ARTICLE IV.

Of Purgatory.

I cannot give a real account of Purgatory, but I will tell al I know of the practices and doctrines of the Romish priests and friars, in relation to that imaginary place, which indeed must be of vast extent and almost infinite capacity, if, as the priests give out, there are as many apartments in it as conditions and ranks of people in the world among Roman. Catholics.

The intenseness of the fire in Purgatory is calculated by them, which they say is eight degrees, and that of hell only four degrees. But there is a great difference between these two fires, in this, viz. that of purgatory (though more intense, active, consuming and devouring) is but for a time, of which the souls may be freed by the suffrages of masses; but that of hell is forever. In both places, they say, the souls are tormented, and deprived of the glorious sight of God, but the souls in purgatory (though they endure a great deal more than those in hell) have certain hopes of seeing God sometime or other, and that hope is enough to make them to be called the blessed souls.

Pope Adrian the Third, confessed, that there was no mention of purgatory in scripture, or in the writings of the holy fathers; but notwithstanding this, the council of Trent has settled the doctrine of purgatory without alleging any one passage of the holy scripture, and gave so much liberty to priests and friars by it, that they build in that fiery palace, apartments for kings, princes, grandees, noblemen, merchants and tradesmen, for ladies of quality, for gentlemen and tradesmen's wives, and for poor common people. These are the eight apartments which answer to the eight degrees of intensus ignis, i. e. intense fire; and they make the people believe, that the poor people only endure the least degree; the second being greater, is for gentlewomen and tradesmen's wives, and so on to the eighth degree, which being the greatest of all, is reserved for kings. By this wicked doctrine they get gradually masses from all sorts and conditions of people, in proportion to their greatness. But as the poor cannot give so many masses as the great, the lowest chamber of purgatory is always crowded with the reduced souls of those unfortunately fortunate people, for they say to them, that the providence of God has ordered every thing to the ease of his creatures, and that foreseeing

that the poor people could not afford the same number of mas ses that the rich could, his infinite goodness had placed them in a place of less sufferings in purgatory.

But it is a remarkable thing, that many poor, silly tradesmen's wives, desirous of honor in the next world, ask the friars whether the souls of their fathers, mothers, or sisters, can be removed from the second apartment (reckoning from the lowest) to the third, thinking by it, that though the third degree of fire is greater than the second, yet the soul would be better pleased in the company of ladies of quality; but the worst is, that the friar makes such women believe, that he may do it very easily, if they give the same price for a mass the ladies of quality give. I knew a shoemaker's wife, very ignorant, proud, and full of punctilios of honor, who went to a Franciscan friar, and told him that she desired to know whether her own father's soul was in purgatory or not, and in what apartment. The friar asked her how many masses she could spare for it; she said two; and the friar answered, your father's soul is among the beggars. Upon hearing this, the poor woman began to cry, and desired the friar to put him, if possible, in the fourth apartment, and she would pay him for it; and the quantum being settled, the friar promised to place him there the next day; so the poor woman ever since gives out that her father was a rich merchant, for it was revealed to her, that his soul is among the merchants in purgatory.

Now what can we say, but that the pope is the chief Governor of that vast place, and priests and friars the quarter-masters that billet the souls according to their own fancies, and have the power, and give for money the king's apartments to the soul of a shoemaker, and that of a lady of quality to her washer-woman.

But mind reader, how chaste the friars are in procuring a separate place for ladies in purgatory; they suit this doctrine to the temper of a people whom they believe to be extremely jealous, and really not without ground of them, and so no soul of a woman can be placed among men. Many serious people are well pleased with this christian caution; but those that are given to pleasure do not like it at all; and I knew a pleasant young collegian, who went to a friar and told him: father, I own I love the fair sex; and I believe my soul will always retain that inclination. I am told that no man's soul can be in company with ladies, and it is a dismal thing for me to think, that I must go there, (but as for hell, I am in nc danger of it, thanks to the pope,) where I shall never see any more women,

which will prove the greatest of torments to my soul: so I have resolved to agree with your reverence beforehand, upon this point. I have a bill of ten pistoles upon Peter la Vinna Ban quer, and if you can assure me, either to send me straight to heaven when I die, or to the ladies apartment in purgatory, you shall have the bill; and if you cannot, I must submit to the will of God, like a good christian. The friar seeing the bill, which he thought ready money, told him that he could do either of the two, and that he himself might choose which of the two places he pleased. But father (said the collegian,) the case is, that I love Donna Teresa Spinola, but she does not love me, and I do not believe that I can expect any favor from her in this world, so I would know whether she is to go before me to purgatory or not. O! that is very certain (said the friar.) I choose then (said the collegian,) the ladies apartment, and here is the bill, if you give me a certificate under your hand, that the thing shall be so; but the friar refusing to give him any authentic certificate, the collegian laughed at him, and made satirical verses upon him, which were printed, and which I read. I knew the friar too, who being mocked publicly, was obliged to remove from his convent to another in the country.

Notwithstanding all these railleries, of which the inquisitors cannot take notice, being not against the catholic faith; priests and friars do daily endeavor to prove, that purgatory is a real existent place, and that by masses, the souls detained in it are daily delivered out of it. And this they prove by many revelations made to devout, pious people; and by many apparitions.

They not only preach them publicly, but books are printed of such revelations and apparitions. I remember many of them, but I shall not trouble the reader with them; only I will tell some of the most remarkable ones of my time.

In the latter end of King Charles the Second's reign, a nun of Guadalarajara wrote a letter to his majesty, acquainting him, that it was revealed to her by an angel, that the soul of his father, Philip the IV. was still in purgatory, (all alone in the royal apartments) and likewise in the lowest chamber, the said king Philip's shoemaker, and that upon saying so many masses, both should be delivered out of it, and should go to enjoy the ravishing pleasures of an eternal life. The nun was repu

ted a saint upon earth, and the simple king gave orders to his confessor to say, or order so many masses to be said, for that purpose; after which, the said nun wrote again to his majesty,

congratulating and wishing him joy, for the arrival of his father to heaven; but that the shoemaker, who was seven degrees lower than Philip in purgatory, was then seven degrees higher than his majesty in heaven, because of his better life on earth, who never had committed any sin with women, as Philip had done all his life time, but that all was forgiven to him on account of the masses.

Again, they give out in the pulpit, that the pope has an absolute power to make the mass efficacious to deliver the soul, for which it is said, out of that place; and that his holiness can take at once all the souls out of it; as Pious the Vth did, (as they report) who, when he was cardinal, was mighty devout, and a great procurer of the relief of souls, and who had prom ised them with a solemn oath, that if, by their prayers in purgatory, he should be chosen Pope, then he would empty purgatory of all the souls at once. At last, by the intercession of the souls with God Almighty, he was elected pope, and immediately he delivered all the souls out of that place; but that Jesus Christ was so angry with the new pope, that he appeared to him, and bade him not to do any such thing again, for it was prejudicial to the whole clergy and friarship. That pope delivered all the souls out of purgatory, by opening the treasure of the church, in which were kept millions of masses, which the popes make use of for the augmenting the riches of the holy see. But he took care not to do it again; for though quodcunque solveritis in Terra, erit solutum et in Calis, there is not specified the same power in purgatory, therefore, ever since, the popes take no authority, nor liberty to sweep purgatory at once, for it would prove their ruin, and reduce the clergy to poverty.

When some ignorant people pay for a mass, and are willing to know whether the soul for which the mass is said, is, after the mass, delivered out of purgatory; the friar makes them be lieve, that the soul will appear in the figure of a mouse within the tabernacle of the altar, if it is not out of it, and then it is a sign that the soul wants more masses; and if the mouse does not appear, the soul is in heaven. So when the mass is over, he goes to the tabernacle backwards, where is a little door with a crystal, and lets the people look through it: But O pitiful thing! They see a mouse which the friars keep, (perhaps for this purpose) and so the poor sots give more money for more masses, till they see the mouse no more. They have a revelation ready at hand, to say, that such a devout person was told by an angel, that the soul for which the mass is said, was

to appear in the figure of a mouse in the saurario or tabernacle.

Many other priests and friars do positively affirm, and we see many instances of it forged by them in printed books, that when they consecrate the host, the little boy Jesus doth appear to them in the host, and that is a sign that the soul is out of purgatory. There is a fine picture of St. Anthony de Paula, with the host in his hand, and the little Jesus is in the host, because that divine boy frequently appeared to him when he said mass, as the history of his life gives an account. But at the same time, they say, that no layman can see the boy Jesus, because it is not permitted to any man but to priests to see so heavenly a sight: and by that means they give out what sort of stories they please, without any fear of ever being found out in a lie.

As to the second day of November, which is the day of the souls of purgatory, in which every priest and friar sayeth three masses for the delivery of so many souls out of the pains of it, they generally say, that from three of the clock, of the first day of November (all-saints' day) till three in the afternoon, the next day, all the souls are out of purgatory, and entirely free from the pains of it; (those four and twenty hours being granted by his holiness for a refreshment to them) and that all that while they are in the air diverting themselves, and expecting the relief of so many masses, to get by them the desired end, viz. The celestial habitations. On these twentyfour hours, they ring the bells of all the churches and convents, which (as they say) is a great suffrage and help to the souls, and on that day only, priests and friars get more money than they get in two months time beside; for every family, and private persons too, give yellow wax candles to the church, and money for masses and responsa, i. e. a prayer for the dead, and all these twenty-four hours the churches are crowded with people, and the priests and friars continually singing prayers for the dead, and this they call the priests and friars fair day; which they solemnize with the continual ringing of bells, though they give out, that it is a suffrage for the souls of purgatory.

And on the same pretence, there is a man in every parish that goes in the dark of the evening through all the streets with a bell, praying for the souls, and asking charity for them in every house, always ringing the bell as a suffrage. The duke of Ossuna made a witty repartee to pope Innocent the XIth, on this subject. The duke was ambassador for the king