad copulam na-    excite himself for natural copulation."
turalem. Sed ex praedictis neutrum    But, from what has been said before,
admittendum puto. Eodem autem     I think neither ought to be admitted,
modo Sanchez loc. eit. n. 32 in fin.     In the same manner, Sanchez con-
damnât virum de mortali, qui in actu    demns a man of mortal sin, who, in
copulae immiteret digitum in vas prae-    the act of copulation, introduces his
posterum uxoris, quia (ut ait) in hoc    finger into the hinder vessel of the
actu adest affectus ad sodomiam.     wife, because (he says) in this act
Ego autem censeo posse quidem re-    there is a disposition to sodomy,
periri talem effectum in actu j sed per    But I am of opinion that such effect
per se loquendo hunc effectum non    may be found in the act 5 but, speak-
agnosco in tali actu insitum. Ceter-    ing of itself, I do not acknow-
um, graviter semper increpandos dico     ledge this effect natural in the act.
conjuges hujusmodi fœdum actum ex-    But I say that husbands practising a
ercentes.—Lig. torn. 6. n. 93$.               foul act of this nature, ought always

to be severely rebuked.—Lig. vol. 6,

*· 935-

Quaer. IV. An sit mortalis delecta-        It is asked, Does morose gratifica-
do morosa in conjuge de copula habita     tion in a married party, respecting
vel habenda, quae tamen non possit    copulation had or to be had which yet
haben de praesenti, Adsunt tres sen-     cannot be had for the present, amount
tentiae. Prima sententia affirmât ; et     to mortai sin ?—There are three
hanc tenent Pont. lib. 10, c. i6, n. 21,    opinions. The first opinion affirms
Wigandt. tr. 4.» n. 59, Sylv. ac Vega,    it; and this is maintained by Pont.
Rodriq. et Die. apud Salm. c. ij, n.     &c, who call it probable mortal sin.
88. qui probabilem vocant. Ratio,     The reason is, because such gratifica-
quia talis delectatio est quasi inchoata    tion is, as it were, begun pollution,
pollutio, quae, cum eo tempore non     for since it cannot be had at that

---

Ιθ8                       THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.

possit haberi modo debito, omnino fit    time in a lawful manner, it is alto-

illicita. Secunda vero sententia com-    gether illicit. But the second opinion,

munior negat ; eamque tenent Pont,     more common, denies this j and this

p. 4, q. 8, n. 12. Spor. n. 505. Croix     opinion is maintained by Pont, &c.

n. 337» cum Suar, et Sanchez, 1. 9, d.    This opinion says that such gratifica-

44. n. 3, cum S. Anton. Palud Cajet,     tion is not a mortal sin, if there be no

Viguer. et communi, ut asserit, utque     danger of pollution, but it is only a

fatetur etiam. Pontius, item Conick.,    venial sin. It is venial, because it

&c, qui etiam probabilem putant.    wants the due end, since it cannot be

Haec sententia dicit talem delectatio-    ordained for present copulation. But

nem non esse mortalem, si absit peri-     it is not mortal sin, since gratification

culum pollutionis, sed tantum venia-     derives its good or bad qualities from

lem. Est venialis, quia ipsa caret    the object; and since copulation is

debito fine, cum non possit ordinari    lawful for married persons, its gratifi-

ad copulam praesentem. Non est    cation cannot be grievously unlawful

autem mortalis, quia delectatio sumit    to them. And this is expressly fa-

suam bonitatem vel malitiam ab ob-    voured by what St. Thomas says,—

jecto j et cum copula sit licita con-    ** As carnal intercourse is not a mortal

jugatis, non potest esse eis graviter    sin to a married person, the consent

illicita ilüus delectatio. Et huic ex-    to gratification cannot be a greater sin

presse fa vet id quod ait D. Thom. de    than the consent to the act.'* And

Malo, q. 15, art. 2, ad. 17,ubi: Sicut    this is admitted by Spor. although the

carnalis commixtio non est peccatum     venereal gratification arising from the

mortale Conjugàto, non potest esse    moving of the passions be bad.

gravius peccatum consensus in delec-    Lastly, the third opinion, maintained

tationem, quam consenus in actum.    by Salm. distinguishes and says, that

Idque admittit Spor. etiamsi babeatur    if the gratification be without moving

delectatio venerea orta ex commotiohe    of the passions, it will not be mortal

spiritnum. Tertia demum sententia,    —otherwise, if accompanied by the

quam tenent Salm. d. c. 15, n. 90,    moving and titillation of the parts.

di stingilit et dicit, quod, si delectatio     I will proffer my own opinion : If the

sit absque commotione spirituum non    gratification be had not only with the

ent mortalis 5 secus, si cum comino-    moving of the passions, but also with

tione et titillatione partium. Ego    titillation, or venereal pleasure, I am

meum judicium proferam. Si delec-    of opinion that that cannot be excused

---

THE CONFESSIONAL UNMASKED.                         IOÇ

tatio habeatur non solum cum com-     from mortal sin, because such gratifi-

motione spirituum, sed etiam cum     cation is proximately allied to danger

titillatione sen voluptate venerea,     of pollution. I think that the contrary

sentio cum Cone. p. 408, n. 10,     should be said, if it be not attended

(contra Sporer ut supra) earn non     with that voluptuous titillation, because

posse excusan a mortali, quia talis    then danger of pollution is not proxi-

delectatio est proxime conjuncta cum     mately annexed to the gratification,

periculo pollutionis. Secus vero puto     although it may be attended with the

dicendum, si absit illa voluptuosa     moving of the passions j and so, in

titillatio, quia tune non est delecta-    truth, think Sanchez, &c, since there

tioni proxime adnexum perieulùm poi-    he does not excuse the gratification

lutionis, etiamsi adsit commotio spiri-    with venereal pleasure, but only, as

tuum 5 et sic reverá sentit Sanchez, 1.    he says, with the excitement and

c. n. 4, cum Vasque, cum ibi non     moving of the parts without danger

excuset delectationem cum voluptate     of pollution. But since such moving

venerea, sed tantum, ut ait, cum com-     is nearly allied to that voluptuous

motione et alteratione partium absque     titillation, therefore married couples

pollutionis periculo. At quia talis    are to be especially exhorted to abstain

commotio propinqua est Uli titillationi     from morose gratification of this na-

voluptuosae, ideo maxime hortandi    ture. It is also to be observed that this

sunt conjuges, ut abstineant ab hujus-     is altogether illicit in a husband, who

modi delectatione morosa. Item ad-     is bound by a vow of chastity, as is

vertendum earn esse omnio illicitam    commonly said by Sanchez and others,

in con juge, qui esset obstrictus voto    —Lig, ν. 6, η. 937·
castitatis, ut dicunt communiter San-
chez, d. d. 44, n. 26, et Boss. e. 7, n.
201, cum Vasq. Fill, el aliis.—Lig,
t. 6, η. 937-

Petrus Dens was born at Boom near Antwerp, September
1 a, 1690, and died 1.5 February, 1775, at Mechlin, in the
cathedral and college of which city he held office. His life
appears to have been chaste, laborious, and uneventful.*

* fetologi* Canftut Complttttö, vol. 7, p. 1582.

---

HO                            NOTICE OP PETRUS DENS.

Although generally left unnoticed by both biographers and
bibliographers, his works, concerning which there has been
much controversy, are authoritative, and have been used as
the ground work for the text books of Maynooth College.
The most complete edition is : CfceOlOffta JWoraító et Μθ$*
XtliitiCà Reverendi et Eruditissimi Domini Petri Dens, &c.
Editto Nova, et jihsolutissima, &c. Dublini : Ex Typ.
Richardi Coyne, &c. mdcccxxxii. i2mo. (counts 6),
8 vols. There is also an edition of Mechlin, 1828, 7 vols.

Alphonsus Maria di Liguori was born at Naples, Sep-
tember 26, 1696, and died at Nocera-de'-Pagani, August 1,
1787. Educated for the bar, he practised that calling for
some time at Naples, but quitted it for the church, and
was ordained August 31, 1722. He founded a society of
missionaries, and became a bishop. In 1816 he was canon-
ized. His life was one of great purity.* His numerous
works will be found noticed by the leading biographers.-f-
In his iïlannri fces» COttfeSiöeursi, Mgr Gaume has embodied
Liguori's Pratique des Confesseurs^ and added a brief but
eulogistic sketch of his career. On the other hand, M. Fred.
Busch, basing his observations upon the Compendium tkeo-
¡ogiœ morali s, &c. ex Β. Liguori o excerpsit J. P. Moullet,

* 33tograpf)te llïnflitrftÏÏ*, (Michaud), vol. 24, p» 533.

t &a ¿fPrance Etttiratre, vol. 5, p. 3085 JHamitlttu ftiftrairt, vol. 3, col. 1078.

---

NOTICE OF A. M. DI LIGUORI.                        Ill

&c. Frihurgi &c. 1834, has, in his BfrOUbttttö ìl'tltt 35(6*
ItopÖflt, pointed out many of the immoral and obscene
points in Liguori's teaching. M. Busch submits to the
judgment of his readers : " si des livres importés de l'étranger
et renfermant une confusion perpétuelle de toutes les notions
du bien et du mal, du juste et de l'injuste, enseignant des
principles subversifs, infâmes, peuvent s'appeler des Traita
de morale ; si des livres, encore plus coupables que ceux
que nos anciens parlements faisaient brûler par la main du
bourreau, doivent continuer à corrompre l'élite de notre
jeunesse, et si les hommes qui cherchent à les propager ou
à les soutenir, méritent le nom de chrétiens."

I cannot conclude this notice with more appropriate words
than the following of M. Libri :* " A quoi bon tous ces cas,
toutes ces distinctions subtiles, sinon à former des demi-hon-
nêtes gens ? Sont-ils donc si rares aujourd'hui ? Pourquoi
examiner si curieusement les excès de la dépravation ? Croit-
on que les jeunes gens auxquels on enseigne ces choses seront
tous à l'abri de la tentation, et ne sait-on pas que pour certaines
matières la meilleure manière d'éviter,, c'est d'ignorer ? "

* Eettre* ¿ur h Clwgi, p. 102.

---

HáAagtm&ep tú Çoperp* Containing
I. A Discovery of the most Secret Practices
of the Secular, and Regular Romish Priests in
their Auricular Confession.

II.    A true Copy of the Pope's yearly Bull of Indul-
gencies and Pardon of Sins, to all those that serve in the
War against the Enemies of the Romish Religion. The
Explanation of the Bull, with some Remarks upon it.

III.    An Account of their Masses, privilegi Altars,
Transubstantiation, and Purgatory, and of the Means,
the Priests make use of, to delude the People.

IV.    Of Inquisitors, and their Practices in several Instances.

V.    Of their Prayers, Adoration of Images, and Relicks.
Written by D. Antonio Gavin, bom and educated in
Spain, some Years secular Priest in the Church of
Rome, and since 1715, Minister of the Church of
England, Dublin: Printed by George Grierson, at
the Two Bibles, in Bssex-StreeL 1724.

8vo. (counts 4) ; pp. xxiii of title, dedication and preface,
vii names of subscribers, and §66. This is the original
edition, not generally mentioned by the bibliographers.

---

A MASTER-KEY TO POPERY.                          II3

The work was reissued in 3 vols, I2mo. : The Second
Edition, carefully corrected from the Errors of the First, with
large Additions. London : Printed for J. Stephens, &c. :
vol. 1. 1725, In Five Parts, title and contents virtually
the same as the first edition which heads this notice, pp.
xii of Preface, 259, with 4 unnumbered of Proposals For
printing by Subscription, and Dedication to the Princess of
Wales; vol. 2. 1726, In Two Parts, contains: I. The
Lives and Transactions of several Bishops of Rome, their
Doctrine and Authority, II. The Lives and abominable In-
trigues of several Priests and Fryers of the Church of Rome.
pp. 8 unnumbered of Dedication to Lord Carter et, and To
the Reader, 4 of Summary of the Bishops of Rome contained
in this Treatise, and 297, with a list of books sold by
J. Stephens, and errata ; Vol. 3, mdccxxvi, contains : I.
The Damages which the Mass causeth, &c. II. A Cata-
logue of Miracles wrought by the Consecrated Wafer. III.
The Miracles of many living Persons. IV. The Revelations
of three Nuns. V. The Life of the good Primate, and Metro-
politan of Aragon, &c. omitted in the Second Volume, pp.
viii of title, Dedication to the Archbishop of Armagh, and To
the Reader, and 244.

The Dublin edition, or the first volume only of the
London edition, has been published in an abridged form
η America.*

* Together with another work as follows : C$e i&vättmä of {taper»
α

---

114                       ^A MASTER-KEY TO POPERY.

The work has been translated into French by FR.-M1CH.
Janiçon as: ^EOÔ^partOUt Òt Vfffiiät VÙXdZÌnt, ou histoire
des tromperies des prêtres et des moines en Espagne, traduit
de Γ anglais. Londres, 1726. in-12, 3 vols.-f· From the
French it has been rendered into Dutch : ^tótOVÍt ÖÄtt Öt

äSrtriegerpen öer Criesforö, m ffîonnikm ín Apanfttu

Door Antony Gavin, Voorheenen Wereltlyke Priester van de
Roomsche Kerk te Saragosse, en t'zedert het yaar 1715. Pre-
dikant van de Engelsche Kerk. Uyt het Frans vertaalt door

©ίπδπΐίίί, in the Unparalleled Sufferings of John Coustos, at the Inquisition
qf Lisbon. To which is added, The Origin of the Inquisition, and its Establish'
ment in Various Countries ; and the 0i&âUv ïUg to fìoperg. By Anthony
Gavin. One of the Roman Catholic Prksts of Saragossa. The whole con-
cluded with a Chronological Sketch of the Lives of the Popes. Hartford:
Printed for the Publisher. W. S. Marsh .... Printer. 1820. 12mo.
(counts 6) 5 pp. 300 in all ; 5 engravings to illustrate the sufferings of Cous tos,
representing his arrest, and the tortures he underwent in the inquisition.
The narrative of Coustos gives a harrowing, and apparently a truthful picture
of the cruelties of the inquisition, but possesses no special feature of interest
which might warrant its being more fully noticed in the present work. The
original edition is of London, 1746, 8vo., with portrait. See Lowndes's
33íMúigrapf)er*¿ ÍEanual, and Allibone's Crtt. Sic.

f. üíc. itt# m&ttta coirtammtá au fen, vol. 2, p. 219 ; Ea ^France littcrat«,
vol. 4, 204. Brunet gives 1728, the date probably of one of the vols., the 3
vols, not being all issued in the same year, see Jöanuel tin Mírate, vol. 2,
col. 1510. Quérard has erroneously confounded the work of Gavin with that
of Emiliane, see Ea ¿ftmct Etttítaí«, vol. 3, p. 294, and JManuel Hit Ifibtatrt,
vol. 2, col. 968.

---

A MSSTER-KEY TO POPERY.                          II5

J. Schoolhouder. Te Amsterdam. By Abraham Strander,
Boekverkoper in de Beurstraat. 1732.* Small 8vo. ; 3 vols;
title pages in red and black, with fleurons, but all three
different; pp. vol. 1, 30 unnumbered and 418, vol. 2, 24
unnumbered and 454, vol. 3, 16 unnumbered and 454, in
all ; 23 (?) well executed engravings, 4 each in the first
and second, and 3 (?) in the third volume.

The Master-Key to Popery is in every respect a remark-
able work, and thoroughly entertaining to one not specially
interested in the subject. It is full of anecdotes and curious
information concerning the church of Rome, for the most
part from personal knowledge, and is on this account the
more valuable. Many details are given about the Inquisi-
tion, and a few trials are narrated. The prisons of that
institution at Aragon were, in 1706, thrown open by De
Legal during the occupation of the country by the French,
under the Duke of Orleans,-^ when " the Wickednesses of

* The dates of the respective vols, in the set before me (the only one i
have seen) are : vol. 1, 1732, vol. 2, 1734, vol. 3, 1728 j but they must belong
to different edits., and the first vol. at least was no doubt originally issued in
1726, the translator's dedication in that vol. being dated Sept. 30, 1726, and
that in the second vol., May 28, 1727.

f See note of Prosper Marchand in his Ütc. fltátorícut, vol. 2, p. 279,
cit. 48.

---

Il6                          A MASTER-KEY TO POPERY.

the Inquisitors were detected, for four hundred Prisoners got
Liberty that Day, and among them sixty young Women
were found very well drest, who were in all human Appear-
ance, the number of the three Inquisitors Seraglio, as some
of them did own afterwards." One of these women passed
into France with the officer who had taken charge of her,
and Gavin, meeting her afterwards at Rotchfort, learned from
her lips the tale of her seduction by one of the inquisitors,
and the account of the internal arrangements of the estab-
lishment. The narrative is a remarkable one, but too lengthy
to be given here. The seraglio of the holy fathers varied in
numbers, from fifty to seventy girls. " We lose every Year
six or eight, but we do not know where they are sent ; but
at the same Time we get new ones. All our continual Torment
is to think, and with great Reason, that when the holy
Fathers are tir'd of one, they put her to Death ; for they
never will run the Hazard of being discovered in these
Misdemeanours, by sending out of the House any of our
Companions." (VoL i, p. 204). After reading such facts,
the orgies and cruelties in consecrated places introduced into
his fictions by the Marquis de Sade appear no longer in-
credible.

In accordance with my system I will add a few extracts.
In the first the evil consequences of the Confessional, against
which Gavin does not cease to inveigh, are exemplified :

---

A MASTER-KEY TO POPERY.                          II7

To the Discovery of the mortal Sins the Father Confessor doth very much
help the Penitent; for he sometimes out of pure Zeal, but most commonly
out of Curiosity, asks'em many Questions to know whether they do remember
all their Sins, or not ? By these and the like Questions, the Confessors do
more mischief than good, especially to the ignorant People and Young
Women 5 for perhaps they do not know what simple Fornication is ? What
Voluntary or Involuntary Pollution ? What impure Desire ? What Sinful
Motion of our Hearts ? What Relapse, Reincidence, or Reiteration of Sins ?
and the like ; and then by the Confessor's indiscreet Questions, the Penitents
do learn things of which they never had dreamed before -, and when they come
to that Tribunal with a sincere ignorant Heart, to receive Advice and Instruc-
tion, they go home with Light, Knowledge, and an Idea of Sins unknown to
them before.......

I saw in the City of Lishon in Portugal a Girl of ten Years of Age coming
from Church, ask her Mother what defiouring was ? For the Father Con-
fessor had ask*d her whether she was defloured or not ? And the Mother
more discreet than the Confessor, told the Girl, that the meaning was,
whether she took Delight in smelling Flowers or not ? and so she stopped the
Child's Curiosity. (Vol. 1, p. 5).

Here is a remarkable picture of the state of morality in a
Spanish town, produced chiefly by the dissolute conduct and
teaching of its minister :

The Magistrates of the Town came to desire me to go and preach on the
15th of August, which was the Virgins Assumption Day, and it was the
principal Festival of that Town : There was but the Parish-Priest in it, the
People were glad to have a Stranger to confess their Sins to, being ashamed
to discover them to their Parish-Priest ; so I had that Morning Business
enough for four Hours in the Confessionary 5 but it was a surprizing Thing
to me, to observe that almost all the Women came to me, and the Men to
the Vicar of the Parish ,· if I say that I did confess 60 Women, I shall not lie,
tho" I do not remember positively the certain Number. This I remember,

---

Il8                          A MASTER-KEY TO POPERY.

that among them very few were free from the Sin with their Priest : He was
a dull, dark-temper'd Man, and so strong and lusty, that he used to beat his
Parishioners sadly, especially those whose Wives he had a Fancy for.

Some Women that were not married, and their Familiarity with the Vicar
came to light, confessed that by his Help, it was destroyed before-hand with a
certain Herb that he gave them, whose Name I could not learn. His own
Niece ,was one of the Number, and tho' she lived with him as his House-
keeper, she could not hinder him from other Diversions, and was obliged to
call those whom he had a Fancy for. To colour his wicked Deeds, he used
to preach some Sundays against the Ignorance of his Parishioners, especially
concerning the Catechism, and shewing a great Zeal for the Good of their
Souls, he used to send in the Afternoon for some of his Parishioners to teach
them the Catechism, that is, to some of the youngest Women, that were more
ignorant than the old Ones.

I remember one Case that a young Woman did confess, viz. That the
Vicar having sent for her to his own House to chatechise her, and having
declared to her his Design, she refused the Accomplishment of it ; and that he
flying in a Passion, went and open'd a Silver Cup, took out of it a white
Wafer, and told her, By this consecrated Host, which is the real Body of
Jesus Christ, I excommunicate you, and will send your Soul to Hell this very
Night, if you do not obey my Commands, and keep it secret while you live.
O wicked Man ! and O poor ignorant Woman ! She out of Ignorance believed
every Thing, and thought the Wafer to be consecrated, and the Priest's Fulmi-
nation of divine Efficacy : So falling on her Knees, she promised to do what-
ever Thing he would desire, rather than to incur so frightful an Excornuni-
cation : And I believe by this very Means he brought many of his Flock
into the same Course of Life. (vol. i, p. 211).

The following account of the morality and teaching of a
priest will speak for itself:

The principal Crimes alledged against him were printed and dispersed

among the Clergy, and tho' this Thing happen'd long before I was put in

Orders, one of these Papers came to my Hands ¡ and to the best of my Memory,

---

NOTICE OP ANTONIO GAVIN.                         IIÇ

First, it was alledged against him, That in the very Act of Confession he used
to teach his spiritual Daughters the Maids, That it was not forbidden ly the
ten Commandments to covet them, &c. for their ninth Commandment says only,
Thou s halt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife, leaving out the rest of the Com-
mandment ; and that only Adultery was forlidden ly the Lam of God, By
which Doctrine he had ruin'd many and many Maids : Secondly, That he
used to teach to the married Women, That there was no Sin without Intention;
and, That it was lawful for them, Carnali copula cum effusione seminis extra
vassa. Quod tactus impudici ad polutionem, were very necessary to stop the
Course of impure Thoughts : And that by this Doctrine he brought many
ignorant Women to practice it, not only with him but with many others also :
Thirdly, That in actu Confessionis haluit tactus impúdicos cum penitente, cum
reciproca effusione seminis: Fourthly, That he made the Women with Child
believe, that if they had the Stola tied round ventrem per ipsum solum, they
would have safe Deliverance ; and that he had made use of many Stola's for that
Purpose, and to serve his Ends and Turns ly that abominable Means, (vol. 2,
p. 220).

The history of a "Musician-Priest," an eunuch, and
cathedral chorister, related in vol. 2, p. 213, is very curious,
but too long to admit of insertion. Knowing that no com-
promising results could follow from a liaison with such a
man, the highest ladies in the city sought his services; and
he further got access to the monasteries, and distributed his
favours among the nuns»

Antonio Gavin was born at Saragossa about 1680, and
after having studied at Huesca, was ordained a priest.*

* £fograp${e &ní&tnítUe (Michaud), vol. 16, p. 6$.

---

I2O                          NOTICE OP ANTONIO GAVIN.

Little more is known concerning him than what he has
told us in his own book. Disgusted by the abuses and
immoralities of the church of Rome, he determined to quit
its fold.

After I left my country, (he writes) I went to France drest in an Officer's
Cloaths, and so I was known by some at Paris, under the Name of the
Spanish Officer. My Design was to co rae to England, but the Treaty of
Ulrecht being not concluded, I could not attempt to come from Calais to
Dover without a Pass. I was perfectly a Stranger in Paris, and without any
Acquaintance, only one French Priest, who had studied in Spain, and could
speak Spanish perfectly well, which was a great Satisfaction to me, for at that
time I could not speak French. The Priest (to whom I made some Presents,)
was Interpreter of the Spanish Letters to the King's Confessor Father le
Telier, to whom he inrtoduc'd me -_} I spoke to him in Latin, and told him I
had got a great Fortune by the Death of an Uncle in London, and that I should
be very much oblig'd to his Reverence, if by his Influence, I could obtain a Pass.
The Priest had told him that I was a Captain, which the Father did believe j
and my Brother having been a Captain, (tho' at that time he was dead) it was
an easy Thing to pass for him : The first Visit was favourable to me, for the
Father Confessor did promise me to get me a Pass, and bad me call for it two
or three Days after, which I did ; but I found the Reverend very inquisitive,
asking me several Questions in Divinity : But I answer'd to all, that I
had study'd only a little Latin : He then told me, there was no Possibility of
obtaining a Pass for England, and that if I had committed any irregular Thing
in the Army, he would give me a Letter for the King of Spain, to obtain my
Pardon, and make my Peace with him again, (vol. τ, p. 161).

The wily Jesuit Letellier was not to be so easily deceived,
and Gavin at once made his way back to St. Sebastian,
where he waited in secrecy until he was able to embark on
a merchant vessel for Lisbon, and thence to London. Arrived

---

NOTICE OF F-M. JANIÇON.                            121

in England his troubles were at an end. He had been pre-
sented to Earl Stanhope already in Saragossa, and his lord-
ship received him "most civilly," gave him a "certificate"
to the bishop of London, who received his recantation, and
in 1715 ordained him a minister of the Church of England.*
Gavin's first sermon had some success ; it was dedicated " to
my Lord Stanhope, and was printed by Mr. William
Bowykr, and was sold afterward, by Mr. Denoyer, a
French bookseller, at Erasmus s Head in the Strand." After
preaching two years and eight months in London, Gavin
was appointed chaplain to the Preston man of war. He
then passed over to Ireland, had the " Curacy of Gowran
almost eleven months," served some time at Cork, and
preached in the " Parish Church of Shandong His book,
it will have been remarked, was first published at Dublin.
Gavin appears to have died in Ireland, somewhat forgotten,
for I have been unable to discover any record of the date
of his death.

François-Michel Janiçon, Gavin's translator, was born at
Paris, December 24, 1674, and died at The Hague, on the
19th or 2ist of August, 1730. Having studied at Dublin he
was master of the English language, and well qualified for the

* See the title of his book, p. 112 ante.

---

122            FRAUDS OP ROMISH MONKS AND PRIESTS.

task he undertook. The Master-Key to Popery was not the
only work which he rendered from English into French.*

€i)t jfrauto of &omtöö ¿ttimftd anö Crítótó, Set forth

in Eight Letters. Vol ι. The Fifth Edition. Lately
Written By a Gentleman, in his Journey into Italy.
And published for the Benefit of the Publiek. London,
Printed for R. Wilkin, D. Midwinter, A. Bet-
tesworth, B. Motte, and J. Lacy, mdccxxv.

12m.; pp. 360, preceded by 12 pages of title, dedication,
epistle, and contents, unnumbered. The second volume has

for tide: ©osíerbatíottsí an a Sountep to &aple&

Wherein The Frauds of Romish Monks and Priests are
further discover d. By the ¿author of a late Book, EntituTd,
The Frauds of Romish Monks and Priests. The Fourth
Edition. London, Printed for R. Wilkin, D. Midwinter, A.
Bettesworthy B. Motte, and J. Lacy, mdccxxv. pp. vii,
252, with 14 unnumbered pages of epistle and contents,
ex title. The title pages of both volumes are enclosed in
double lines. The work was first published in 1691, and
has passed through several editions.-j~

* fiauben« Biographic finirait, vol. 26, col. 329; 2$tograp$t'e Hitt&ettfelle
(Michaud), vol. ao, p. 546.
t 33t&ltojira)j|tr^ftf jKanuat, vol. 2, p. 737,

---

FRAUDS OF ROMISH MONKS AND PRIESTS.             123

It has been translated into French as : £}fótOÍtt Ötó trotti*
pint* ìtO prÊtrtÔ tt ÖtÖ mOtntÖ, où Ton découvre les
artifices d$nt ils se servent, pour tenir les peuples dans Terreur,
Rotterdam, 1693. 2 vols, in 1 ; small 8vo.* Another edi-
tion, Rotterdam, 1710-1712.-}- And again: &U£frS> tt #OUr*
fttrttö Oto ÇrêtrtÔ tt ïtô aïtomto par Gabriel D'Émi-
liane. Nouvelle Edition revue, corrigée, et augmentée dune
introduction historique, de notes et de commentaires par Un
Catholique du xioc*™ Siècle. Leipzig, 1845. Leopold Mi-
chelsen. Paris, Jules Renouard et Comp. Rue de Tour-
non, 6. 8vo.; pp. 364 ex title, with i unnumbered page of
Table.

The work of Emillianne is not so forcible or pungent
as that of Gavin, which I have just noticed. It is however
well worthy of attention. As Gavin censures the clerical
vices of Spain, so Emillianne lashes those of Italy. The two
works may not inappropriately be placed side by side. Here
are a few extracts. The first concerns that greatest of all
instruments of clerical influence, the confessional :

Indeed Auricular and Secret Confession, is the most commodious way the

* ÎKaïtuel ïiu ïflbratrf, vol. 2, col. 968. Quérard has erroneously con-
founded the translation of Emillianne's book with that of Gavin. See ante^
p. 114» note.

t Î3ibltotï;cque Öcö 3&otttam(, p. 265; 53íblíotí)eca 33rítanmca, vol. 1,
col. 3$6.

---

124            FRAUDS OP ROMISH MONKS AND PRIESTS.

Priests have to lodge their Game j 'Tis there they put Women to the Question,
and by this means accustoming them (by little and little) from their Youth
up to speak with confidence of their secret Sins, they make them at length
lose that Natural Shamefacedness, which otherwise they would be sensible of,
in making the least mention of such filthiness. Being therefore by this means
informed of their Inclinations and Weak-side, if they find them to be of an
Amorous Complection, it is an easie thing for them to speak for themselves,
and to insinuate their own Passion. It is notoriously evident, that commonly
none but Women go to Confession ; for as for Men, they seldom use it more
then once a year, and that towards Easier. The Reason whereof having been
once ask'd in my Presence, a Person of very good Sense return'd this Answer,
That the Reason why none but Women were seen to confess, was, because Men
were Confessors ; but, that if Women were once possest of the Chair of Confession>
we should soonßnd the contrary, and that none but Men would appear before them.
The Reason is because Women for the most part take pleasure in their
Confessing, being well assured, that their Confessors will put such Questions
to them, as cannot much displease them; and knowing, that how openly
soever they may declare their Sins, the Seal of Confession will always put
them out of danger of running any Risque thereby: Yet, there are not
wanting a vast Number of those, who relying upon the Secrecy of this
Tribunal, and encouraged by the Exhortations of their Priests, of hiding
nothing from them, no not so much as their impure Thoughts, make no
difficulty ingenuously to declare, that they love them \ that they can neither Day
nor Night rid their Spirit from running out after them \ and their Amorous
Temptations are so violent, that except God be pleased to restrain them, or to
take some compassion on them, it will make them infallibly go Mad and
Distracted. (Vol. i, p. 332).

In the following citation we have the author's personal ex-
perience of the state of morality of the Romish clergy in
his time :

I could furnish you here with an infinite number of curious Stories, con-
cerning the Amours and Intriegues of Monks and Priests, if I were not Der-

---

FRAUDS OF ROMISH MONKS AND PRIESTS.             11$

suaded, that it is the Duty of every honest Man, not to speak, but with great
Moderation of a Vice, whereof the Discovery is equally dangerous, to him that
makes it, and to those to whom it is made. And therefore shall only tell you,
that I may cut short here, That I never in my life con vers 'd with any one
Monk or Priest of the Church of Rome, for so long a time as was sufficient to
penetrate a little into their Manner and Course of Life ; but that I found at
last, that they had secret Commerce with Women, or, which is worse, and
what I would not willingly name, viz. That they were addicted to the abomi-
nable Sin of Sodomy. And yet many of those were meer Saints to outward
appearance, all their Discourse was of the Blessed Virgin, and of Purgatory ;
and the only Reason why I desir'd their friendship, was because at first I took
them to be very good and honest Men -, but some time after I found to my
great Regret, that I had been deceived by my too favourable Opinion of them.
(vol. i, p. 349).

The animadversions which I am about to extract concerning
the depravity of the nuns are very striking, and were there
not abundant evidence from other sources that such dissolute
practices have existed, one would be inclined to accuse Emil-
lianne of Exaggeration :

The Reverend Dr. Burnet, now Lord Bishop of Salisbury, did not exaggerate
the matter, when he saith, That He had seen some of them that were not over
modest. They make no difficulty in representing in their Plays, Fenuis and
Lucretia's wholly to the Life ; they Sing profane Songs and altogether unworthy
and unbecoming Persons consecrated to Godj they act Dances and Postures that
are extream Lascivious, and all that they speak in them, is commonly conceiv'd
in Terms admitting a double signification, whereof one sense is always
either impious or wanton. They commonly have very excellent Voices,
and understand Musick perfectly well ; but if there be any impure or
lascivious Air, that is that which pleaseth them best, and which they
make choice of, to entertain the Company with. That which is the most

---

I2Ó          FRAUDS OF ROMISH MONKS AND PRIESTS.

enormous thing of all, is, that not only in these their Comedies, but also (O
unheard of Profanation !) in their Divine Offices for Sundays and festivals, they
intermix these filthy Songs, which they blasphemously pretend to be made in
imitation of the Song of Solomon. All the Debauched Youths of the City,
about this time, flock'd to the Church of the Cœlestines at Milan, where
these Nuns equally tickled their Ears and Fancies by the sweetness and las-
civiousness of their Songs. The Scandal grew at last to that Excess, that the
Cardinal sent his Orders to have their Church shut up, and absolutely forbad
them to sing Musick any more.

Tis the Custom in the World, for Men to Court Women ; but in these
Religious Orders, on the contrary, the Nuns Court the Men j they write
Amorous Notes to them j they send, to entreat them to come and see them ;
and there are few Nuns, who have not two or three, to whom they are more
particularly linked in Affection ; and they are so well skill'd in disposing
their Times, that they never meet together in the Parlour. They are
very Jealous of them, and should they once understand, that any one of
their Lovers had discours'd with any other Nun, besides themselves, they
would immediately quit them, and would find a time to be revenged
on them. I take them to be very unhappy in this, That they desire so
strongly, what is so difficult for them to enjoy. Some amongst them do so
far enfiarne their Imaginations about their Amours, that they run Distracted j
and others are so immoveabiy determin'd to what they long for, that they
actually apply themselves to the inventing of Means, that may bring them to
the possession of what they desire : Of these, some give themselves to the
Devil j and to this purpose they tell a Story, That upon a time, a Nun being
resolved to give her self to the Devil, He plainly told her, He would not have
her, because she was more Devil than himself. 'Tis for this Reason that we are
told so many Stories of Nuns» that are Possessed. Others endeavour for
Mony to corrupt the Turn-Key s and Maid-Servants, that have the Care of the
Outward-Gates, to admit their Gallants at Night by the Tower. Some have
pluck'd away while Grates from the Parlours j others have broke through the
Walls, or have made Passages underground} and it happens frequently
enough, that by their Cunning, they get the Keys of the Great Gate of the
Monastery from under the Lady Abbess's Pillow j or that they are so happy to

---

FRAUDS OF ROMISH MONKS AND PRIESTS.             127

meet with one key or other, that can unlock it. There is also another
Little Gate in the Vestries, by which the Priests enter, to go and carry the
Holy Sacrament and Extream Unction to those that are Sick, and by which
they convey the Ornaments of the Altar : Now, to get the possession of this
Door, they need only to gain her who is over the Vestry. But the most sure
way to obtain their desires, is, when a whole Community of Females agree
together, to take their Pleasures. Of this there hapned (sic) a most infamous
Instance, about seven or eight Years since, amongst the Nuns of Bresse, which
made a great deal of Noise in Italy.

These Religious finding themselves quite weary of keeping their Vow of
Chastity, agreed amongst themselves to admit their Lovers into the Monastery,
and having all bound themselves in an Oath of Secrecy, they wrought hard,
to make a Passage Under ground, under the Walls of their Enclosure, and
which was to the end in the House of a. young Gentleman, who was one of the
Plot. Their Undertaking had so good success, that the Nuns enjoyed the
Gallants as often as they pleased. In the mean time, there was observed a
great change in these Recluses; they became more modest in the Parlour, and
more assiduous in the Quire than ever they had been before. Their Confes-
sor, who was a very Aged Man, being incapable of taking part in their
Amours, was not thought fit to be admitted to the Secret. They informed
him in their Confessions and secret Conferences, that they felt from time to
time such Ravishments and Internal Joys, as they could no way express j
without telling him, whether they belong'd to the Soul or Body. And this good
Man, who took all in the best sense, and who also attributed in part this their
Conversion, to his own good Prayers for them, went to the Bishop of Bresse,
and made his Report to him; telling him, That his Nuns were all of them
become Saints to that degree^ as to suffer Ecstasies and Ravishments. The great
Opinion the World had conceived of their Sanctity still increased more and
more, when the greatest part of these Nuns undertook to observe a Six Months
Retirement in the Inner part of their Monastery ; making a Vow, That during
all that time they would never come to the Grate : This was to hide their Big-
bellies and Child bearing, (vol. 2, p. 131).

I cannot, in concluding my extracts, refrain from citing

---

128            FRAUDS OP ROMISH MONKS A'ND PRIESTS.

one passage from the observations made by Emillianne
during a visit paid by him to the monastery of Fontevrault :

I had a great desire to go and see the Monks Dine in the Common
Refectory : but they told me I must stay till next Sunday, for that it was not
permitted to be there any other Day of the Week, because of the Trials they
made of the Novices. My uncle informed me what these Trials were, vi%. to
make some of them to carry a piece of Wood, or Gag in their Mouths j others
were commanded, to go and kiss the Monks Shoes j others, to continue upon
their Knees, with their Arms across ; others again, to eat their Meals on the
Ground, without either Table-Cloth or Napkin, and an hundred other such like
Fooleries. The highest Trial of all, is the Discipline, and they observe a
Nasty manner in the giving of it} for whereas in all other Religious Orders,
they ordinarily give it on their Shoulders, at Fontevrault they always give it
beneath. It was not long since, that two Novices went to complain to the
Abbess, That the Prior handled them with too great Severity ; but the Abbess
having made them come into her Chamber, gave 'em as much more, to make
'em forbear their Complaints to another. 'Tis in these Fooleries they make
Vertue to consist, and they never teach their Religious, what it is to be
Vertuous indeed, viz, to mortifie, as they ought, their Appetites, and to be meek
and lowly of heart. This is that which makes these young Men when they
are past their Novitiate, and have run through the Course of their Studies, to
have their Passions as head-strong as ever, and to lead a scandalous Life with
the Nuns» whose Directors they are. (vol. 2, p. 146).

I know of but one other work by the same author, which,
as it is upon the same subject, and almost serial with the
two volumes above noticed, may be placed by their side :

a Abort ^tsîtorp of iUonaetteal #ruer^, in wkkk the

Primitive Institution of Monks, Their I'empers, Habits, Rules,

and The Condition they are in at Present, are Treated of.

---

AURICULAR CONFESSION AND NUNNERIES.             120,

By Gabriel d'Emillianne. London, Printed by S. Roy-
croft, for W. Bentley, in Russel-street, Covent-Garden.
1693. 8vo. ; pp. 312, with 38 unnumbered pages of title,
preface and contents. The information given in this volume
is superficial and incomplete ; the book cannot be recom-
mended as a work of reference,

3tin'tt!lar ConfeÖÖtmt anîl ^umimi& By William
Hogan, Esq., barrister-at-law ; Who was for Twenty-
five Years a Confessing Priest. Fifteenth Thousand.

*' Hear the just laws, the judgment of the skies !
He that hates truth shall be the dupe of lies ;
And he that will be cheated to the last,
Delusions, strong as hell, shall bind him fast."—Cowper.

London : Protestant Evangelical Mission & Electoral
Union, 5, Racquet Court, Fleet Street, E.C. May be
had of all Booksellers.

8vo, ; pp. 136 in all; price one shilling.

This is a violent and badly written tirade against the church
of Rome and her priests, made by a seceder from the faith,
in a style suitable to the uneducated classes of America,
where it was first published. The volume is put together
without order or arrangement, and the author displays ig-
norance of the literature of his subject.

Mr. Hogan informs us that he was ordained a priest in
s

---

I3O             AURICULAR CONFESSION AND NUNNERIES.

Ireland; that he went over to America, where he visited
many important towns ; officiated at St. Mary's Church,
Philadelphia ; and was finally excommunicated by the Romish
bishop of that city.

He has written another book against his former church,
about which and himself he speaks in the following arrogant
terms :

With a clear and full view of my duty, I have recently written a work
entitled ⁽⁽ A Synopsis of Popery as it was, and as it is." It has been well
received ; it awakened Americans to a proper sense of their duty. Until then
Jhey saw not, they felt not, they dreamed not of the dangers which threatened
their religion and their civil rights, from the stealthy movements of the Church
of Rome, and her priests and bishops in this country. Americans have now
a steady and watchful eye upon them. This was necessary, and so far I have
done my duty. The Popish presses, which until then, had lulled Americans
into fatal repose by their misrepresentations, have been, in a measure, silenced.
No one, before me, dared to encounter their scurrilous abuse. I resolved to
silence them; and I have done so. {Introduction).

The bulk of Auricular Confession consists of what has
been frequently said before, and in better words than those
of Mr. Hogan. He frequently speaks of Eugène Sue's Wan-
dering jfew in a manner which would lead to the supposition
that he considered it a real history rather than a fiction. I
make room nevertheless for one or two of Mr. Hogan's
personal experiences. Some eighteen months after his ordi-
nation, and while yet in Ireland, he was sent for by a beautiful

---

AURICULAR CONFESSION AND NUNNERIES,            I3I

young lady, with whom he was friendìy in former days, but
who had since taken the veil :

^c' I have sent for you, my friend (she said) to see you once more before my
death. I have insulted my God, and disgraced my family; I am in the family
way, ana I must die." After a good deal of conversation, which it is needless
to repeat, I discovered from her confession the parent of this pregnancy, and
that the Mother Abbess of the convent advised her to take medicine which
would effect abortion ; but that she knew from the lay sister who delivered me
the note, and who was a confidential servant in the convent, that the medicine
which the mother abbess would give her should contain Poison, and that the
procuring abortion was a mere pretext. I gave her such advice as I could in
the capacity of a Romish priest. I advised her to send for the bishop and
consult him. " I cannot do it," she said, ^u my destroyer is my confessor."
I was silent. I had no more to say. I was bound by oath to be true to him.
The sentiment of the noble Pagan, a sentiment sanctioned by inspiration,
^tl Fiat justitia, mat cœlum "—Let justice be done even if the heavens were to
fail—occurred to my mind in vain, it fled from me as smoke before the
wind. I was one of the priests of the infallible church, and what was honor,
what was honesty to me, where the honour of the infallible church was con-
cerned ? They were of no account ; not worthy the consideration of a Romish
Priest for a second. I retired, leaving my friend to her fate _} but promising,
at her request, to return in a fortnight.

According to promise, I did return in a fortnight, but the foul deed was
done. She was no more. The cold clay contained in its dread embrace all
that now remained of that being which but a few months before, lived and
moved in all the beauty and symmetry of proportion ; and that soul once pure
and spotless as the dew-drop of heaven, ere its contact with the impurities of
earth, which a fond mother confided to the care of Jesuit nuns, had been
driven in its guilt and pollution into the presence of a just but merciful God.
All, all the work of Jesuits and Nuns Ï (p. 13).

Speaking of the nuns, Mr, Hogan says :

These ladies, when properly disciplined by J esuits and priests, become the

---

1$2             AURICULAR CONFESSION AND NUNNERIES.

best teachers. But before they are allowed to teach, there is no art, no craft,
no species of cunning, no refinement in private personal indulgencies, or no
modes or means of seduction, in which they are not thoroughly initiated j and
I may say with safety, and from my own personal knowledge through the con-
fessional, that there is scarcely one of them who has not leen herself debauched
ly her confessor. The reader will understand that every nun has a confessor ;
and here I may as well add, for the truth must be told at once, that every con-
fessor has a concubine, and there are very few of them who have not several ! !
Let any American mother imagine her young daughter among these semi-
reverend crones, called nuns, and she will have no difficulty in seeing the
possibility of her immediate ruin. (p. 17).

Here is the author's testimony as to the state of priestly
morality in America, and the pernicious effects of the con-
fessional :

The Roman Catholics of Albany had, during about two years previous to my
arrival among them, three Irish priests alternately with them, occasionally
preaching, but always hearing confessions. I know the names of these men :
one of them is dead, the other two living, and now in full communion in the
Romish Church, still saying mass and hearing confessions. As soon as I got
settled in Albany, I had of course to attend to the duty of Auricular Cortfession»
and in less than two months found that those three priests, during the time
they were there, were the fathers of between sixty and one hundred children,
besides having debauched many who had left the place previous to their con-
finement. Many of these children were by married women, who were among
the most zealous supporters of these vagabond priests, and whose brothers and
relatives were ready to wade, if necessary, knee deep in blood for the holy,
immaculate, infallible) Church of Rome. (p. 29).

The iniquity of Romish priests in the confessional can scarcely be imagined·
There is nothing else like it j it is a thing by itself : there is a chasm between
itself and other crimes, which human depravity cannot pass. Could I state
them all» as I have known them, my readers would feel themselves most

---

AURICULAR CONFESSION AND NUNNERIES.             I33

insulted : an ocean and a sea of wonders, and waters of grief and sadness for
fallen humanity, would ebb and flow around them. Just fancy an innocent
female on her knees before an artful, unbelieving priest ! But why is she
there ? Why does not instinct warn her off ? Why does not conscious inno-
cence tell her to fly from him ? &c. (p. 43).

Married women who have no children, and never had any, are taught by
Romish priests that, in case they have no children, The Church has the
power of giving them fecundity, and thus enabling them to ^a comply with the
great object of their creation," viz., to " increase and multiply." The holy
church, in her wisdom, or rather in her craft and deep knowledge of human
nature, knows full well that married ladies, especially those who have pro-
perty, are often unhappy because they have no children ; and the priests looking
upon this as a fine opportunity not only to indulge their own passions, but to
make money, tell such women in the confessional that they have the power
specially delegated to them from Almighty God, of giving them those children
for which they are so anxious. Í well recollect an instance of this Romish
infatuation—this worse than hellish belief. It proved a source of much
trouble to myself in after life, and I believe I may partly trace to it the very
origin of my difficulties with the Popish priests in this country, (p. 48).

The instance above mentioned is as follows : A lady,
unblessed with children, applied io Mr. Hogan, then a
priest, for the aid of the church in her difficulty*. Mr.
Hogan told her that the church had no power in such
matters. The lady was not satisfied, and addressed herself
to a Franciscan friar, who helped her to a family, and de-
nounced Mr. Hogan as a heretic.

I have given this volume more space than its intrinsic
merits warrant ; but it must serve as a specimen—and a very
fair one—of the numerous similar tracts issued by the same

---

134             AURICULAR CONFESSION AND NUNNERIES.

society.* One or two more of their most important publi-
cations will be found noticed in this work ; but they are
generally of too trivial and insignificant a nature to justify a
special notice.

It may not be unworthy the consideration of the promoters
of this society, whether, according to their own standard of
morality, they are not falling into the very error which they
condemn in their adversaries, and by publishing, and spread-
ing broad-cast books which contain abominations and inde-
cencies, they are not themselves practising the Jesuitical
doctrine of the end justifying the means, or doing evil that
good may come.

One of their publications at least has been pronounced by
the law courts an outrage to morality.-j~

* I extract from the society's catalogue the titles of a few of the most
curious, which may perhaps be found not altogether uninteresting to the
collectors of anti-Romish literature ; especially as many of them are now out of
print : Hitter to tije Monten of toglanii on tije Confesional,-—Hail» anfc
^mäUTransubstantiation,—frtóïï $Me¿tsí mts tí)e Confesional,—€f)e Con-
fesional— &ï)all hit &iJopt tt ?»—Confesión-·-^ at iá ít ?»—Cïje ï>outï>^fö
jKoîlitor fa Catechism for Schools),—Contienisi ano* tje Confesional, by iRev.
H. Seymour,—Stater Enq»'â BiätUmm oí fleti itali Conöent,—Cjs Con*
feaöionalmiiiit be íEmnatf&eÍí, % Dr. Armstrong,—ÍÉteaaoHá tot t|e Cassation
of 3ftamt¿|) fhrteéUí,—Content Œ&ucatton antt Jlttnnerü 'Ftcttwtó,—Eetter to t|e
gown§ ^ítU oí Cngïantt, % C. G.,—-Bomtótíc OTíbeá ano* XUtfgtoue atóte«,
—Plea for Inspection or &uppvtäiion of ¡punnerieif,—IMeöfó» OToinen, anK
jTamílteíf, % Michelet, &c.

t C|e Confesional- &nma¿ltto'> p. 88, ante.

---

DISCIPLINE, EDUCATION AND THEOLOGY OF MAYNOOTH. I$¡

a ântrtmct ani acrurate arrotini of töe Epstein of Bí&
ripíate, ©ïmrattoit, ani Cfteoloffp, aoopteìj ani pur*
ôueïi ín töe $opt#) College of ¿iflapnootín By

Eugene Francis O'Beirne, late Student of Maynooth
College. Hereford : W. H. Vale ; London : Simpkin
and Marshall ; Dublin : Carson, 92, Grafton Street.
1840.

Large 8vo. (counts 4) ; pp. vi, 214, and 1 unnumbered page
of Contents ; printed by " Gooch, Printer, Hereford."

This is a severe, but not intemperate censure on the
doctrines taught at the Irish College of Maynooth. Ex-
tracts are given from the Maynooth class-books in the original
Latin, accompanied, when not too gross, with literal trans-
lations. The object of the work is to show the pernicious and
immoral doctrines there taught, and the vile interrogatories
which it is held necessary for confessors to put to their
penitents, both male and female. As these questions are
identical with those propounded by the various casuists fully
recognised by the Romish Church, which have already been
copiously treated in this work, it is superfluous to dilate
further upon them here. Quotations are also given from
books, pamphlets, &c, by modern reformed Romish priests,
such as Rev. L. J. Nolan, Rev. David O'Croly, Rev.
Blanco White, &c, all bearing upon the iniquity of
the confessional, and the immorality of the priesthood.

---

I36 DISCIPLINE, EDUCATION AND THEOLOGY OP MAYNOOTH.

The author bears testimony as follows to the evil effects
of the Romish teaching upon the youth of both sexes:

The Maynooth system of education, by making the students acquainted
and familiar with all kinds of vice, awfully increases the depravity of the un-
happy young men themselves 3 who become so hardened in iniquity as to be
in after life, the corrupters of the young and comparatively innocent 5 by
insinuating the poison of their own filthy imaginations, into the hearts of the
inexperienced, and thus effect their destruction under the pretence of pro-
moting their salvation. What in the grossest heathenism can come near the
extracts I have just made from the Maynooth class-books. It is almost
impossible to write on the subject of those abominable class-books, whose very
atrocity is the greatest barrier to their exposure, without offending delicacy,
(p. 120).

The great work of corrupting the heart by teaching a knowledge of sin as
yet unthought of, commences almost from childhood. Females are inured
from infancy to an examination gradually suited to their age and circum-
stances i young girls are prepared for the inquisitorial investigation which
awaits them as wivesj and have thoughts suggested to their innocent minds
which perhaps they otherwise would have never known, (p. 84).

The Maynooth Theologians, by inculcating that modesty must be laid
aside by females at confession, as rendering them unworthy of absolution,
endeavour to overcome the strongest barrier of female virtue—female modesty.
When that Heaven-stationed centinel (sic) but slumbers on his post, or ceases
to unfurl his crimson banner on her cheek, it requires but small pains to scale
the walls and take the Citadel. I would ask any man to image himself in the
situation of a Popish Confessor with a beautiful and lovely woman kneeling
by his chair ; interrogating her on the different headings of the Maynooth
class-books—on her * thoughts," " cogi tati oni bus " on her " illicitos rnotus "
on her " desideria," and on other still more disgusting headings, and honestly
say what would likely be the effect on his mind. To sit unmoved in such a
situation would be more than human. Can it by possibility tend to the
advancement either of piety, or virtue, to compel young girls to throw open
to the gaze of unmarried Confessors, their innermost thoughts, emotions, and

---

THE PRIEST, THE WOMAN, AND THE CONFESSIONAL. I37

passions—thoughts, emotions, and passions which they would conceal even
from their husbands, if married, and from their mothers, if not—emotions and
passions which form part of their nature, and were given them for wise pur-
poses by Him who undertsood his own great designs. It is impossible for
females to come into the close intercourse of the Confessional with men who
have been schooled in such abominations without deriving a moral pollution
from the contact, The questions which confessors are directed by the May-
nooth class-books to put to their female penitents, are in themselves most
indelicate and offensive : under any circumstances, the proposal of them, even
by one of their own sex, would wound the sensitiveness of female modesty.
What then must such interrogatories be from a coarse vulgar Irish priest ?
Is there no danger in exposing young and innocent females to such a prurient
system of interrogatories ? Is there no danger in exposing the priests them-
selves, who are but men—men who neither dine on ambrosia or quaff nectar
—mere men—carnal men, with the passions incidental to humanity ? Is there,
I again ask, no danger in exposing them to such trying temptations ? " Perish
the theology that inverts the sacred Scriptures, and with infernal passions tills
the heart of man." (p. 76).

Cfte prfeöt, €f)t OToman, m\b 3Lije Confessional* By

Père Chiniquy. London: W. T. Gibson, 12, Hay-
market. 1874. [All rights reserved.]

8vo. ; pp. iv and 192 in all ; price 2s. 6d. in cloth ; contains
7 chapters.
There is another and more ample edition published in

Canada: Co* $)rfedt,. toe Sïïoman, ano tì)t Confterfonal»

By Father Chiniquy. Montreal: F. E. Grafton, Book-
seller, Corner Craig St and Fictoria Square, 1875. 8vo. ;

---

I38 THE PRIEST, THE WOMAN, AND THE CONFESSIONAL.

pp. viii. and 184 in all ; price one dollar in cloth ; contains a
preface and 11 chapters.

This is a very noteworthy work. iVlthough its literary
merit is not great, it is written with so much earnestness, and
in such a spirit of conviction, that it is most impressive.
"After 25 years' experience in the confessional," Father
Chiniquy was so thoroughly convinced of its evils, and of
the errors of the Romish church in general, that he determined
to quit it, and wrote the present book. In it he shows that
the doctrine of compulsory confession is a comparatively
modern innovation, having been first introduced by the
council of Lateran in 1215 ; and he passes in review the
various fathers and casuists who wrote before that date, none
of whom speak of confession as being either necessary or
desirable. In this dogma, and in it alone, he discovers the
cause 0$ the decay of the great Roman Catholic countries,
and the secret of the defeat (in 1870) of France by Germany.
The communication of filthy ideas which confession implies
he considers to be as dangerous to the priest as to the penitent.
In the strongest terms he depicts the terrible struggle which
every pure minded woman must undergo in communicating
her secret thoughts and actions to a priest, and the repugnance
which she must feel in having to listen to his suggestions and
questionings. This is naturally more acute for a refined
and educated woman than for one of a lower order ; but the

 

 

© 2003-2006 by John Patrick.  All rights reserved.  All wrongs reversed.
Last Revised: 16 September 2006   Conditions of Use.  Thank You.  Known Bugs.   

All materials on this website are protected by copyright and trademark laws and may not be used for any purpose whatsoever other than private, non-commercial viewing purposes. Derivative works and other unauthorized copying or use of stills, text, sounds or graphics is expressly prohibited.