past them all Which good and vertuous practises after they beginne to be forgotten euen so likewise that auncient glorie and dignitie of your name by litle and litle began to diminish by litle and litle it began to bee obscured and therewith also distinguished And although I am greatly grieued when I see so manie slaughters so many calamities so many and such ill proceedings so many and so great disgracings of of your auncient dignitie which are well knowne throughout all Italie yet I am of this opinion vnder your correction be it said which thinke that this new and vnusuall tasking and tolling of the Church is the chiefe cause of your ill and vnhappie successe in those things which ye tooke in hand For when I weigh with my selfe and consider the course of times past I am easily induced to bee of their opinion and to speake plainely that which I haue good cause to thinke It seemeth that all your great losse and aduersities proceed from hence as from a most corrupt and poisoned fountaine And that it is so indeede it appeareth plainely to all men which will recorde the most excellent and famous factes of ancient time now to repeat the beginnings of your auncient exploits Who is so vnskilful who so simple and so ignorant in all matters whatsoeuer which knoweth not the beginning of this your common-wealth how wonderfull howe famous how diuine it was how greatly and in most ample manner it increased aboue the customable manner and course of all other Cities For all things fell out so luckily and had so good successe that all things therein seemed to increase and therein also to flourish For in short space it became famous throughout the whole worlde not onely in abundance of most pretious iewels in sumptuous and magnificent buildings in great strength and store of shippes but also ye inlarged your dominions farre and neere both by sea and by land And through your excellent wisedome and the wise forsight of your ancestors ye haue entirely preserued the same So that the force power of Italie somtimes the Queen mistris of the whole world could not at any time vanquish the same What then was the true cause of such great prosperitie and happie successe vnlesse it were because there was neuer any Citie in which either religion was more imbraced or true iustice longer or more religiously preserued I hope it may be spoken without suspition of flatterie for I seeke to speake little in comparison of the thing and the weight of the matter dooth passe beyond the bounds of my speech Who will not greatly commend the sincere and singular loue which your auncestors bare vnto religion the great and inuiolable obseruance of iustice and holines their exceeding great charitie and liberalitie towards the poore meÌ„bers of Iesus Christ their inestimable bounty towards the adorning and beautifiyng of holy temples euen vnto this present day This thing is manifest both by the fresh memory of deuout meÌ„ also by our temples richly adorned and by our ample churches ful of holy monuments which as it is apparent were built in times of olde onely by the oblations and charitable deuotions of your auncestors For although they were alwayes accounted liberall and deuoute concerning those things which appertaine to the worshippe of God and their seruice towards religion Yet notwithstanding when they began to bee oppressed with these calamities and were so sore distressed then especially by their good woorkes they earnestly required helpe from heauen then euen with great distribution of almes with great faith with great deuotion they did striue to please and pacifie God the giuer of all good things What diuers seasons how vnlike or rather plaine contrarie obseruance of religion holy worship haue succeeded I had rather other meÌ„ should iudge than I for the thing is so plaine manifest that he which hath but halfe an eye may easily see it But concerning this hereafter Now I return vnto the ages of your auncestors who as wee haue shewed being so well strengthned waged batraile against their enemies in defence of their dominions They went forth into the field and valiantly ioyned battaile neither did they returne home againe till their enemies were discomfited ouercome They obtained the victory deuided the spoile Wherefore Camillus deserued immortall fame which as Liuie writeth oftentimes and earnestly exhorted the people herevnto Behold saith he O ye worthy Romanes either the prosperous or the afflicteed state of Rome in these yeares and ye shall find most surely that whilest we were religious all thinges went well with vs but when wee once neglected our dutie to religioÌ„ all things went against vs. And now O worthie prince howe much better were it with your whole commonwelth if you would propound vnto your selues the most excellent discipline of your ancestors and their worthy lawes concerning religioÌ„ how much more wisely excellently were the coÌ„monwelth ruled if by the example of their high wisdome and noble actes you would waxe more warie Out of question you should not be molested with so many discommodities so many warres so many dangers but as in times of old with the vanquishing of your enemies you should obtaine victorie with great triumph But if you haue worse successe in these daies than you looke for or would desiâ—e no maruell when as the godly lawes of your auncestors by little and litle are cleane forgotten when religion it selfe and the reuerence of holy priests is lesse practised than it was wont and lesse than reason would it should be Pardon mee I pray you if I speake plainly for most men nay almost all which are ruled by reason are of the same opinion I speake all this to doe you good therefore you may more easily pardon mee And now let vs returne to that from whence wee haue digressed Those thinges were vnwisely neglected of you which wee spake of before and that truely for those were the onely thinges which in times past aduaunced you your common wealth to such dignities such glory such happie fame Wherfore not without good cause your happy successe your famous spoils your victorious triumphs are come to an end and now your great fame and glorie the great auctority maiestie of your name which hath resownded most famously through the whole world which seemed wonderful to all people princes kindreds and nations is in hazard now to be extinguished Count yee nothing of this O yee most famous Venetians do you not thinke of these things do you not magnifie all these Marke I pray you this one thing wisely way and consider this one thing euen in your owne conscience way this one thing truely How many victories how many conquestes how many spoiles haue you atchieued against your enemies how many happy euents haue you had in these so long warres since you inuented this strange and pestilent councell in that you feare nothing at all to lay violent hands on church goods
EVERARD DIGBIE his Dissuasiue From taking away the lyuings and goods of the Church Wherein all men may plainely behold the great blessings which the Lord hath powred on all those who liberally haue bestowed on his holy Temple And the strange punishments that haue befallen them vvhich haue done the contrarie Hereunto is annexed Celsus of Verona his Dissuasiue translated into English Beatius est dare quaÌ„ accipere Act. 20. Printed by Robert Robinson and Thomas Nevvman TANDEM SI HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE To the right Honorable Sir Christopher Hatton Lord high Chauncellor of England Knight of the most Noble order of the Garter and one of her Maiesties most Honorable Priuie Counsell Euerard Digbie wisheth true felicitie SVndry times weying with my selfe Right honorable what small account is made of poore Schollers at this day and howe fruitlesse their greatest labours bee I resolued with my selfe neuer to publish any thing in print hereafter Yet notwithstanding after manie stormes all mixed with vnnaturall showres descending from the idle braine of sundrie fruitlesse wittes I seeing manie stinging Nettles amongst the sweete Roses erecting their heades higher then all the holesome hearbes in the Garden And that a ridiculous generation newly come ashore into the world are not ashamed to affirme that these stinking weeds are those sweete lillies named by our Sauiour Christ that they will digge vp the garden a new that they will reforme the supperstitious braunches of the sweete auncient welblowne Rose of England That they will pull downe the winepresse and leuell the ground a new by a new line that they will build a new wine presse of a new fashion yelding new wine neuer seene or tasted by anie Christian heretofore After these great puffes of this fruitles wind had eâ—tonce resounded in mine eares beating it selfe with such out ragious blastes against the walles of the Church that it maketh the strongest pillers thereof to quake and tremble Though I be the meanest of manie thousands 〈◊〉 this cause concerneth yet knowing that it directly belongeth to the maintaining of true religion and the holie worship of Almightie God I could not with bold my pen anie longer from refuting so dangerous and damnable an opinion It is a greeuous thing by sinnes of infirmitie to offend Almightie God but openly and obstinately to affirme that palpable darkenes is cleare light that euill is good and good is euill that sacrilegious deadly sinne is godly zeale that openly before the face of his aeternall Maiestie Is the true inheritance of that treble woe oft denounced in the Scriptures This mooued me Right honourable in regard of mine humble dutie to your Honour and the publike commoditie of manie Christian soules which once tasting this sweete baite might easilie be entised to eat vp sinne as it were bread to forewarne all those which shall read this plaine simple treatise that they wash their secrete thoughts from this most heinous sinne which who so practiseth with bloudie heart he offereth violent hands euen vnto the bosome of the sacred spouse of Iesu Christ. Amongest all the creatures of this world God hath giuen man onely an vnder standing soule adorned with sundrie heauenly vertues of which there is none greater none more excellent and diuine more acceptable to God more honorable in the sight of men than is his holy worshippe religiously celebrated in his holy Temple Ouer the which place his care hath beene alwaies such his eie so vigilant his prouidence so continuall that neither the sweet intising cups of worldly pleasure could at anie time bewitch it nor the deuouring sword of firie persecution consume it But as the little ship whilom welneere perished with the outragious tempest at the voice of our Sauior was presently safe in quiet calme euen so when subtle worldlings seeke either by force or pollicie to ouerthrow the little Church of Christ TheÌ„ the Lord stirreth vp some valiant Gedeon some mightie Constantine some true Christian knight whose Name and Nature do yeeld a sweet consent to support his sauiour therewith to withstand the furie of his enimies Who daily seeke by new deuises thrise fined in the fire of subtle pollicie so to darken the cleare son of true Christianity that the house of God may nomore bee seene and that all the fountaines belonging to the same in one day may be cleane dryed vp Sith then the glistering cloud of sacrilegious zeale hath spred it selfe so larglie ouer our horizon and so eclipsed the true radiant sunne that in steade of the daie spring which from an high hath visited vs with true light vnto saluation the wiser sort doe plainlie perceiue that the houre of darkenes now hangeth ouer our heades and that the daie of iniquitie hath alreadie dawned in which Sathan by the secrete misterie of iniquitie beginneth to worke those ruthfull stratagemes against the Church of Christ which he hath bin manie yeares in deuising I cannot but write truely that which the Clergie with the whole realme confesse plainely That we render immortall thankes vnto Almightie God for preseruing her most Roiall Maiestie so miraculouslie vnto this daie giuing her a most religious heart the mirror of all Christian princes once and euer wholy consecrated to the maintaining of his diuine worship in his holy Temple From this cleare Christall fountaine of heauenlie vertue manie siluer streames deriue there sunárie passages so happelie into the vineyarde of the Lordâ— that neither the flaming fury of outward enimies nor the scorching sacrilegious zeale of domesticall dissimulation can drie vp anie one roote planted in the same since the peaceable reigne of her most Roial Maiestie Of these cleare Christall currents I haue vewed the most and doubt not but that I haue tasted of one of the best sith in the greatest heat in sommer it is neuer drie in the hardest winter not once congeled in the greatest tempest alwaies calme in the greatest distresse it yeeldeth iuice of sweetest comfort Herewith oftentimes being well refreshed when I looke backe and in my selfe beholde the great comfort which both our vniuersities dailie receiue from your honour I account it one of the most speciall blessings of the Lord that in his great wisedome he hath reserued your Honor vnto these daies wherein Sathan streacheth al the strings of his wit reuiueth all his pollicies practiseth all his treacheries against the poore distressed Church of Iesus Christ. He vseth force by forraine enimies abrode and secrete vndermining by smoth dissemblers at home Herewith hee hath displaied his banner before the gates giuen a special suÌ„mons to the temple it self 〈◊〉 malis Sed contrà audentior ito Let the Lords knights now arme themselues with true Christian courage Let them gird there sword vpon their thigh let theÌ„ awake with the worthie Samson and aduenture the battaile with Iulius Caesar who where the greatest danger was there in person he would giue the first charge Non est nisi in summis victoria In greatest
Christians to the Church which is the spirituall mother of all Christians as well rich as poore the mightie as the simple the king as the begger according vnto the saying of Saint Chrisostome writing on the Gospell of Saint Mathew Ecclesia primorum regum est mater The Church is the mother of the highest Princes Not many pages after giuing his iudgement concerning the goodes of the Church in this sorte those which builde tombes for the Martyrs of Christ and adorne his temples they do a good worke Thereby signifiyng that they which deface the temples of God and pull them downe they commit a great and greeuous sinne in the sight of the almightie Paulus Diaconus in the fourth booke de gestis longo Bardorum recordeth that Theodelinda that vertuous Queene built a faire Cathedrall Church dedicating it to the name of Saint Iohn Baptist adorning it with manye pretious iewells ornamentes and goodlie landes which the aforesaid Authour sayth oughte not to bee alienated According vnto the sentence of Iustinian in his booke Authent Columna secunda of constitutions intituled of not alienating or chaunging ecclesiasticall goods whatsoeuer All good Emperours in their lawes and constitutions had a special care of preseruing increasing and safekeeping the goods of the Church And sith Iustinians lawes were their direction he not onelie made General statutes for the preseruation thereof but also in his law he affirmeth that the holie vessels and garments of the temples ought not to be pawned except it bee for the redeeming of captiues out of the seruitude and tirannie of infidels nay in another place hee chargeth the Bishops that they take not to themselues the treasure of the Church which holesome lawes so mooued the harts of all Christian Emperours that they bestowed verie deuoutlie and bountifully on the church commaunding straightly that all meÌ„ should restore vnto the same whatsoeuer had bid taken therefrom by wicked tyrantes robbers of the Church and spoilers of the dead which Saint Chrisostome in his booke Defato counteth litle lesse than manslaughter Hereupon Theodoricus commaunded Duke Ibba that he should restore vnto the Church of Marbâ—na the possessions therof taken awaie detained from the Church by Alaricus And in an other epistle to Gelericus hee commaundeth him to restore a fielde which was alienated from the Church of Constance and to punish the possessor thereof in that hee presumed to take to his owne priuate vse the possessions of the Church This censure was giuen without exception of anie person according to that which Turonensis writeth in the fourth booke of his Historie certaine kinges saith hee haue presumed most irreligiouslie to take the goods of the church into their treasure as did Clotharius which made an edict that all the Churches of his realme should paie the third part of their fruits into his treasurie but beeing rebuked by that holie Bishop Iniuriosus he retracted his irreligious opinion and that wicked fact Let no man beare so irreligious a minde or so hard a hart within his breast to thinke otherwise than that it is a most grieuous sinne to take any thing from the holie Church sith first it is giuen to maintaine the holie worshippe of God there Secondlie to feed the poore and to bee bestowed on such like holie and vrgent necessitie according to the which our ancient Beda writeth in the first booke of his historie concerning this Iland Bonorum ecclesiasticorum saith hee of church goods the first part is due to the Bishop for the maintenance of hospitality the second to the inferiour clergie the third to the poore the fourth to the repairing of the church but to other or to those which haue sufficient of themselues the goods of the church are not to be imployed as that learned Prosper in his treatie De vita contemplatiua witnesseth in these wordes ecclesia nihil eis erogare debet c. The church ought not to bestow any thing on those which haue sufficient of their owne Otherwise though some of the Church giue it yet it is plaine sacriledge for them which take it as saint Ierom in his epistle to Damasus sheweth in these wordes qui autem parentum bonis c. Those which haue sufficient left them by their parents to maintaine them if they take anie of those goods which are giuen to maintaine the poore it is sacriledge Caluin writing on the seuenth of Amos calleth the diminishing of the immunities or commodities of the church sacriledge sounding the same with good Saint Barnard writing on the Canticles according to this tenor Proditores dei ecclesiae c. They which take from the temples they are betraiers of God and his church These learned fathers they expresse the true sentence of their mother the holye church pronouncing the true fauour of God and his louing countenance turned clerely vnto them which fauour nourish his holie church with his poore belonging to the same and the seuere wrath of the Lord God kindled against all those which spoile his louing spouse here on earth bereauing her of her beautiful children her costlie garmentes made of needle worke all glorious within concerning whom the Lord hath sayd hee which harmeth you he toucheth the apple of mine eie Bullinger on the fift of the first epistle of saint Paul to Tymothie concerning the reformation of Church goods writeth thus the goods of the Church are the gold of Tolossan which breedeth his distruction that possesseth it Therefore though the churches their goods landes were abused by Monkes and Friers yet there is no cause why Christian Princes should thinke that reformation good and religious which pulleth down the churches and turneth the church goods to the vse and possessions of laie men for they were not first giuen to this end kinges and princes and magistrates haue their reuenewes their tributes their fines their customes their publique treasures appointed for their vses but as for the goods of the church they were first giuen for the maintenance of students in humanitie and diuinitie for the maintaining of Bishops and hospitalitie for the relieuing of the poore widowes stangers and captiues and those which are in necessitie and a certaine portion was appointed for the repairing of Churches Let them restore such sufficiencie of goods to the Church as will fullie suffice for the maintaining of all the premisses before they take one halfe pennie from the Church or else let them surelie looke for the grieuous vengeance of God on them and their house That learned Peter Martir concerning the goods of the church vniustlie required by Magistrates writeth thus in eo quaesto difficilis est in qua dissoluenda c. In that case it is a doubtfull question in answering the which I had rather incline to that point that if the prince or magistrate should take awaie the goods of the church no man ought violentlie to resist them But if
Tullie saith Fluctibus saepe obruitur antequam portum conspicere valet After hee haue bin long tired and scratched in the bushie woods peraduenture he shal come to the death of the Hare And yet in our moral the course is not so hard nor halfe so vncertaine For when the wished preferment which you meane is once to be atchieued who so hard harted that will not bestow it on the best Is it detur meliori or detur pulchriori I know not but I am sure hee that seekes shall find Gladly would I learne that kinde of seeking If his wished preferment lye in the court he must prouide a friend in the court who is alwaies better than the pennie in purse What if it be in the countrie these things haue all one certaine rule But as the giuer is so is the way of obtaining Then the learned are in worse case than they were before because the way is more vncertaine for hee must sometimes sue to the good honest Farmer in the Countrey who knoweth a golden angell better than a Latine word sometimes to the gentleman in the Citie sometimes to his wife his sonne his daughter his cosin his steward his factor sometimes to the Noble man and all his circumstances before he can come to the matter And when he hath done if hee bee not so well seene in secret Philosophie that hee can talke learnedlie with the secretarie his studying at the Vniuersitie so many yeares his riding into the countrie the citie the court his expenses his paines his hope is all lost Is this the seeking which you meane and must the poore learned man after hee hath read so many volumes and studied so many yeares in so manie sciences and tongues runne and ride post hast from place to place from countrie man to gentleman from him to his wife from both to the court to the noble man to his sonne his clerke his secretarie alas poore scholler Whilest wee haue bene seeking after your manner we haue almost lost the game which wee begunne to hunt and yet I hope wee are not runne so farre counter but that wee may easilie vndertake it againe Sith it followeth conuenientlie if they be good minded men which pittie the poore distressed case of the learned then they be euilly minded which are the cause thereof diminishing the liuinges of the Church wherewith the learned ought to bee mainteined Without such contingent seekinges the last dispaire of most learned mens desire From this riuer conduit pipe floweth a channell of fowle troubled water wherewith whilest these worldly minded men do vse to wash their faces they appeare much more deformed than before sith the tasting often of the sweetnesse of this troubled earthlie channel in hart and minde are so bewitched with the loue of this present life that the honor of God the reuerence of his name the due hearing of his word the daylie celebrating of his diuine Seruice together with the immunitie and perfect freedome of his ministerie is much decayed I passe ouer al the examples and plaine speaches of contempt vsed against the ministers of Christ at this day Those which be thus euilly minded towards the Church of Christ nay towardes Christ himselfe are the Christians are they comparable to the heathen in their kinde or worthie to bee numbred amongst men though their titles be many their honour great their landes inestimable yet thinke yee that these men shall prosper here on earth as for heauen turne backe good sir this is not the way The gate by which yee must enter in thither is verie lowe the way narrow the iourney long your bodie is idle your doinges dissolute your chariti cold your hart to high yee cannot come in Our Lord and Sauiour Christ when hee liued here on earth hee willed that the litle Children should come to him saying that of such consisteth the kingdome of God And yet if the children treading in the steppes of their fathers contemne the minister of God or in their childishnesse dishonour him If the children of Bethell scorne the good prophet Elizeus like graceles boyes crying out on him goe vp you bald pate go vp though they be smal yong yet their crie pearceth to the heauens The Lord shall listen verie attentiuely when ought doth sound against the honour of his prophets he shall open the window of his wrath in his displeasure two shee Bears shall come out of the wood shall deuour two and fortie of them that thereby both olde and young may learne to reuerence the prophets of the Lord sent vnto them Euen as the countenance of the mother beholdeth the sucking child in her armes most louinglie as the eie of the Hawke minting at her pray doth most fixedlie and fiercelie behold the same euen so the Lord dooth continually behold his embassadours his prophets his pastors his ministers and not their life onely and their safetie but their good mainteine and regard so that the sonne shall not burne them by daye nor the moone by night The pride of sinfull flesh shall not represse them long nor the greatest tyrant in the worlde shall disgrace them in any word or sprinckle any spot in their face but it shal be washed off againe euen with his owne precious bloud Well and wisely did the Poeâ—s faine that the contemners of the goddes alwaies came to euill end Amongest a number of examples this appeareth plain in Aiax who counted more of bodilye valour than of Mineruaes wisedome and with hawtie speach disdained that it shuld haue the due reward therfore he was berest of commoÌ„ wit vnderstanding being stricken with a most furious fit in which he slewe himself vpon his own sword What should I rehearse the manifold plagues punishmeÌ„ts which the Lord sent vpon the conteÌ„ners of his holie worship euen from Noe vnto the birth of our S. Christ whose life because that tirant Herod sought by his bloudy sword to cut off froÌ„ the earth that with the shedding of much innocent bloud therefore the Lord on a soleÌ„ne feast day wheÌ„ he shewed himself vnto the people in his highest glory the multitude to flatter him cried most blasphemosly it is the voice of a God not of a man then euen then the Lorde from heauen stroke him by the hande of his angell so that presently his flesh rotted crawling full of quicke worms and lice which deuoured him most miserably before the face of all the people If carnall sensualitie did not too much dimme our eyes I should not neede to holde out this my obscure light vnto you now at the noon daye when the light of the Gospell shineth most cleare and bright round about vs. If we had cunned the rules of true christianitie by hart or vnderstood the truth of them or had receiued the vertue of wel woorking into our consciences therewith renewed in the spirite I should not neede at this day so
of a Christian. With which warres he persecuteth vexeth and cruelly tormenteth the Christians with which hee striueth day and night to root out the auncient Catholique faith In which thing we see plainely that he hath preuailed so long and so strongly that hee hath leuied such strength of soldiers both by sea and by land that hee hath so furnished himselfe with warlike power and to conclude that he hath prepared as great an armie against the Christians nay Italie it selfe as euer Zerxes that great Potentate brought against the Grecians whose armie as it is recorded almost couered the Seas with ships and the land with footmen wherefore the hugenes of such great preparation incredible power must needes be great terrour to vs all Many such like matters passed and ouerpassed whilest we were talking At length our speach drew to that conclusion how great how lamentable and how sorrowfull was the losse of your Iland Euboea not to bee named without teares then the which there coulde not haue chaunced a greater a more sorrowfull a more lamentable losse either to you or to the state of all Christendome For thereby most cruell warre and extreame daunger is threatned not onely to you and to your dominions bordering on the seas but likewise to Italie it selfe and to our Catholique faith a most grieuous euersion and vtter destruction is attempted Wherefore wee haue great cause to feare lest the name of Christendome be now in daunger to be vtterly extinguished together with the Catholique faith confirmed with so many labours with so much bloud with such and so many agonies of Iesus Christ. For nowe the axe is laide to the roote of the tree our cruell enemies are before the dore now the shores resound againe with the great force of warres which approch them by Seas Nowe vnlesse it please God to helpe vs from heauen death and destruction doe come vppon vs. Who is able to represse the cruell force of this deuouring beast who shall disanull his deadly attempt who is able to terrifie him from his purpose alreadie puffed vp with the hope of victorie Through the multitude of his people and the greatnes of his victories he counteth his dominions to litle for desire of rule and Empire hath no meane But howe much the larger the dominion is so much more the desire of rule encreaseth Wherefore hee will easily be persuaded that in time hee may also obtaine the whole dominion of Italie In truth this is the full height of his wish he euen gapeth after this most greedily to this purpose he frameth all his studie all his cogitations all his counsell all his deuise and pollicie The same occasion which mooued Alexander of Macedonie or Iulius Cesar whome hee propoundeth to follow before all others in higher sort then is the lot of mortall man to seeke the conquest of the whole worlde mooueth this man also most earnestly thus to seeke the inlarging of his dominions through his victorious acts to become famous with al posterity which hath been no small prouokement to the most ingenuous excellent mindes to attempt the greatest hardest aduentures Now theÌ„ by emulatioÌ„ of their glorie he indeuoureth to shew himselfe like vnto theÌ„ through the example of their renoume desire of praise he seemeth daily more more to be inflamed which hee so much the more earnestly desireth how much the waie is broader and the entrance easier through this his last victorie In which respect as it seemeth to many this death calamity of your Euripus is the greatest most to be lameÌ„ted of all others the which many thinke and affirme that God of his righteous and iust iudgement hath brought vpon you for your insolent taxing and pouling of holy thinges belonging to the Church and your iniurious troubling of the state of religion It likewise hapned not long since to that most famous citie Constantinople renoumed through the whole world which in time past was the sea of the Romain â—mpire but as I remember for a greater crime For although without great grief we cannot wel remember that vnfortunate slaughter yet all men can well witnes that their lamentable calamity miserable destruction came vpon them by the iust iudgement of almighty God for the long obstinate discord departing of the Grecians from the true faith What signifieth the destructioÌ„ of the Pisans which in times past gloried that they were of so great power and dominion did not all things prosper well with theÌ„ was not their kingdome safe sure both by sea land so long as they imbraced religioÌ„ with great reuerence but afterwards wheÌ„ they laied wicked violent haÌ„ds on the Church and the Ministers of the high God then they were brought into many aduersities many great losses many miserable calamities so that they did not only lose their dominion rule but they became bondslaues to their enimies Where let no maÌ„ maruel if of late it hath hapned in like miserable sort to your IlaÌ„d Euboâ—a for it is the saying of all people nations that your expeditioÌ„ of Achaia had so lameÌ„table so vnhappy a conclusioÌ„ for your diminishing and taxing of the liuinges belonging to the Church And in like sort all men account that the death of your Euripus was the iust iudgement of God for your iniuries and polling of the Church Wherefore if we will waie this matter wiselie if with iudgement wee will looke into our owne doings we haue great cause I say wee haue great cause to feare that if you remaine in this minde and disposition still the rest of your Ilands and Cities shall be subiect to the same calamities and destruction Neither can we hope that our afflicted state shall bee repaired so long as the iust cause of our ruine still remaineth amongest vs. These thinges and such like are often heard in euery place which were too long to repeat at this present Now this one thing is sufficient to be heere mentioned that many thinges are reported abroade not vncertainly nor obscurely to the great discredit and disgrace of your most famous Senate by reason of your great compilation and pilling of holy things Wherefore to say the truth in regard of that singuler good will obseruance which I beare vnto your honorable Senate I doe not a litle lament your estate in that I am desirous to hear those things of you and your happie estate which belong to high praise to great glory and renoume I cannot but bee greatly grieued when I consider how low that great honour and worthy fame of you is fallen which and that worthily thorough out the whole world and amongst the furthest nations was thought incredible For euen as in times past this most famous Citie excelled all others in abundance of wealth in plenty of all thinges in high glory in great dignitie so also in honestie of maners in holines of life in iustice faith pietie religion and other vertues it far
of the Frenchmen And Brennus himselfe beeing sore wounded in many places and not able to indure the paines and exceeding anguish of his wounds he killed himself with his owne dagger and so for his bold attempts he had his deserts by deserued death WheÌ„ â—yrrâ—us had coÌ„pelled the Citizens of Locris to giue him a great portion of the treasure of the goddesse Prosorpina wheÌ„ he was sailing away loden with his wicked praie he and his whole nauie by force of a sodaine tempest was beaten against the shores of the goddesse on which the money being found againe it was restored to the olde custodie of the treasurie But what should I speake anie more of these things for I feare me that if I should comprehend all the examples of auncient times appliable to this purpose in this treatie that I shoulde keepe no meane in writing of the same for they bee so manie that they can scarce bee numbered I omitte the example of Qu Cipio who beeing Consull when hee had sacked the Towne Tholosam and that there was found much golde and siluer in the Temples of the same Towne whosoeuer presumed to touch anie of that golde in that spoile in lue of his deserts hee died therefore in most horrible griefe and anguish I omit Xerxes the king of the Persians which sent foure thousand soldiers to Delphos to destroy Apollos Temple which companie was cleane destroied with lightning and tempest that Xerxes might vnderstande thereby the greater iniurie hee offered to God so much the lesse his force shoulde bee to resist Which reuenge truelie may bee applied to these our daies for wee haue seene it oftentimes chaunce in like sort vnto you euen in these daies since you beganne to take the goods of the Church into your owne handes and to paie Souldiers wages therewith For as you your selues can witnesse verie well not onelie your Shippes full fraughted with munition for warre were destroied with diuerse tempestes with thundering and lightning from heauen but also manie thousandes of souldiers afflicted with diuers calamities died most miserablie so that none or verie fewe which you sent vnto the warre came safe home againe Tell me O most renoumed Venetians how should these strange ouerthrowes these strange slaughters and destructions of men these manie calamities and miseries come but that this your warre is not onelie against man but also against God and his true worship a worde in this matter is inough Now I mind to applie my speach vnto these our times and to couclude with domesticall examexamples for we must not content our selues with the examples of auncient times if our owne bee appliable also hereunto Especiallie sith manie will saie vnto me why doe you propound vnto vs the examples of the Pagans temples and their wicked gods why doe you rehearse their reuengementes against their enimies sith by the hand of God at length they were all taken away To whome I may well answere in good time that I make mentioÌ„ of those heatheÌ„ gods to the end we might thereby vnderstand how seuere a reueÌ„ger our God eueÌ„ the God of all Gods of his iustice ought to bee vnto those which presume wickedly to take away the goods of the church and transport them vnto other vses sith that those which were falselie called gods and which indeede were no gods or rather God himselfe by them sent such cruell plagues and punishmentes for the contempt of their religion The cause why the most righteous God permitted that they which were rather deuils then gods should so grieuouslie punish men was because forasmuch as they knew they contemned the true religion and the true God Sith those idols were most wickedly contemned of them which though falselie yet the whole people tooke them to be true gods and they seemed to these men which spoiled them so wickedlie to bee true gods indeede Wherefore God himselfe brought iust punishment vpon them for this contempt of that which they faithfullie beleeued to bee God And nowe in these daies that cloud of ignorance beeing cleane remoued sith he is more barbarously contemned of vs surely he will punish vs more seuerely greeuously But nowe from whence wee digressed let vs returne vnto these of our time to tell what great death slaughter chanced to that wicked Fredericke the second for violating the libertie of the church I shall not need many words for that is plaine inough to those which read the histories For when he was made Emperor by Innocentius the third and had taken the crosse in his hande against the enemies of the Christians then euen vnto his owne vndooing deuising most vnhappily with himself how he might take away the goodes of the church now dedicated to holy vse he was not afraid to take them wickedly and to imploy them prophanely herevpon hee became so blinde in his owne opinion that hee made a sacrilegious pact with the mightie king of Aegypt the Soldan concerning the suppressing of religion religious houses and concluded that from which a christian man ought especially to abhorre But hee did not long escape the iust vengeance of God For after that he had spoiled many cities after many dissentions had with the church of Rome after that hee had deuoured many temples after many most cruel barbarous sacrileges hauing his own sonne in a ielousie that he affected his Empire he shut him vp in most filthie dungeons til he died And he feeling the great grieuous censure of the church as the righteous God had appointed he was strangled of his own sonne Manfredus most cursedly Here I will not omit the like calamities of the princes of Carraria in the like impietie for when they began once wickedly to challenge to themselues the ordering of those things which belong only to holie function by reason of the pestilent councell which they had taken very soone after they lost that famous citie Patauium most strong both by situation force which was thought almost to be inuincible Neyther fained he which wrote that saying Vnlesse the Lord keepe the citie the watchmen watch but in vaine And vnlesse the Lord of hostes doe helpe truly he laboureth but in vaine which leadeth the armie forth trusting onely to his owne wit and pollicie So also did that holy woman Iudith sing before the Lorde when she cut off the head of the insolent Holifernes with his owne sworde she did sing most excellently in this manner O Lorde thy power consisteth not in the multitude of an host neither in the strength of an horse but the praier of the humble and meeke was alwaies acceptable before thee Wherfore if you put your confidence in your strong and mightie nauie of goodly ships and do not seeke to please God with good works and more diligent deuotion in your religion ye haue good cause to feare least whilest yee haue offended him hoping for victorie yee striue in vaine when according to the heuenly saying of Dauid wee must
is lighter than vanitie it selfe The wise high mightie honorable politike rulers of this world trouble themselues all the dayes of their life in fetching in casting in compassing goods lands honour dominion and power They rise vp earely and goe to bed late as sayth the prophet they eate the bread of carefulnes they search and seeke many newe waies They inuente many strange pollicies they aduenture many great daungers they loose many frendes they vndoo many poore schollers widowes and fatherles children euen to the losse of their owne soules and yet they say they loue the Lord and his holy temple O sinfull harts besotted with sensualitie Can that shippe be safe which is tost with euerie surge of the sea and ouerwhelmed with euery blast of wind can that minde bee quiet which boyleth with sundry flames of fire Is there any suretie in lightnes it selfe any certainetie in outwarde fortune any safetie in perpetuall warre any securitie in present daunger any frendshippe in open defiaunce any felicite in outwarde riches anye religion in spoyling the Church Be there two heauens that wee should make our paradise heere on earth or is the Lords arme shortened that hee can not execute his will or his iustice decayed that the sinners shoulde escape vengeaunce Is hee asleepe that hee is not stirred vp with the outrage which the heathen and hard harted worldlings commit against his church or is hee deafe that hee heareth not the crie of the poore or blinde that he seeth not the pride of the world openlie disclaiming the brightnes of the heauens No the Lord is not slack as some count slacknes He which made the heauens so high most carefully he beholdeth the lowest the poorest the simplest creatures here below He which made the eare hee will heare the crie of the poore and hee which made the eie hee will beholde the scarres which be inflicted on the face of his beloued spowse In his compassion hee shall pittie her and in his iudgement he shall draw forth the two edged sword of his wrathfull indignation He shall rise vp like the Gyant to the battaile and shall passe forth as the Lyon to deuour his praie Hee shall redouble the wickednesse of his enemies into their bosoms Hee shall cast downe the house on their heads He shall bring the curse of their desert vpon them and who is able to withstand the surie of his wrathfull indignation to endure his anger or to suffer his heauie displeasure though some men prosper for a while with that which is not their owne being reserued to a greater destiny yet let those which hope for the saluation of Israel learne to feare the Lord aright Let vs not abuse the long patience louing kindnes which the Lord hath shewed in sparing vs so long I grant the Lord is merciful long suffering full of patience and mercie sore grieued with the death of a sinner But yet he is iust in reuenging the iniuries of his spowse If anie offer iniurie to the king or to a noble mā or to a meane man before his face he will reuenge it presently but if wee offer violence to the spowse of Christ or the dead or the fatherlesse or the innocent which cannot speake for themselues nor pleade their owne cause then know that the Lord hath taken the defence of these to himselfe Hee which dwelleth in the heauens hee seeth it Though his blow be long in comming it pearceth deepe euen into the Marrow and the bottom of the soule and that to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him Hee beareth long with them but when he commeth he payeth home Hee suffereth the wicked to deuise many vnlawfull means whereby they waxe rich in this world He letteth them passe on their course oft times with great prosperity euen many yeares diuers liues till at the length when the fruit of sinne is ripe and the first sower thereof is readie to reape a plentifull haruest of his vngodlinesse then besides the danger of the soule the sowthwinde ariseth the heauens ouercast the outragious tempest breaketh out of the cloudes aboue it passeth it pearceth it ouerthroweth so that the haruest which hath bene so many yeares in growing of a sodaine is cleane distroyed and vanisheth out of sight Though thou haue thonsandes of landes and tenne thousandes more than the auncient inheritance of the fathers Though thy money bee heaped in bagges and thou wallow in thy wealth hauing all thinges at thine owne will yet if thou haue robbed thine owne mother to enrich thy treasure thou shalt bee a fatherlesse childe and childlesse father thy selfe so that thou shallt haue no parents in whose presence thou maiest ioy nor leaue any childe behinde thee to weepe for thee at thy graues side Nay that which is a visible curs thy goods for which thou hast drudged so sore when thou art dead shall bee translated into the handes of thine enemies to the end they may strongly bee auenged of thy dearest friendes O let not your eies bee blinded with carnall delight and too much carefulnesse of this earthlie bodie let not the delights of the flesh blot out the well meaning motions of the spirite Be wise betimes and vnderstand this true rule of the spirite least the terriblenesse of the example cause you to tremble at the first sight and after further view breede great amasement in your hart and conscience If thou haue children and childrens children and great store of earthie offices honors and dignities for them all yet if thou spend more time and care in prouiding for them and herein count more of thine owne honour now begunne and budding in thy posteritie then of the prosperitie of the Church of Christ of his diuine worship of of his holie ministers Thy wife shall prooue a stinging serpent in thy bosome thy children shall bee wastfull distroyers of that which thou so carefullie hast built vp thy bodie agonished with sundrie malladies altogether vncurable thy groning daie and night will marre thy melodie conceiued of thine abundance of riches thy hart shall quake with doubtfull feare of thine enemies death will double the discord of thy disquietnesse and if thou were the mightiest and most puissant prince in the world yet if thou count of any earthlie thing before or in comparison of God and his holie Church vnlesse thou repent thy desire shall neuer prosper Concerning this conclusion I minde onely to giue you a tast of which if it please you to pervse Celsus of Verona hereunto annexed yee shall find the whole seruice represented in sundry deynty dishes which manie wicked worldlings take from the ministers of the Chuch setting them on their owne tables Hee hath described the whole course and named sundrie costlie meates whereon the Venetians vsed to feede adioyning thereto their sower sawces which once receiued in at the mouth but hardlie afterwardes digested did breede great hart burninges in their breastes And good
cause why for if the Lord promise long life and happie daies to them which dutifullie honor their father and their mother shall hee not pull out his flaming sworde of indignation and cutte of the line of their posteritie which dishonor their spirituall mother the holie church pilling and powling her of her iewels ornamentes auncient liberties large possessions making her loathsome euen in in the sight of the heathen If thy louing mother tooke thee vp out of the wildernesse from the mouthes of manie wilde beastes if shee brought thee in her louing armes into her house and lapped thee warme in her owne clothes if she suckled thee with her tender brestes if she sustained many great losses harde aduentures in bringing thee vp if she suffered many troubles daungers in defending thee nay if shee haue beene most greeuously persecuted once twise thrise nay more than tenne times for thy sake is it not barbarous crueltie for thee when thy mother is olde to take her iewels from her necke her clothes from hir backe her house ouer her head her meate out of hir hande Wilt thou scratch the teate that gaue thee sucke or diminish the liuing of the Church which giueth the spirituall foode for the soule though the holy scripture had not once mentioned it yet the law of nature dooth threaten a dreadfull doome to all those which destroy their owne parents God the Creator of nature it selfe dooth neuer leaue it vnpunished Let vs propound vnto our selues the life the honour the dignitie the blessed memorie and immortall glorie of those worthie princes already mentioned And on the contrary the sinister beginnings the euill successe the miserable endes of all those which neglected the glorie of God and the prosperous estate of his Church which of all Christians especially of all true nobilitie ought most to bee abhorred Doe but lift vp your eie and looke at tbose which haue shaked their head at Sion by shaking of Sion her selfe haue meant to strengthen themselues on all sides Fixe your eies stedfastly yea but a little on those gracelesse ympes after many great plagues and destructions sent on them ye shall see the clowde cleane vanished and in the house of the wicked no man lefte His habitation shalbe voide and there shall no man remaine to saie with the olde Prophet alas my brother alas my vnckle alas my loouing father Nowe hauing bent our eyes vnto the viewe of sundrie examples let vs looke into the ages past and see if euer the Godly were vtterlie destitute or that the enemies of the Church of God euer continued long in honour or if those which anie waie impared the Church prospered afterwardes in their generations Come and see nay I pray you reede and vnderstand that the Lord hath alwaies beene most ielous ouer his beloued spouse Tell mee if you bee so olde or your memorie so good can you name anie what so euer which at anie time in anie nation diminished the state the liuing the honour the safetie of the church of Christ and scaped the handes of the almightie Dauids eating of the shewe breade in the dayes of Abiather the high Preest is aunswered by the Lord of truth extreame necessitie droue him therevnto and yet as the learned write hee might more safely doe it because he was both a Prophet and a king herein prefiguring the person of a sauiour Christ who was a king a preest and a Prophet But let vs proceede plainly saying the sooth of our conclusion The Lord in executing his iudgementes hath no respecte of persons neither pardoneth he this greeuous voluntarie sinne of detracting from the Church so easilie as hee dooth other sinnes of infirmitie But rather hee sheweth his most seuere iudgement against those which take the liuing of the leuit from the Church and impropriate the same vnto themselues their wiues and their children Ely was a goodlie old Priest aud verie learned He was so beloued of the Lord that by the mouth of God hee and his seede were appointed to minister in the house of God hee had the freedome and prerogatiue of the Priests and he onelie had the disposing of the Arke the house the sacrifice of God in his daies Till at the length together with the vse of holie rites thorough the hope of small gaine hee suffered great abuse to enter into the house of God in that the sonnes of Ely forgetting God the due reuerence which they ought vnto his holy sacrifice applied the vse thereof more to the feeding of their owne selues then to the solemne and reuerend pacifying of the Lord for the sinnes of the people They seldome offered themselues whē any of the people came to offer vp vnto the Lord whilest the meat was boiling the Priests boy came hauing a fleshhook in his hād he thrust it deep into the caudron what piece soeuer came vp that the Priest tooke to himself This did they vnto all the people of Israel which came to sacrifice in the house of God at Silo. Yea before they burnt the fat the priestes boy came to him which offered saying giue me a portiō that I may rost for the priest I will not stay to take boiled flesh at thine hands but I must haue it rawe To whom when he which offred vnto the Lorde answered not so but according to the custome let the fat be burnt first take then at your pleasure To whome the boy replied nay but if thou wilt not giue it me presentlie I will take it whether thou wilt or no. Herevpon the sins of the sonnes of Elie was grieuous in the sight of God because they being sinfull flesh tooke to their owne vse that which was bestowed on the sacrifice of the God of heauen Elie heard all those things of his sonnes and more then that and he said vnto them verie mildlie howe is it my sonnes that I heare of such wickednes committed by you against the Lord doe so no more my sonnes doe so no more Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati They sinned still by dailie custome without regard they offended the Lord without remorse the old father spake to his sonnes sometimes but so louing lie that hee hated his children that hee fed their humour and nourished them in their wanton wickednes forgetting that truth which he spake with his lips If one man sinne against another God may be pacified for them both but if man sin against God who shal intreat for him or make sufficient satisfactiō This mild old man waxed towards his end As is the vse of natural fathers he loued his sons too much too vehementlie too childishlie in that he was loather to loose their fauning looks then the fauor of the Lord. Alas say some you must beare with nature he was verie old and his greatest ioy was his sons Was his ioy here vpō earth And did he reioice more in his fleshly childrē then