fix, the number of barrels, by twelve, the number of parliaments, it will make four hundred and thirty-two barrels, which, at a hundred crowns per barrel, will amount to not quite a hundred and thirty thousand livres; a mere trifle for the reverend father-general. The parliaments thus difpofed of, you may beftow their places upon your congregationists, who are perfectly well verfed in the laws of the realm. Sixthly, It will be a very easy matter to poison the cardinal de Noailles, who is a very fimple, unfufpecting man. Your reverence may take the fame steps for converfion with feveral of the refractory prelates; and their bishoprics, by a brief from the pope, may be put into the hands of the Jefuits: thus all the bishops that remain being ftaunch to the good cause, and they making a proper choice of curates, I, with your reverence's permiffion, would give the following advice: Seventhly and lastly, As the Jansenists are faid to take the facrament one time in the year at leaft, which is at Eafter, it would not be amiss to feafon the confecrated wafers with a little of that drug which was used to do justice upon the emperor Henry VII. Some nice caviller may perhaps tell me, that in this operation we may run fome rifque in poisoning the Molinifts at the fame time; there is fome weight in this objection but then it should be confidered, that there is no project without its inconveniencies; nor any fyftem, but what threatens deftruction in fome part. And if we were to be ftopped by thefe little difficulties, we should never attain our end in any thing: befides, as here we have in view the obtaining the greateft of all poffible advantages, we should not fuffer ourselves to be fhocked, though it brings. With it fome bad confequences, especially as thofe confequences are of little or no confideration. And after all, we shall have nothing to reproach ourselves with, fince it is proved, that the Reformed, as they call themselves, and the Janfenifts, have all of them their portion in hell; therefore, we only put them in poffeffion of their inheritance a little the fooner. It is as evident, that heaven belongs of right to the Molinifts; therefore by destroying them by by mistake, and without any evil intention, we haften their happiness; and are in both cafes the minifters of Providence. As to those who may be a little fhocked at the number to be thus made away with, your reverence may remark to them, that from the first flourishing days of the church to the year 1707, that is to fay, in about fourteen hundred years, religion has occafioned the maffacre of upwards of fifty millions of perfons; whereas by my propofal, not above fix millions and a half will be put to death by the halter, the dagger, or poifon. But perhaps it may be objected, that my calculation is not juft, and that I have committed an error against the Rule of Three; inasmuch, as, that if in fourteen hundred years, there perifhed fifty millions of fouls, on account of fome trifling difputes in divinity, that makes only thirty-five thousand seven hundred and fourteen, and fome little fraction in a year, and confequently, that by my method an overplus of fix millions fixty-four thousand two hundred and eighty-five and fome fractions, are put to death in the current year. But indeed, this a very childish quibble; nay, I'll even call it impious: for for is it not plain, that by my method, I fave the lives of all the Catholics, fo long as the world fhall laft? But in fhort, there would be no end of answering every frivolous objection. I am, With the most profound Respect, Reverend Father, Your Reverence's Moft humble, Moft devout, And most humane R Native of Angoulême, Prefect of the Congregation. This glorious fcheme however could not be carried into execution, because it required a confiderable time to make the neceffary difpofitions, and that father Le Tellier was banished the year following. But as it is right to examine both fides of an argument, it will be proper to enquire in what cafes it may be lawful to follow in part the scheme of the reverend father's |