The Hartlib Papers

Title:Copy Letter, Pope Urban Viii To Tobie Mathew
Dating:14 May [No Year]
Ref:43/66A-67B: 67A, 67B BLANK
[43/66A]

          To our Loving sonne Tobie Mathew,
            Preist of the societie of Iesus.
             Pope Vrban the Eight.
Beloved sonne our greeting & Apostolique blesseing.
The earnest zeale for the good of soules wherewith you have soe many yeares labored in the Vinyard of the Lord & shewed yourselfe a stout soldier, deserves that wee give due praise to your vertues, Truly wee were very glad to heare what paines you take to enlarge the Apostolique Sea. And with wat zeale of Charity you become all things to all men, to gaine all, And truly it is fitt that you an Apostolique man [deletion] taught by the example of the great Apostle, live with Iewes as a Iew and with them that are without law as if you were without law, thereby to advance the dignity of the Apostolique Sea.
Therefore having resolved to send over into great Brittaine our beloved sonne the Count of Rossith, a yong man Exceeding zealous in the Cause of God, our & the Apostolique Seas Nonce with the power of a Legate a Latere, wee have thought fitt in our Apostolique Care to recommend him to your trust, Wee have therefore Commanded him to Communicate with you the instruccions given to him, and subscribed by our beloved sonne & Nephew Francis Barbarin Cardinall of the holy Church of Rome, And wee request of you by the zeale wherewith you are inflamed for the Apostolique sea, And moreouer wee Command you to direct, advise and instruct this our sonne & Nonce and Correct the faults & errours (which through his youth hee may easily fall into) That the honour of the Apostolique sea may remaine without blemish, And in a word that you be to him as his angell-guardian.
Truly wee Conceive great hopes that this sonne & Nonce being assisted by your Councells, will bring forth great fruites in the Catholique Church, Labor therefore beloved sonne doe the worke of an Evangelique, fulfill your Ministery, kindle in the Catholiques the fire of the zeale of God, Comfort them, but cheifly those Amazons, who (as wee heard of our beloved sonne George Con) doe day & night employ theire vttermost endeavors for the dignity of the Apostolique sea, Wee doe not distrust in God nor in his power, but that as by the occasion of one woman the authority of the Apostolique
[43/66B]

sea was suppressed in the Realme of England, Soe now by these soe many heroicall Women (followers of the Society of Iesus, in Imitacion of those Women that followed Iesus from Galilea, The same shall shortly bee restored in that Kingdome, Therefore exhort & Encourage them to goe on manfully <in> the workes begun, & that they persevere in deserving well of the Apostolique sea, which hath a [peculiar?] of devoted women, Wee pray the father of our Lord Iesus Christ send you his holy Ghost to preserve you in all things, & through all, And soe beloved Sonne wee give you our Apostolique blessing.   Given in Rome at St Peters Vnder the signett of the Fisher the 14 of May./