Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/99

 1 58 1.] THE JESUIT INVASION. 83 be forced into disloyalty, and could they be permitted would gladly continue to attend the Church services as before. But they dared not resist the Jesuit authorities. Their wishes were referred to Parsons and Campian, who though they could not sanction what the Council of Trent had forbidden, yet allowed them to use their best ingenuity to evade the statute. ' No Catholic Christian,' it was said, ' could go to church without danger of damnable schism.' The An- glicans might claim the name of Catholic, but their ministers ' were some Protestants, some Puritans, some holding other plain heresies.' ' He that was a Protest- ant to-day would to-morrow be a Puritan, or some other sectary.' 'No Catholic therefore ought to pray with them or hear them preach.' ' Christians were bound fully and wholly, and not by pieces and patches, to keep the Catholic faith, which was impossible to be done if they went to church and prayed and communi- cated with heretics and schismatics, Puritans, Anabap- tists, Brownists, or the Family of Love.' When how- ever they were asked whether they would or would not go to church, they need not answer. No one by Eng- lish law was bound to criminate himself, while a general refusal might lead ' the simple ' ' to repute them Atheists or Godless.' Before they could be indicted there must be proof of fact or facts. A B, it would have to be said, being of the age of sixteen years, for the space of many months had not frequented church or chapel, not having lawful excuse. And of this no jury could possibly be assured. That a man had not attended his