MARY FERRAR Widdow, Mother and Matron'
of this Familie; aged about 80. yeares, that
bids adue to all feares and hopes of this world,
and desires to serve God.

The Letters of the top of which Inscription are the proper Character of the Jesuites in eve

ry

Booke and Exhibite of theirs.

And the lines

of the Inscription, how full of nonsence, justification and ostentation of superstitious devotion, besides their Creation of Angels of GOD; Let every understanding Christian Reader or hearer hereof judge.

The Prolocutor in justification of the Jesuiticall forme of Letters which I excepted against he said it was the auspicious name worthy to be the Alpha and Omega of all our Actions, and wee are commanded to write such things upon the posts of our Houses, and upon our Gates: Whereas indeed the Text which hee aimed at is in the Old Testament and not in the New, where there is no * mention of Jesus * Pag. 6. but Jehovah: And the words are most plainly, Moses Precept of the Law of God, and not of the Name, &c. Deut. 6. &c.

Therfore this his Apologeticall answere was nothing but ignorant Eloquence, or eloquent Ignorance; most grossly and absurdly applyed.

This Prolocutor confessed himselfe to bee about 42. yeares old, was a fellow in a House in Cambridge (he named not what House) and that he had taken Orders of a Deacon (but he said nothing of his having beene at Rome, as it is well knowne he hath beene.)

Now I was invited by this Deacon to goe with him into the Chappell to their devotion,

at the entrance whereof this Priestlike deft Deacon made a low obeysance, a few paces farther lower, and comming to the half-pace which is at the East end where the altered Table stood, hee bowed and prostrated himselfe to the ground; then he went up into a faire large reading place (having placed mee above with a faire large Window Cushion of green Velvet before me:) The Mother Matron with all her Traine, which were her Daughters and Daughters Daughters, who with foure Sonnes kneeled all the while on the bodie of the halfe pace, all being in black gownes, and as they came to Church in round Monmouth Capps, all I say in blacke, save one of the Daughters who was in a Friers grey gowne.

We being all placed before the Deacon (for now so we must call him) with a very loud and shrill voyce began and trolled out the Letanie, and read divers other Prayers and Collects in the Book of Common Prayer and Athanasius his Creed; and concluded with the forme of words, of, The Peace of God, &c.

Their Service ended, the Mother with all * Pag. 7. her Company attending my comming downe; but I durst not come very neere lest I might happily have light upon one of the Virgins lippes, not knowing whether they would have taken a second kisse in good part or no, with

their civill salutations towards mee, which I returned them a far off, they departed from the Chappell home.

Now the Deacon and I left, I observed the Chappell in generall to bee fairely and speciously adorned with herbes and flowers naturall and artificiall, and upon every pillar along on both sides the Chappell (such as are in Cathedrall Churches,) Tapers; I meane, great Virgin-waxe-Candles on every Pillar: The halfepace at the upper end (for there was no other division betwixt the body of the Chappell and the East end) was all covered with Tapestry and upon that halfe-pace stood the Altar-like Table, with a rich Carpet hanging very large on the halfe-pace, and some Plate, as a Challice, and Candlesticks with waxe-Candles in them: By the preaching-place stood the Font, a Leglaver and cover all of Brasse cut and carved with Imagery worke, the Laver of the bignesse of a Barbers Bason, and the Cover had a Crosse erected on it. And this is all I had leisure to observe in the Chappell.

Then I made bold in temperate termes to aske the Deacon what use they made of so many Tapers on the Table, and in the Chappell ; he answered (forsooth) to give them light, when they could not see without them. And having formerly as I said before obtained leave

to say what I listed, I asked him to whom he made all these Courtesies, bowings and prostrations, he said to GoD; I told him the Papists make no other answere for their bowing to Images and Crucifixes, yet we account them Idolaters for so doing, as justly wee may: Hee Pag. 8. said wee have no such warrant for the one;

*

but for the other we had a precept (forsooth) to doe all things with decencie and order, as he tooke this to be. I demanded then why hee used not the same solemnitie in his house, and whether he thought the Chappell more holy then his Honse, he said no, but that God was more immediately present in the Chappell then in the House, whilst we were worshipping him, I replied that God was as present at Paules Crosse, as in Paules Church, at the Preaching-place at White hall and the Spittle-Sermons, as in other Churches and Chappels. For wheresoever two or three, &c. and in those fore-named places, no not in the bodie of any Churches, though there be Sermons and Prayers there, we do not use this threefold reverence, or bowing, or prostrating, no nor the Papists themselves, unless in the Chancell towards the East, wherein an Altar or some Crucifix is; He answered me somewhat confusedly, for this their trinary number of bowing which I did not well understand, nor well conceive what he meant.