A Historical Sketch of the Conflicts Between Jesuits and Seculars: In the Reign of Queen Elizabeth with a Reprint of Christopher Bagshaw's 'True Relation of the Faction Begun at Wisbich' and Illustrative Documents (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A Historical Sketch of the Conflicts Between Jesuits and Seculars: In the Reign of Queen Elizabeth With a Reprint of Christopher Bagshaw's 'True Relation of the Faction Begun at Wisbich' and Illustrative Documents

The True Relation of the Faction begun at Wisbeach is something more than the story of a quarrel among Roman catholic priests of interest only to themselves. The quarrel was indeed fierce and prolonged and widespread, and could not but leave its mark upon the condition and character of the clerical body itself. But although on the surface it seemed principally concerned with matters of ecclesiastical government and discipline, this Eight Years' War of the priests had its origin and its issue in political differences of no small historical importance. The faction led by the jesuits contended for the Spanish succession and the subjection of England to the pope by force of arms. Their opponents were for the king of Scots whether catholic or protestant. The one party upheld the papal claim to depose princes, while the members of the other party came to protest that in case of any attempt to enforce such a claim they should be bound in conscience to defend their sovereign in defiance of all ecclesiastical censures. These same men aimed at securing some measure of toleration for their religion, and at establishing a modus vivendi with the state. The jesuit zealots were for war to the knife, and for obvious reasons detested the thought of toleration.1 Their ecclesiastical scheme which gave most offence - the appointment of an archpriest - was mainly projected with the View of gaining vantage-ground for political action. These grave con.

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