Perrot against the pope, or, A true copy of John Perrot the Quakers letter and challenge to the pope with His Holiness's answer thereto : and an account of the Quakers proceedings and entertainment at Rome.

Perrot against the pope, or, A true copy of John Perrot the Quakers letter and challenge to the pope with His Holiness's answer thereto : and an account of the Quakers proceedings and entertainment at Rome.



Author: J. P. (John Perrot), d. 1671?
Title: Perrot against the pope, or, A true copy of John Perrot the Quakers letter and challenge to the pope with His Holiness's answer thereto : and an account of the Quakers proceedings and entertainment at Rome.
Print source: Perrot against the pope, or, A true copy of John Perrot the Quakers letter and challenge to the pope with His Holiness's answer thereto : and an account of the Quakers proceedings and entertainment at Rome.

J. P. (John Perrot), d. 1671?
London: Printed the 9th. day of the 4th. moneth called June, 1662.
Notes:
Reproduction of original in the University of Illinois Library.
Subject terms:
Catholic Church -- Controversial literature.
Anti-Catholicism.
URL: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A54458.0001.001
How to cite: For suggestions on citing this text, please see Citing the TCP on the Text Creation Partnership website.




Contents
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title page
THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER.
PROPOSITIONS TO THE POPE, FOR THE Proving his Power of Remitting Sins, and other Do¦ctrines of his Church, as Principles destroying Souls in Darkness, and undeter∣minable Death.
FABIUS GHISIUS POPE of ROME TO JOHN PERROT QUAKER of LONDON.


===

Perrot against the pope, or, A true copy of John Perrot the Quakers letter and challenge to the pope with His Holiness's answer thereto : and an account of the Quakers proceedings and entertainment at Rome.J. P. (John Perrot), d. 1671?
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Page 1

PROPOSITIONS TO THE POPE, FOR THE Proving his Power of Remitting Sins, and other Do¦ctrines of his Church, as Principles destroying Souls in Darkness, and undeter∣minable Death.

To Fabius Guisius, Pope, at his Pallace in Monte Cavallo in Roma.

POPE of ROME 

It is not unknown, that for the space of three years, wanting lesse than seven dayes, I was held in most cruel Bonds under thy Hands; where by the mighty power of God I was borne, and car∣ried through ignominious and oppro∣brious scoffs and mocks, threats of Death divers wayes, and of perpetual Slavery of∣tentimes: Besides other times most cruelly and inhumanely tortured, bruised, and exceedingly wounded in my fleshly Body; for none other cause (the God of Righteousnesse knoweth, and that of God in all mens Consciences in that City of Rome can bear me witnesse, which saw my Conversation from the first to the last of my imprisonment) but honestly, simply, and purely, 

Page 2 

for Righteousness sake, viz. because I Exhorted All men to Re∣pentance; and warned them in Season, to take heed to their wayes, lest a sore Evil should come upon them; I say, for this love of my tender Soul, towards Thine, and their Souls and Bo∣dies, was I so inhumanely requited both by Thee and Them, which the Righteous LORD of Heaven knoweth, and Thou in thy Conscience knowest it; as many others of the Heads, Ru∣lers, Priests, Doctors, Fryars, Jesuits, and People of Rome do know the same thing; and after many Wrongs which I bare, and bruises and wounds that I suffered, shut up in a Room, where there was scarce a Breathing place, chained in Irons, mocked of the Wicked, because my natural eyes could see neither visible Sun nor Moon; where moreover, I was tempted with the World, and proffered all the Pleasures which ever my Heart could desire, so that I would be, but as thy Priests were, which dayly tempted me unto Idolatry. (I say) all which I suffered, until at length my Innocent patient Soul had worn out, and overcome, all the Cruelty towards me, which was Exercised upon me, by the Ʋnreasonable Hands of Sinners: and that the Lord arose to plead my Cause for me, and stirred up such, as I neither desired, nay, nor in the least outwardly knew, to appear in my Behalf; and made some of his Servants to offer up their lives for my Redemption, which were known to be freely sacrificed in Rome; for whose Live unto me, they were also Imprisoned by Thy power, who, below the Law of Heathens, stood not openly to shew us any cause of our Sufferings.

Yet, after all this, (though I am a man wholly given unto my God, having given all things else unto Him who made them) if it were the will of my Father, commanding me unto Silence, and to sit down as him that is Dumb, and never to open my mouth, nor lead on my Pen on Paper, to Remonstrate the things that are past, concerning my Suffering dayes, verily, I should Obey, and say Good is the Will of my God, who teacheth me Sub∣jection. But being commanded unto this thing, I can of a pure heart, in the sight of my Almighty God, say, that I write not to take a Revenge of my Cause, having committed Vengeance unto him that repayeth in Righteousnesse. (Whom, I pray for mercy, to be manifested unto you All, having a long time stood in the Gap for Rome; with many Tears, offering my Life for the In∣habitants of that City, which the God of Heaven knoweth, and 

Page 3 

that I can at 〈…〉 to serve them all in the way wherein my Father leadeth me But O Pope for thy •ouls sake, and the peoples Souls sakes which have a dependance upon thy Power, I am contrained to write this time unto thee in this manner, shewing that in the Name and holy Fear of the Lord God of Hea∣ven and Earth, who hath led me in my Pilgrimage, by his Right Hand of Power, and pleaded my Cause with my Enemies, by reigning down fire from Heaven upon them, and by diverse Judgements in Rome, whilest there the people oppressed my Inno∣cent Soul with Cruelty; which may as is needful hereafter) be more at large spoken of. I proptmd it unto Thee, (as being the HEAD of that people, which are called the Roman Catho∣lick Church) to Constitute, Order, and appoint one hundred of thy Chiefest and Propoundest Iesuits or Doctors of Divinity, (so called by thee) to give me a fair, open and publick Meet∣ing, in England, Germany, France, Italy or Turkey, (viz.) in the most expedient place, for the advantage of the Glory of God (who Created the whole earth for that end as a way may be made to attain a Licence from the Powers of the said Nations, to effect the said Meeting. I say, chuse thee thy hundred or more persons for thy defence, and in the Name of the Lord God and in his Councel, I shall stand in the face of a Nation, or many Nations, to prove to that of God in every Conscience upon the face of the Earth, That thy pretended power of Remission of Sins, is of the old Serpent the Devil, drowning Souls in the Lake of Hell and Perdition.
1st. By the time of the comming in of Popes.
2dly. By the manner of chusing Popes.
3dly. By the matter of the precepts of Popes. viz.

First, That the Doctrine of teaching people to pray unto the Virgin Mary is damnable, drowning the Soul in the pit Hell.

Secondly, That the Doctrine of teaching of the people to call on more Advocates, Mediators, and Intercessors, Than looking upon the One MEDIATOR JESUS, is of the pit of 〈…〉 blinding and binding souls in the blackness of the night of death.

Thirdly, That the Invention of Pictures and Images in 

Page 4 

your Worships, is of the destroying Spirit, of the power of Darkness, chaining Souls in the Pit.

Fourthly, That your manner of Consecrating Waffers, Wine, and Water, praying upon Beads, worshipping in Idols Temples, your divers Fryars Garments, and Titled Orders, your observations of Dayes, and Meats, your Penance and Pro∣cessions, are not of God; but contrariwise of the Spirit of Delusion, Heresie, Deceit, and Iniquity, which drowneth Souls in perdition.

For which Cause, if thou lovest the Salvation of Souls, more than their Damnation, through a Covetous end of an Earthly Kingdom in thy Heart, then I am sure Thou wilt not scruple, to send such persons as Thou mayest appoint, to Meet me accor∣ding to this Proposal; which else, All Nations will see thy Cloak to be Rent a sunder, and no longer able to cover and hide the Abominations which are concealed under Thy Skirts: for ex∣cept Thou sendest me an Answer, or causest an Answer to be sent unto me, in the space of Four Months after the Date of this, then must I Manifest it unto All Nations, as far as it can be conveniently Spread, even unto the ends of the Earth; which, until then, I may not do, that Thou mayest Know, that my End, is not to Infamize Thee, and Thy Authority, but Righ∣teously to Glorifie the Lord God Almighty, my Holy Father of Life.


LONDON,the 20th. day of the 7th Month called September 1661.

Who am called the English Qua∣ker, that was Prisoner in Bed∣lam of Rome, and also out∣wardly named JOHN PERROT.
===
Page  5

FABIUS GHISIUS POPE of ROME TO JOHN PERROT QUAKER of LONDON.

John Quaker!

THy Letter and Propositions (bearing date the 20th. day of the 7th. month) came not to my hands till the 10th. day of this, therefore I hope thou wilt not proscribe me, for elapsing the time limited in thy Letter, which was not through my fault; And because I know thou hast a per∣verse unbelieving Spirit in thee, I forbear in usual form to salute thee with Apostolical Benediction, but without fur∣ther Ceremony apply my self to answer thy Letter.

1. 'Tis true thou wast detained in the Pazzarella here, a place most fit for thee, and thy mad Brethren, where had both thou and they been timely put, as you might have been in Justice, and should have been in Prudence, all the late miseries and abominable wickednesses of England, had in all likelyhood been prevented; Nor was it without evi∣dent reason, That my Officers shut thee up in Bedlam; Thou cam'st out of a Rebellious Countrey, (where thou and thy Fanatick Brethren committed a Wonderful and Hor∣rible thing,* Murther'd your lawful King) to devise mischief and give wicked Councel in this City; Thou didst pretend a Spiritual Call, and I know not what Revelation, which Page  6 prov'd a false vision and divination,*a thing of naught, and th deceit of thy heart, far surpassing the frenzy of the more ancient Enthusiasts; When thou wast soberly admonished to abandon that deluding Spirit (which leads thee and thy Brethren into so many exorhitancies) and set thy face to∣ward London,* thou didst •ost pertinaciously contemn that good Councel, and persist in thy ways of Abomination, refusing to depart out of my City, Rome; forgetting those words,* thou hast so often misinterpreted, Go out of her my people, lest thou partake of her sins, and receive of her punish∣ments. Why could'st thou not take heed and more warily understand a Text so plainly fore warning thee to flye from her,* left she should punish thee? Thus saith the Lord God, woe unto the foolish Prophets that follow their own Spirit and have seen nothing. While thou wert kept in the Roman Bedlam, was not the Discipline of the place, exactly obser∣ved to thee,* aswell as to the rest of thy fellow Bedlams, didst thou want any thing there, but thine own wire? Thus therefore it came to passe that thy way and thy doings pro∣cured these things unto thee; it being just that thou shouldst bear the punishment of thine iniquity.

2. Thou sayst my Priests did daily with all the pleasures thy heart could desire, tempt thee to be as they were▪ And were they not very courteous to make thee so kind an of∣fer? were they not very patient to treat with thee thus daily? Ingrateful John! why dost thou complain of those who us'd thee so civilly? and all this, only to make thee be as they were; Verily, verily, John, thou wert shrewdly hurt, dost thou not usually (though falsly) charge them to lead lives of ease and honor, and canst thou take it ill, they should offer thee a share with themselves, to be as they were.

Moreover I say unto thee, thou dost me and my people very great wrong, by affirming in thy Letter, that my Priests did daily tempt thee to Idolatry; yet I commend thee John, for hating that, which I abominate with all my Soul; Do'st thou think I adore a carved stone, as my God, or a painted canvas, as my Saviour? or is any thing Idolatry,Page  7 but the adoring a Creature, as our Creator; and the ma∣king to our selves a God of a graven Image? which if I did I were as mad as thou. No, John, I worship only one God, I acknowledge onely one Mediator betwixt God and Man, the God-and-Man JESUS CHRIST; though I believe it both lawful and profitable to desire the Prayers of his Holy Saints, who raign with him, and continually assist at his holy Throne; and the Charity of his glorious Angels,*who be∣hold his face and are sent forth as ministring Spirits for the good of the Elect.

As for Pictures, I believe neither any Divinity nor Sancti∣ty to be in them, but I consider them as fit Instruments to help the memory, to recollect the fancy, and stir up the af∣fection; giving them such respect as thy soberer Neigh∣bour Protestants do to their Communion Table, whom I hope thou art not so bold to charge with Idolatry, or if thou do'st, convert them first, and then come again to me. Thou know'st 'tis one of the great Commands,*Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour.* And 'tis written, woe be to you that r•b the just man of his justice, for as fire devoureth the stubble, so shall the root of these men be ashes.

3. For the power of remitting Sins, which thy serpen∣tine spirit so much stumbles at, what more plain in Scri∣pture? where our Saviour sayes expresly to his disciples; Whatever yee shall bind on Earth, shall be bound in Heaven,*and whatever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven; And again. Whose sins ye shall forgive they are forgiven; and whose ye retain, they are retained. What can be said more clear and plain? doest not thou thy self hold many doctrines lesse evidently in Scripture than this? tell me thy thoughts of this point in thy next Letter. But thou hast chosen three strange Mediums to disprove this Power.

• 1. By the time of the coming in of Popes.
• 2. By the manner of choosing Popes.
• 3. By the matter of the Precepts of Popes.

Page  8Truly John, thou deserv'st, for these three lines of nonsence, at least three moneths more of the Pazzarella, Too little Learning I see hath made thee mad.*

The other Points, when thou and my Champion meet, shall be at large discussed.

4. Now to thy Challenge of mee, to send a hundred of my profoundest Jesuites, or Doctors, to meet thee at any place of Christendom or Turky; since thou art so civil to leave the nomination of the place to me, I do, for thy ease, appoint AMSTERDAM, an indifferent place, to all Profes∣sions, where thou shalt have as fair play as I, and any body else, as either of us. And since thou hast presum'd thus proudly to defie the Armies of the living God, and, confiding in thy weavers beam, provokest us to Battel, I promise to send one onely Jesuit, the youngest of my Children, to meet thee there on the 20th. day of the sixth moneth, vulgarly called August;* Despise not his little stature, for know, he has slain the Lion and the Bear, and the unbaptized Quaker shall be as one of them. He shall come down to thee with the light armour of a sling and a few smooth stones and smite thee on thy fore∣head, and thou shalt fall on thy face to the earth; he shall be arm'd with the dreadful weapons of Excommunication, and with Bell,*Book and Candle, deliver thee to the Devil, for the destruction of thy fleshly body, that thy Spirit may be sav'd in the day of the Lord JESUS. The hearty wish of him—

Given under the Seal-ring of the Fisherman, at our Pa∣lace of Monte Cavallo,in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1662/1. Indiction the 15th March the 4th. and in the seventh year of our Pontificat.

Who, according to the Flesh, is named, FABIƲS GHISIƲS, But in a Spiri∣tual way, Alexander the seventh POPE of ROME, and Servant of the Ser∣vants of God.

FINIS.

===




===




===

John Perrot, Early Quaker Schismatic (review)

Project MUSE - <i>John Perrot, Early Quaker Schismatic</i> (review)

John Perrot, Early Quaker Schismatic (review)
Henry J. Cadbury
Quaker History
Friends Historical Association
Volume 61, Number 2, Autumn 1972
p. 124
10.1353/qkh.1972.0002
Review

===

John Perrot, Early Quaker Schismatic. 

By Kenneth L. Garroll. 

Supplement No. 33 to 

the Journal of the Friends' Historical Society. London, 1971. 116 pages. 

-----

This substantial monograph is a natural by-product of the author's interests in Quaker history in early America, since John Perrot, an Irish Friend, endured die vicissitudes of his later life in the American colonies, besides his original career in the British Isles and in the trek of Friends towards Italy and the Middle East in the second decade of Quakerism.

 Like other Friends of the period John Perrot was a deviationist from mainline Quakerism, differing chiefly in minor matters of Friends practice— the best known of his nonconformity to the usual practice being in the small matter of not removing his hat during vocal prayer. 

His aberrations followed those of James Nayler and preceded those of Wilkinson and Story. 

His long imprisonment by the Inquisition of Rome was part of his pride and perhaps of his undoing. 

For a time many leading Friends accepted his leadership. 

Kenneth Carroll has made full use of the abundant but difficult printed and manuscript material from Perrot's pen. 

It permits us to think of him as partly the victim of uncharitable attitudes of some censorious Friends and even of his own understandable independence of thought.

 His very method of writing rather puts a modem reader off. 

Though this study of him does not commend his views it was high time that a full dress account should be made available of him, and of the gradual decline of his considerable influence in the American colonies. 

He died in Jamaica in September, 1665. 

Haverford, Pennsylvania

Henry J. Cadbury 

===

Jordans: The Making of a Community. 

A history of the early years. By Arthur L. Hayward. 

With an introduction by John Macmurray. 

London, Friends Home Service Committee, 1969. £1.00. 

The occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of Jordans village community is the cause for the publication of this interesting volume. 

The book itself suffers somewhat from a lack of unity despite its stated intention of giving an account of the first two decades of an English intentional community with Quaker roots. Arthur Hayward and his family moved to Jordans village some years after the initial years of establishnient and became keenly interested in the background of Quaker history in the area as well as in the current struggles of the community to establish itself. He made a very thorough examination of the many accounts and journals which exist in order to bring together a consistent account of the development of Quakerism in Buckinghamshire from the earliest times into the twentieth century. This he writes with clarity and directness and considerable charm. The account of the origin, founding, ...

John Perrot (abt.1610-1665) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

John Perrot (abt.1610-1665) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

John Perrot (abt. 1610 - 1665)

John Perrot

Born about 1610 [location unknown]

Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling(s) unknown]

Husband of Elizabeth (Unknown) Perrot — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Father of Blessing Perrot and Thankful Perrot

Died Sep 1665 in Jamaica

Profile managers: Richard Ragland  [send private message], Anne Rees  [send private message], Alister Perrott  [send private message], and Religious Society of Friends Project WikiTree  [send private message]

Profile last modified 14 May 2021 | Created 12 Aug 2018

This page has been accessed 1,108 times.

The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.

John Perrot was a Friend (Quaker). Join: Quakers Project Discuss: QUAKERS

Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Research Notes 3 Sources 4 See also

Biography

John Perrot is Notable.

.

Quaker John Perrot of Waterford

John Perrot (c1620-1665) was an early Quaker schismatic who set out to convert the Pope in 1658. He had a wife and children in Waterford but was later claimed by relatives to be a blacksmith born in Sedbergh.^[1]

He came to England after surviving three years imprisonment in Rome.
After a short period of preaching and a famous dispute with George Fox about wearing hats at prayer, he moved to Barbados in 1662 and later visited the Quakers of Virginia and Maryland ^[2]. His wife Elizabeth and two children joined him shortly before his death in Jamaica in 1665.

John's problematic orgins and amazing exploits were explored, albeit with somewhat questionable dramatic license, in an Irish TV programme broadcast in 2006. ^[3]

The origins of John Perrot are unknown and the claim that he has a family connection to Sir John Perrot is unlikely according to his principal biographer. ^[4] He first appears in Waterford in Ireland in 1655 when he turned from being a Baptist to becoming a Quaker after a convincement by Edward Burrough. His wife and children were still living in Waterford in 1659. ^[5]

In 1656 he found himself in prison in Limerick, Kilkenny and Dublin before moving on to England where he signed a petition dated December 25 pleading for the mitigation of the sentence on fellow Quaker, James Nayler. 

The following year he set out with the backing of the Quaker movement on a mission to convert the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the Pope. His companions were Beatrice Beckley, Mary Prince, Mary Fisher, John Luffe, and John Buckley. Separating from their companions John and John Luffe eventually became prisoners of the Inquisition. John Luffe died towards the end of 1658 and John himself was not released until mid 1661.

Returning to England John, who had spent years in solitary confinement, found his views at odds with the Quaker establishment. The matter in dispute was men's hats! Men were required to remove their hats in church, but John argued that since women were required to cover their heads men should too otherwise it underlined the inequality of men and women. The establishment found his views to lack humility. John was thenceforward regarded as a schismatic.^[6]

He was imprisoned in the summer of 1662 for attending a Quaker meeting in London and was only released on the understanding that he would exile himself to Barbados. In 1664 the Governor, Thomas Modyford, appointed him a captain and John took to wearing gaudy clothing and carrying a sword and associated with Richard Rich, another Quaker separatist.

He died in Jamaica (not Barbados as stated in error by the ODNB ^[7]) sometime in the 7 days between the drawing up of his will on 30 August 1665 and it being proved on the 7 August of the same year. In a letter dated February 1665 just before his death he reported he was joined there from England by his wife Elizabeth 'beloved EP' and his minor children 'Blessing and Thank(ful)' ^[8]

Research Notes

This profile had been protected (PPP) to preserve Perrott over Parrott in a proposed merge. That merge was completed, so PPP was removed. The PPP notice had also noted that "it is unknown if this John has correct dates and/or is attached to the correct parents. ~ Noland-165 16:28, 12 November 2018 (UTC)"

Restored DOB estimate to 1573 which was in the original Gedcom. Such a date seems a bit early as it would make him 80 years old when he began his ministry and nearly 90 when he was awarded a captaincy in 1664. A birth date of around 1610 is more inline with the story in the biography.

This profile has been protected (PPP) to prevent it from being re-attached to incorrect parents. Should new research uncover John Perrot's real parents, they could be added after proper discussion of the evidence. Rassinot-1 14:33, 14 February 2019 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Spriggs MSS 1/18 (Friends Library) 1868 record.
2. ↑ "John Perrot :Early Quaker Schismatic" by K.L. Carroll Ch. V (F.H.S.1971)
3. ↑ John Perrot Quaker
4. ↑ see the standard work on his life "John Perrot: Early Quaker Schismatic" by Kenneth Carroll, p 1ff published by Friends Historical Society 1971
5. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Perrot, John (d. 1665)
6. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Perrot, John (d. 1665)
7. ↑ "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Perrot, John (d. 1665)
8. ↑ "John Perrot: Early Quaker Schismatic" by Kenneth Carroll, p 80/81 published by Friends Historical Society 1971

See also

• Source: S-904005458 Repository: #R-1274706077 Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Repository: R-1274706077 Ancestry.com
• Source: S-904681126 Repository: #R-1274706077 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: Ancestry Family Tree https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/42463438/family
• Source: S1111312930 Repository: #R-1274706077 Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Original data: Gale Research Company. Biography and Genealogy Master Index. Detroit, MI, USA: Gale Research Company, 2008.