you You have but too long impofed upon the world, and abufed that credit which was given to your impoftures. It is high time to restore the reputation of those whom had afperfed. For what innocence is there that can be fo univerfally acknowledged but what must suffer fome ftain, from the confident impostures of a fociety which is fpread over the face of the whole earth? Who, under the garb of religious men, cover fouls fo void of religion as to commit fuch a crime as defamation, and afterwards, defend it by an avowed maxim of their own coining. I hope the world then will excufe me for destroying that confidence which might at first be repofed in you; fince it is much greater justice to preferve, for fo many as you have injured, that reputation of piety which they ought not to be robbed of, than to leave you that reputation of fincerity which not deserve. you do But as one cannot be done without the other, it is abfolutely neceffary to let the world know, what fort of creatures you are. This is what I have now entered upon, but to go through with it will take up a good deal more of my time: however, Fathers, I give you my word, the world fhall see it, and and I defy your whole politics to guaranty you from it. For all the efforts you can employ to hinder it, will only fhew, even to perfons of the leaft penetration, that you were afraid, and your own confciences condemning you for what I might further fay, will prove you have done all you could to prevent it. LETTER XVI. Dec. 4, 1656. I Rev. FATHERS, Come now to the reft of your calumnies, but I fhall answer in the first place, those that remain of your ADVERTISEMENTS. But, as all your other books are equally full of them, I fhall not want ample matter to entertain you on this fubject, as long as I fhall judge it proper. As to your idle story against the Bishop of Ypres, which we meet with in all your writings, I take upon me to say, that you maliciously abuse fome doubtful expreffions in one of his letters; which being capable of a good fenfe fhould be taken in a good fenfe, according to the charitable spirit of the Church; and cannot indeed be taken other wife, but by the malicious spirit of a Jefuit. For when he says to his friend, "Do not trou"ble yourself so much about your nephew; " for I will fupply him with what he wants "out of the money I have in my hands;" why should you conftrue those words as if he meant to take that money as never intending to repay it, rather than as laying fo much of it out at present, intending to make it good afterwards? But how came you to be guilty of fo great an imprudence as to prove yourfelves liars, by your own teftimony from the Bishop's other letters of your own printing, by which it plainly appears that what he [the Bishop] laid out was only by of ADVANCE MONEY, which he was afterwards to reimburse? This is evident from money =way the letter (which to your confufion you published) bearing date July 30, 1619, which fays exprefly, "Do not trouble yourself about ADVANCE-MONEY, he shall not want any thing as long as he is here." And from that of Jan. 6, 1620, where he says, "You are too preffing; but should I be call"ed upon to give in my accounts immedi ately, I do not doubt but that the little "credit I have in this place, will yet be e"nough for me to make up the money upon "occafion." N 3 You in You fee, Fathers, you are as great impoftors in what you say about the Bishop, as your ridiculous story about the poor's box of St. Merry. For what fervice has that accufation done you, which one of your engines brought against the poor clergyman, whom you wanted to tear in pieces? Must we conclude that a man is guilty because he is accufed? God forbid, Fathers; because men of his piety may be accused for ever, as long as there are calumniators in the world like you, We must not then judge of him from his accufation, but from his fentence. Now the sentence paffed the 23d of Feb. 1656, abfolutely cleared him and what is more, the very person who foolishly engaged himfelf in this iniquitous profecution, was not only disowned by his collegues, but obliged to retract all he had faid. And as to what you say in the fame place of that "famous director who enriched himfelf in a mo"ment, to the value of 900,000 livres," I fhall only refer you to the minifters of St. Rock and St. Paul, who can fatisfy all Paris, as well of that gentleman's equity, as your inexcufable malice, in this your fo base imposture, But |