TO THE VERY REVEREND Mr. GEORGE BLACKWELL, ARCH-PRIEST OF THE ENGLISH: ROBERT BELLARMINE CARDINALL OF THE
 HOLY CHURCH OF ROME, GREETING. Reuerend Sir , and brother in Christ ; It is almost fourtie yeeres since we did see
one the other: but yet I haue bene vnmindfull of our ancient acquaintance, neither haue
I ceased seeing I could doe you no other good, to commend your labouring most pain-
fully in the Lords Vineyard, in my prayers to God. And I doubt not, but that I haue
liued all this while in your memory, and haue had some place in your prayers at the
Lords Altar. So therefore euen vnto this time we haue abidden, as S. Iohn speaketh,
in the mutall loue one of the other, not by word or letter, but in deed and trewth. But
a late message which was brought vnto vs within these few dayes, of your bonds and
imprisonment, hath inforced mee to breake off this silence; which message, although
it seemed heauie in regard of the losse which that Church hath receiued, by their being
thus depriued of the comfort of your pastorall function amongst them, yet withall it
seemed ioyous, because you drew neere vnto the glory of Martyrdome, then the which
gift of God there is none more happy; That you, who haue fedde your flocke so many
yeeres with the word and doctrine, should now feed it more gloriously by the example
of your patience. But another heauie tidings did not a little disquiet and almost take
away this ioy, which immediatly followed, of the aduersaries assault, and per aduen-
ture of the slip and fall of your constancie in refusing an vnlawfull Oath. Neither
trewly (most deare brother) could that Oath therefore bee lawfull, because it was offered
in sort tempered and modified: for you know that those kinde of modifications are
nothing else, but sleights and subtilties of Satan, that the Catholique faith touching the
Primacie of the Sea Apostolike, might either secretly or openly be shot at; for the
which faith so many worthy Martyrs euen in that very England it selfe, haue resisted
vnto blood. For most certaine it is, that in whatsoeuer words the Oath is conceiued by,
the aduersaries of the faith in that Kingdome, it tends to this end, that the Authoritie 

 
 of the head of the Church in England, may bee transferred from the successour of 
 S. Peter, to the successour of King Henry the eight: For that which is pretended of
 the danger of the Kings life, if the high Priest should haue the same power in England,
 which hee hath in all other Christian Kingdomes, it is altogether idle, as all that haue
 any vnderstanding, may easily perceiue. For it was neuer heard of from the Churches
 infancie vntill this day, that euer any Pope did command, that any Prince, though an
 Heretike, though an Ethnike, though a persecutour, should be murdered; or did
 approue of the fact, when it was done by any other. And why, I pray you, doeth onely
 the King of Englandfeare that, which none of all other the Princes in Christendome
 either doeth feare, or euer did feare ? 
 But, as I said, these vaine pretexts are but the traps and stratagemes of Satan:
 Of which kinde I could produce not a fewe out of ancient Stories, if I went about to
 write a Booke and not an Epistle. One onely for example sake, I will call to your
 memory . S. Gregorius Nazianzenus in his first Oration against Iulian the Em-
 perour, reporteth, That hee, the more easily to beguile the simple Christians, did insert
 the Images of the false gods into the pictures of the Emperour, which the Romanes did
 vse to bow downe vnto with a ciuill kinde of reuerence: so that no man could doe
 reuerence to the Emperours picture, but withall hee must adore the Images of the false
 gods; whereupon it came to passe that many were deceiued. And if there were any
 that found out the Emperours craft, and refused to worship his picture, those were most
 grieuously punished, as men that had contemned the Emperour in his Image. Some
 such like thing, me thinkes, I see in the Oath that is offered to you; which is so craftily
 composed, that no man can detest Treason against the King, and make profession of
 his Ciuill subiection, but he must bee constrained perfidiously to denie the Primacie
 of the Apostolicke Sea. But the seruants of Christ, and especially the chiefe Priests
 of the Lord, ought to bee so farre from taking an vnlawfull Oath, where they may
 indamage the Faith, that they ought to beware that they giue not the least suspicion of
 dissimulation that they haue taken it, least they might seeme to haue left any example
 of preuarication tofaithfull people. Which thing that worthy Eleazar did most notably
 performe, who would neither eate swines flesh, nor so much as faine to haue eaten it,
 although hee sawe the great torments that did hang ouer his head; least, as himselfe
 speaketh in the second Booke of the Machabees, many young men might bee brought
 through that simulation, to preuaricate with the Lawe. Neither did Basil the Great
 by his example, which is more fit for our purpose, cary himselfe lesse worthily toward 
 Valens the Emperour. For as Theodoret writeth in his Historie, when the Deputy of
 that heretical Emperour did perswade Saint Basil, that hee would not resist the
 Emperour for a little subtiltie of afew points of doctrine; that most holy and prudent
 man made answere , That it was not to be indured, that the least syllable of Gods
 word should be corrupted, but rather all kind of torment was to be embraced,
 for the maintenance of the Trewth thereof. Now I suppose, that there wants not
 amongst you, who say that they are but subtilties of Opinions that are contained in the
Oath that is offered to the Catholikes, and that you are not to striue against the Kings 

 
 Authoritie for such a little matter. But there are not wanting also amongst you holy
men like vnto Basil the Great, which will openly auow, that the very least syllable of
Gods diuine Trewth is not to bee corrupted, though many torments were to bee en-
dured, and death it selfe set before you: Amongst whom it is meete, that you should bee
one, or rather the Standard-bearer, and Generall to the rest. And whatsoeuer hath
beene the cause, that your Constancie hath quailed, whether it bee the suddaineness of
your apprehension, or the bitternesse of your persecution, or the imbecilitie of your old
age: yet wee trust in the goodnesse of God, and in your owne long continued vertue,
that it will come to passe, that as you seeme in some part to haue imitated the fall of 
Peter and Marcellinus, so you shall happily imitate their valour in recouering your
strength, and maintaining the Trewth: For if you will diligently weigh the whole
matter with your selfe, trewly you shall see, it is no small matter that is called in ques-
tion by this Oath, but one of the principall heads of our Faith, and foundations of
Catholique Religion. For heare what your Apostle Saint Gregorie the Great hath
written in his 24. Epistle of his II. Booke . Let not the reuerence due to the Apos-
tolique Sea, be troubled by any mans presumption; for then the state of the
members doeth remaine entire, when the Head of the Faith is not bruised by any
iniurie: Therefore by Saint Gregories testimonie, when they are busie about disturbing
or diminishing, or taking away of the Primacie of the Apostolique Sea; then are they
busie about cutting of the very head of the faith, and dissoluing of the state of the whole
body, and of all the members. Which selfe same thing S. Leo doth confirme in his
third Sermon of his Assumption to the Popedom, when he saith , Our Lord had a
special care of Peter , & praied properly for Peters faith, as though the state of
others were more stable, when their Princes mind was not to be ouercome. Where-
upon himselfe in his Epistle to the bishops of the prouince of Vienna, doth not doubt
to affirme , that he is not partaker of the diuine Mysterie, that dare depart from the
solidity of Peter, who also saith , That who thinketh the Primacy to be denied to
that Sea, he can in no sort lessen the authority of it; but by being puft vp with
the spirit of his owne pride, doth cast himselfe headlong into hel. These and many
many other of this kind, I am very sure are most familiar to you: who besides many
other books, haue diligently read ouer the visible Monarchy of your owne Sanders, a
most diligent writer, and one who hath worthily deserued of the Church of England
 Neither can you be ignorant, that these most holy and learned men , Iohn bishop of 
Rochester, and Tho. Moore, within our memory, for this one most weighty head of
doctrine, led the way to Martyrdome to many others, to the exceeding glory of the
English nation. But I would put you in remembrance that you should take heart,
and considering the weightines of the cause, not to trust too much to your owne
iudgement, neither be wise aboue that is meet to be wise: and if peraduenture your
fall haue proceeded not vpon want of consideration, but through humane infirmity, &
for feare of punishment and imprisonment, yet do not preferre a temporall liberty to
the liberty of the glory of the Sonnes of God: neither for escaping a light & momentarie
tribulation, lose an eternal weight of glory, which tribulation it selfe doeth worke in you. 



 
 You haue fought a good fight a long time, you haue wel-neere finished your course; so
 many yeeres haue you kept the faith: do not therefore lose the reward of such labors
 do not depriue your selfe of that crowne of righteousnes, which so long agone is pre-
 pared for you; Do not make the faces of so many yours both brethren and children
 ashamed. Vpon you at this time are fixed the eyes of all the Churches: yea also, you
 are made a spectacle to the world, to Angels, to men; Do not so carry your selfe in this
 your last act, that you leaue nothing but laments to your friends, and ioy to your
 enemies. But rather on the contrary, which we assuredly hope, and for which we
 continually powre forth prayers to God, display gloriously the banner of faith, and
 make to reioyce the Church, which you haue made heauy; so shall you not onely
 merite pardon at Gods hands, but a Crowne. Farewell. Quite you like a man, and
 let your heart be strengthened. From Rome the 28. day of September 1607. 
 Your very Reuerendships brother and seruant in Christ, Robert Bellarmine Cardinall.