could never be fatisfied; nor do I defire any further Difputation about them, but rather to fpend the reft of my life in Devotion; yet in part to give you, my dear good Friend, fome account of my felf, having now fo good an occafion, and fit a Meffenger, and by you if you please to render a reafon of my Faith to Mr. Hall, who in his faid printed Epistle, in one place defires to know the Motives thereof, I have thus plainly made relation of fome Points among many. Whereunto if Mr. Hall will make any Reply, I do defire it may be dia rectly, and fully to the Points, and in friendly Terms, upon which condition I do pardon what is paft: and of you I know I need not require any fuch circumstances. And fo moft feriously entreating and praying to our gracious Lord to direct and keep us all and ever in his holy Truth, I commend you unto his heavenly Grace, and my felf unto your friendly love. Sevil in Spain, Your very affectionate and true loving Friend, James Waddefworth. To + To the Worshipful, his refpected Friend, Mr. William Bedell, at his Houfe in S. Edmundsbury, or at Horringer, be there delivered in Suffolk. Kind Mr. Bedell. M Ine old acquaintance and Friend, having heard of your health and worldly welfare, by this Bearer Mr. Auften your Neighbour, and by him having opportunity to falute you with thefe few Lines, I could not omit; though fome few Years fince I wrote you by one who fince told me certainly he deliver'd my Letters,and that you promised anfwer, and so you are in my debt, which I do not claim nor urge fo much, as I do that in truth and before our Lord I fpeak it, you do owe me love in all mutual amity, for the hearty affectionate love which I have and ever did bear unto you with all fincerity. For though I love not your Religion, (wherein I could never find folid truth, nor firm hope of Salvation, as now I do being a Catholick, and our Lord is my Witnefs, who fhall be my Judge) yet indeed I do love your perfon, and your ingenuous, honeft, good, moral condition, which ever I obferved in you: nor do I defire to have altercations with Mr. Jofeph Hall (efpecially if he fhould proceed as Satyrically as he hath begun with me) nor with any other Man, and much less would I have any debate with R your your felf, whom I do esteem and affect as before I have written: Nor would I spend the reft of my life (which I take to be fhort, for my Lungs are decaying) in any Questions, but rather in Devotion, wherein I do much more defire to be hot and fervorous, than in Difputations, befeeching our Lord to forgive my coldness, yea my neglect therein, and to par don and free me from all fin, and to guide and keep you in all happiness, even as I wish for my own Soul, through the redemption of our fweet Saviour, and by the interceffion of his holy Mother, and all Saints, Amen. To the Worfbipful my very good Friend, Mr. James Waddefworth at Madrid, deliver this. T Salutem in Chrifto Jefu. He late receipt of your Letters (good Mafter Waddefworth)did diver fly affect me with joy and fhame; and I know not with whether most. I was glad to hear of you, and your profperous ftate, much more to receive a kind Letter Letter from you: Albamed therein to be called upon for debt; who have ever endeavoured to live by that Rule of the Apoftle, Owe nothing to any Man, Tet not fo much for that which you most urge the debt of Love, fith by that Text it appears, that it can never be fo dif charged, as there should not be more behind to pay. And your felf who challenge this of me, do owe me as much or well more. For let me tell you, I have the advantage of you herein by my Profeffion, for where your Love is to me as to a Man, or to an honeft Man, nor can by your prefent perfwafion go any further, I can and do love you as my dear Brother, and fellow Member in the mystical body of our Lord Jefus Christ. And from this ground (to bis knowledge I do appeal) I do heartily pray for you, and bear with you, and as the Apoftle enjoins, Rom. 15. 7, receive you with a true brotherly affection. I am not therefore afbamed of this debt, but do rejoice as much in the awing of it, as in the payment. But my fhame grows from the being behind with you in the Of fice of writing. Wherein yet hear my honest and true excufe. Neither will I go about to fet off one debt with another. For you may remember, how at our parting you promised to write to me touching the flate of Religion there, which if we fball make out a perfect reckoning, I account to be a good debt fill. But this I fay, when your Letters of the first of April, 1615. came to my Hands, I purpofed to return anfwer by the fame Bearer, who as he told me, was to return about the Midfummer R 2 follow following. But I had a fudden and extraor dinary journey which came between, and kept me from home till after the Commencement, fo as that opportunity was lost. Befides upon the reading of your Letters, I perceived your intention was to have them imparted to Dr. Hall, expecting in a fort fome reply from him. Ta bim therefore did I fend them. After Some Months I received this anfwer, which tho I had once purpofed to conceal, as not willing to be the mean of any exasperation between you, yet now hoping of your wisdom and patience, I fend you inclofed, that it may be fome evidence of my true excufe. Upon the receipt of it, I began to frame an answer to the points of your Letter according to your defire, full and in friendly terms. I had well-nigh finished it, when I was prefented to this Benefice, and thereby entered into a World of Diftractions. Thefe, together with the labour of writing it over, and uncertainty of fafe conveying my Letters to you, did make me procraftinate my payment, till now to my shame you should need to demand it. And that I may by the more foaming my felf obtain a more eafy penance from you; I confess to you, I was fometime half in mind, having especially deferred it fo long) to fupprefs it altogether. First out of mine own natural Difpofition, who have ever abhorred contention, and whereas in matters of Religi on there ought to be the fairest Wars, I could never yet meet with any of that fide of fo patient a mind, but by oppofition he would be unfettled. For your felf, though I knew your for mer, |