You poore Heretikes saieth he howe can you be of a true beleefe if you do not first accept the twelfe articles of the faith And how should you accept them seeing you will not beleeue the holy Catholike Church For consider this he doeth take to serue his turne a most certeine and vndoubted point That no man can beleeue the holie Church but hee must ioyntly withall receiue and accept all whatsoeuer the saide Church doth set forth and beleeue And this is greatly to be coÌ„sidered seeing herevpon doth rest the most speâ—ial ground and strongest bulwarke of the holy Church of Rome For these Heretikes can very stedfastly say that they theÌ„selues are the church of god And to 〈◊〉 that they introduce and bring in many goodly textes out of the Scripture but they alledge them only according to the letter euen as though the Church were nothing els but an assemblie or congregation of holy men that is to say of such as through faith or beleefe are by the bloud of Iesus Christ blessed and chosen to be the sheepefolde of Iesus Christe the true and only sheepheard of our soules into which fold none are receiued but such alone as will hearken to the onely voyce of that onely shepheard and followe and goe after him onely forsaking and not knowing the voyce of any straunger Whereby they will nowe conclude that our great Maister the Pope with all the right honourable Bishops and Prelates which haue of them selues set forth manie goodly ordinances whereof Christ neuer knewe word should be those very straungers and hirelings which seeke onely the wooll of the sheepe and haue serued God feignedly setting forth and teaching the commandements and doctrine of men yea that they shuld be the theeues and murtherers that haue not entred in at the right doore which is Iesus Christ but are crept in a wrong way to steale kill and destroye And therfore do they cut vs cleane off notwithstanding what soeuer wee alleadge of the Church of God and of her authoritie power and woorthines But they alledge out of the Prophet Ieremie That al is but lyes and deceyt whervpon we establish our selues crying with the Iewes The Church of God The Church of God The Church of God. And herevpon doe they bring vs forth and alledge their Paul saying That the only true ground and foundation of the Church of God is established onely vppon the doctrine of the Prophetes Apostles so that who soeuer he be that falleth from the same can not be accompted for a true member of Christs Church And then they bring forth an Esaie out of a corner and an Ezechiel an Oseas with diuers other out of the olde Testament which they set al together on a heape and will defend themselues therewith that the stedfast successioÌ„ and that long continued race of the Popes Cardinals Bishoppes and Archbishops are in no wise that right token and that vncounterfeyt marke of the Church but the onely the sincere worde of God when as that is in our mouthes and in our heartes and in the mouthes and heartes of our children accompanied with the right vse of the Sacraments according to the perfit ordeining of Christ Iesus who is the only head of the Church and congregation in whom all people are ioyntly vnited euery one according to the measure of the gift which he hath receiued of the head to the ful growth of the whole body in loue Well well when they haue done all their prating yet must this needes be true That they are but Heretikes and smel after the fagot the good yere and all the cause why For that they doe not beleeue all that the holy Church doth beleeue and without the Church is no saluation but all such as fall from her must be burnt like fagottes for to that end haue we a plaine text of Scripture which saith thus Who soeuer doeth not abyde in me shall be cast out of the vineyarde as a branche and there wither and men gather those branches and cast them in the fire and burne them And this same is apparent out of the second point of this Epistle nowe folowing Whereas Gentianus doeth openly coÌ„fesse that at al times and for euer there haue bin some men which haue helde the same opinions set forth the like learning that these Lutheranes and Huguenotes do nowe followe But he answereth the matter thus That such haue alway bene banished and cursed for heretikes and all this is verie true For euer since that Iohn the Archfather Patriarch of Constantinople began to take vpon him to be the vniuersall Bishop of all Bishops within Christendome which attempt the Pope of Rome dyd in the beginning stoutly withstande and that then afterwardes Boniface the thirde did obteyne that tytle for him selfe and was by the Emperour Phocas declared Cheefe or superiour Bishop ouer all Christendome and ordeined the head of the Church which thing was brought to passe in the yeere of our Lord 680. From that time forward I saye there haue alwayes bene many factious and busie fellowes stirring abroade which as well by writing as preaching haue withstoode the Pope and condemned his doctrine decrees and ordinances euen by the Scripture yea and blazed and set him selfe forth for an Antichrist alledging euen as our Heretikes nowe do that men ought to repose themselues and buyld vpon the sincere word of God onely and further to holde and esteeme all ordinances of the Popes not agreeing with the Scripture for deuilishe doctrine But as before is declared such haue alwayes bin reputed and condemned for Heretikes Therefore to the ende that no man shall thinke this to be nowe a new dealing of the holy Church to condemne these Lutheranes and Huguenotes for Heretikes and likewise that no man shall suppose that this their doctrine and Articles which they set forth are first growen in their gardens I will therefâ—â—e make here a brief discourse of such as haue here before set forth these matters as well by mouth as by writing to make it plainely appeare to the worlde that there is not one Article which they bring forth but iâ— hath bene long before â—et a bâ—â—che openly â–ª that the holy Church of Rome hath both punished and condemned it for heresie Then to begin withall it is plaine that the Grekes haue alwayes daâ—peâ—ly withstoode the holy Pope of Rome and would neuer acknowledge him neither for Pope nor for the head of the Church like as yet euen in these dayes they do not in so much as in the yere of our Lorde 1328. at which tyme Pope Iohn the 23. had written very wisely and sharpely to the Grekes and by many wordes defended the cause That first there was but one only Church whereof he ought to be the head vnder whom all Christendome ought to submit them selues they dyd againe sende him this answere which followeth We beleeue verely
which is written yea shee doeth plainly foâ—bid the common sorte and Laie people to reade the scriptures in their mother tongue For consider this they haue found in effect and by experience that the Heretikes and Huguenotes haue alwayes the Scripture in their mouth and take vppon them to defende and iustifie by plaine and euident textes all that they say or beleeue And they passe not a pinne for all the hidde and profound interpretations which the holy Church of Rome hath finely founde out and profoundly set downe concerning the same Nowe that spites them out of measure and to saye trueth howe can they tolerate or suffer such a thing yea when al is said what mischiefe do these Heretikes meane that they thinke them selues wiser than all the holy Fathers the Popes of Rome with so manie Cardinals of excellent renowme and honourable Bishops with such innumerable bandes of learned men of Louen and Paris Or if so be likewise that they doe not passe for all their Myters Staues Hattes Crownes Cowles Capes and Liripippes yet must they needes remember them selues that holie Pope Pius the fourth nowe lately dead did in the confession of the faith which he with the consent of the whole Councell of Trent published and set foorth euen as a watche woorde or speciall marke whereby men might discerne true Catholikes from false Heretikes as in plaine and expresse wordes is written And first I acknowledge the holie Catholicall Apostolicall Church of Rome to bee the true mother of all Churches and Congregations And after that I beleeue the holie Scripture according to such vnderstanding interpretation meaning signification as our mother the holie Church hath alway allowed for good at this present doth allow to whom only of right doth apperteine to giue vnto the Scripture a right vnderstanding sense interpretation And herevpon I do promise that I wil neuer vnderstand nor interprete the same otherwise than according to the interpretatioÌ„ of the Fathers This same haue the holie fathers at Trent irreuocably concluded coÌ„manding That no man shall otherwise vnderstande nor interpret the Scriptures than our mother the holy church hath in times past and doth at this present vnderstand them Now here you haue a full decision a setled determination an irreuocable sentence vppon our question by vertue whereof neither delay nor appeale can follow For you doe heare to beginne withal that the worde of God is not of such value or dignitie that it is of it self worthie to be beleeued vnlesse it be deckte and set forth with the glosses and interpretation of the holie Fathers of Rome So that hereof is to be gathered as all Catholike Doctours also haue written That the Scripture and word of God is obscure darke variable vncertein vneeuen rawe vnfurnished and vnhandsome but the glosses and interpretations of the holy father of Rome and of the great Clerkes of Louen are cleare lightsome stedfast sure true euen plain fullie furnished and in all pointes verie handsome and sufficient It is true that the pretence of Christ of his Disciples was to vtter declare to euerie man their doctrine or at least so much of it as doeth apperteine to the saluation of man in all plainesse simplicitie trueth without any dissimulation or darknesse For to that end purpose did Christ chuse simple fishers and other plaine dealing laie people for Apostles and Euangelistes and did therfore thanke his heauenly father that he had reuealed his heauenly wisdome knowledge to simple plain mening men not to the sharpwitted deeply learned philosophers of this world In like maner also did Paule set forth his doctrine before the simple people in al simplicitie plainesse yea he gloried of his simplenesse Wherevpon the chiefe of the old Fathers were prouoked diligently to put the laie people in mind that they should be diligent readie to pervse search the holy scriptures not to thinke that they did perteine onely to the learned And yet notwithstanding we must now either say that their intent and meaning was not well grounded or else that the chaunce is now changed For we see that nowe in these dayes the Scripture is hid froÌ„ the Laie people as a thing dark doutfull of no sufficient foundation in place wherof is intruded thrust in the peoples hands glosses interpretations decisions and determinations of the holie Church so that thereby it is good to consider that the scripture is not only darke but also rough vneeuen hard stonie in so much that the Catholike children of the church of Rome might lightly stumble vpon it and breake their shinnes or else perhaps be seduced drawne awry from their right Catholike beleefe But the foresaid decisions glosses are as eeuen smooth plaine as the rockes of S. Goddardes mountaine yea they are the very Planers wherwith the roughnes of the Bible scriptures is shauen off in such sorte that they may serue for all purposes of work to the building vp pulling downe of the Catholike faith Therefore aboue all things we must sticke fast to their glosings cleaue close to their interpretations haue litle regard what the plaine cleare textes of the scripture bring with them Now this is the first point that you haue to consider out of the rule before specified The second you may likewise gather out of this That no man in the world hath power to interprete the Scripture anie otherwise than as hitherto it hath bene interpreted by the holie Popes and Bishops and by the Theologians Bachelers of Louen for else to what purpose were it that men should bestow such cost on those same Magistri nostri in making them pleasant bankets to proceed Bachelers or Licentiats if it were not that thereby they had free graunt and licence to winde and writh the textes of the Scripture with so phisticall arguments euen as they themselues thinke good Then we may thereby well perceiue that suche as are neither Bacchelers Licentiates nor Doctours presuming of their owne wit and will to set out the Scripture according to the letter that is to say after the single and profound ground of the plaine text so applie them to the detrimeÌ„t of the holy Romish church are all ranke Heretikes seeing they goe about to rob the holie Church of Rome of her power authoritie which is a thing in no wise tollerable For it is most true and without doubt yea as true as the holie Gospell of the Distaffe as is plainely to be proued out of the bookes of all Catholike writers That when our Lorde Iesus Christ did deliuer into the handes of the holie Church of Rome the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen he did yet giue her beside those an other string of sixe keyes wherewith shee might open and shutte all the Cupbordes of the Scripture euen as it pleased her and as shee thought good for her owne aduauntage
Iewes Therfore that which they do and ordeine hath an other maner of couÌ„tenance than that which the Iewes haue ordeined Therefore must our former argument remaine fast vnmoueable especially considering that the Church of Rome is fullye credited in the one therefore must shee of necessitie be as wel beleeued in the other For truely this argument is the trimmest and finest stuffe whereof Iohn Blindasinus hath made his Panoplie which is as muh to say as his Ful furniture of weapons harnesse For by this is proued that S. FraÌ„cis Vineyarde The goldeÌ„ Legend The booke called Conform S. Franc. And the Masse booke must be as much esteemed in all respects as the very scripture of the Bible yea in the boke called Confo S. Fran. which was made by Barthol of Pisa is alowed for good in the chap. of Assis. In the yere 1389. is written That the same booke is better thaÌ„ the Gospell for that Saint Francis is placed in Lucifers seat aboue all the companies of Angels at the vpper ende of all Also there followeth out of the same that the common sort of people may be as well instructed in the knoweledge of God by dumbe Images and mumming representations as by the preaching of the Gospel and that men must as well christen the Belles at the Font as the children whiche are shapen after the likenesse of God and bought by the precious bloud of Iesus Christ that in baptising shall be vsed spittle and oyntment as well as water that the holy Sacrament shall bee caried about the streetes in the Procession with Baners and Pipes as well as it shall be taken and eaten in the Congregation of the faythfull in remembrance of the death of the Lorde In summe men are as deepely bound to do that which the holy Church and the Popes of Rome haue dreamed set vp and commaunded as that which by the expresse worde of God and by the doctrine of the Prophetes and Apostles is specially commaunded Yea and I praye you why should it not be so Seeing out of the same argument it must of necessitie be concluded that the word of God cannot be Gods word but it must first by the church be therto shapen fashioned For note well this word is with special wordes of our learned master Iodocus Tiletanus in writing thus That the worde of God alone conteyned in the holy Scriptures of the old and the newe Testamentes together with the three Symbols or Creedes as of the Apostles the Councel of Nice of the father Athanasius yea and thereto ioyne the three first Councels are not the rule perfite knot of the truth whereby it is apparant that in no wise men can perfitely know whether these be the word of God or no without the traditions or setting forth of the Church which doth assure vs of al this without any Scripture c. In summe the truth can be no truth nor the light light yea God can be no God except that the holy Church of Rome that is to say the holy Pope of Rome with his bishops prelates do consent thervnto So that it is no maruel that they can of a peece of bread make a God creator of heauen and earth For if it were so that they should say that at noone day it were darke night wee must streight wayes beleue the same as an article of the faith by and by without delay get vs to bed For we say by a certaine coÌ„mon prouerbe That when all the world doeth affirme that a man as by example SoÌ„nius or Blindasinus is a swine he must out of doubt trudge vnto the swinestie and there eat only draffe How much rather theÌ„ when the holy Church with that worthie coÌ„panie of Bishops Abbats Prelates and Cardinals gathered together at Trent or elswhere do coÌ„mand any thing are not we bounde to receiue beleue obey the same without any denial by and by to say Amen therevnto And herein may men perceiue a great miracle which I do assure you is greater by the head thaÌ„ any miracle that euer was don by the Apostles to wit that the child was borne before the mother yea that the mother commes of the child For it is most certein and wel knowen that the worde of God is the seede whereof the Church of God doth spring is ingendred as the Apostle Peter witnesseth coÌ„sidering that the Church is nothing else but a Congregation of such as doe faithfully beleeue Gods woorde and firmely sticke vnto the same where thorough they are also called The Congregation of the liuing God The pillar and staye of the truth So that the woorde is the right mother of the Church Well nowe see here goeth the holy Catholike Church of Rome before the worde of God and his truth which is as much to say the childe goeth before the mother yea the worde can haue no might no credite no estimation nor no being in the worlde vnlesse it bee by speciall grace borrowed of her daughter the holy Church As the foresayd Blindasinus Hosius Sonnius Piggius Eckius with all other Catholike Doctours haue forceably coÌ„cluded and irreuocably determined taking this for a most true vndoubted article of the faith yea for the most speciall ground whervpon they and all their writing is founded which is That men may not beleeue the worde and truth of God otherwise than by the appoyntment of the holy Church of Rome which of duetie must alwayes goe before and lead the daunse which is as muche to say that you can not ride to Louen but you must set the Wagon before the horses And therefore whensoeuer the Churche doth ordeine any thing that is contrarie to the Scripture as is before saide we will giue the Scripture an honest passeport or safe conduct and a great many of farewels and clâ—ue to the holy Church like a Burre For the srcipture cannot defend this cause but the holy Church of Rome can bring a man to the stake And it helpes not to alledge and bring in Augustine here who hath written in diuerse places That wee ought to beleeue the holy Scripture only without any contradiction and to trie proue all other writinges and doctrines howe substantiall soeuer they be yea all Councels decrees and ordinances by the holy Scripture as by the onely true vncounterfeyted touchstone and abolish and put away vtterly all whatsoeuer doth not therewithall agree for that all smelleth altogether of heresie And where as he sayeth further That when soeuer the Church doeth giue eare to any other voyce beside the onely voyce of her bridegrome she is then become whorish and a wedlocke breaker yea and that they are all accursed which go about to seduce the Bride of Christ from her Bridegrome to the doctrine and institutions of men that is the plaine doctrine of Heretikes For if that were so all the before specified rules ordinaunces and decrees of the holy
Colledge of Cardinals Monasteries of Monkes Fraternities of Friers Nestes of Nonnes and the rest of the Pharisaical Frie as whole handfuls of Helleborus or pounds of Colloquintida can neuer auoide wote you what that will pull downe their mother the holie Churche vppon her knees with thought and sorowe Well I leaue the benefite of this booke to thy diligence in reading And thus farewell Thine in Christ Iohn Stell This is a cleare and perfect interpretation of the Epistle of Maister Gentian Haruet nowe latelie set foorth in French and in Dutch and directed to those that are fallen from the true Christian beliefe WHerein the full foundation and profounde establishing of the holie Romishe beliefe is declared all newe heresies confounded the might authoritie and worthines of the Church of Rome expounded and by Scriptures confirmed all dissentious articles put to silence and a plaine demonstration where the right Church is to bee founde In summe all the articles of the holie Catholike Romishe beliefe are here drawne out of all sortes of flowres in the holie Scripture olde Fathers Councelles Decrees and Canons gathered together and as in a sweete Bee hiue brought all in one and in the last is set forth the manners conditions nature and essence of Bees the honie and honie-combe of this Bee hiue collected out of the best olde writers as well Grecians as Latinistes Made and brought togither by Isaac Rabbotenu of Louen Licentiate in the Popishe lawes To the right worshipful holie profounde and learned Doctor and Magister noster Maister Franciscus Sonnius nowe most woorthie Bishop of Shertoghenbosch health and blessing from God and the Pope our most holie father RIght worshipfull louing and holie father and bishop when I do well consider thinke vppon the noble commendable woorthie deedes which your honor with the good helpe of the moste famous and deuoute Cardinall Grandvelle and other good subiectes of the most holie Apostolicall Catholike Popish church of Rome haue within these niene or ten yeares taken in hande and almost brought to passe touching our ancient and wellnigh ouerthrowen Romish Religion to proppe and vnderset the same with newe pillars strong styles â–ª binding it with well twisted ropes and cordes of the Spanish Inquisition I must needes and of right in the name behalfe of all my countriemen and inhabitants of the base countries of Germanie geue you worthie thankes for the great alterations and changes whiche within these fewe yeares haue happened and chaunced to the proofe within the said lowe countries For had not your Honor about the yeare 1558. in the time of the most holie Pope Iulie the fourth stoutlie and diligentlie trauelled and obteined that these our base couÌ„tries might be prouided for with newe Bishops to serue for Inquisitours and accusers of heretikes and Huguenotes Surelie the case was such that the Popes holines with all his boothes and shoppes must out of hande haue bene trudging out of these countries and all by reason of this newe Gospell which men woulde needes set forth whereof your Bishops Myter crosier staffe and your laudable Inquisition haue not read much considering that your Honor can content your self with your Portesse a canne of good rennish wine whereof if it had so come to passe a most pitifull case must needes haue followed As especiallie that a man shoulde scarse afterwardes haue founde anie one that would haue saide Masse for monie yea the Priestes themselues began to be so ashamed of their shauen crownes that in some places they woulde haue beene glad to couer them with cowe doung as in an olde prophesie is declared The Bishops the Prelates the holie Monkes and Chanons the Inquisitoures and all idle officers of the spirituall courtes shoulde not haue had anie more worke I omit howe that the famous doctoures of Louen the Licentiates and Bachelers of Diuinitie shoulde drinke no more Vinum Theologicum or Vinum Cos that is to say of the persons fatte but must haue taken patience with small ale and single beare whereof they might sooâ—e haue gotten the Collica passio And where I pray you shoulde the foure holie begging orders haue become And especially the deuout Franciscanes should they not all in generall haue gone and hanged their cowles vpon the hedge And then what should haue become of all the godlie ornamentes of the Churche as braue altars gylte christes holie reliques braue images Copes of gold siluer and silke and other moe suche like iewels wherewith all the Churches and holie Saints as well Feminine as Masculine are decked vp and trimmed which all the Byshops haue promised by solemne othe to mainteine and defend to the vttermost of their powers But what is all this to the purpose The Masse the Masse I saie yea the holie blessed masse laie so extreemely sicke that men began alreadie to sing a Requiem ouer her the holie Saintes did not get anie more liberall offrings more sensinges nor more pilgrimages Yea the people began alreadie to pul downe images from the alters No man would geue any thing for pardons nor for the Popes bulles Yea the hole staple of pardons especially purgatorie beganne to waxe coulde The Pope himselfe was esteemed for an howlieglasse The Decrees and Decretals the Sophisticall gloses the sentences the Quotlibets and suche like toyes of the schollers and doctours of Louen were cast behinde the benche Satisfaction and ful recompence were no more made anie accounte of Auriculer confession was almost murdered Shroue tuesday and Iacke a lent had almost broken their neckes all the holie and goodlie Processions with the stately stations Perambulations going about the streetes were esteemed for boyes plaie the holie Sacrament was no more deuoutlie caried vp and downe with fiffes and drummes In conclusion all the holinesse of the Catholike Church of Rome beganne to fall in the ashes and in place thereof you should heare nothing else neither in the townes nor without yea nothing was read but the Byble or Saint Paule The people would pray to none other but to GOD alone neither woulde haue anie other mediatour but Christe Iesus noâ— put their trust and confidence in anie other thinges but in his merites No reioycinges but in his Crosse death and passion They did onely esteeme for Sacramentes Baptisme the Lords Supper yea and did vse the same very simply without anie stately station or ceremoniall brauerie without coniuringes of the diuell without spittle without salt without greasinges also without albes surpleses or coapes without singing of Per omnia saecula saeculorum or Dominus vobiscum They would go no more to shrifte vndeâ— their ghostlie Father but to God aboue or else before the whole congregation They did not passe anie more for absolution they woulde not praie anie more for the sillie soules whiche lie in Purgatorie but euerie one would grouÌ„d his praier vpon the holie scripture They woulde acknowledge but one supreme heade of the Churche namely Iesus Christe the
Sonne of God They woulde haue Bishops renouncing the name office of tyrannical Inquisitors to preache the gospell to leaue of their trapt Horses and Mules and goe on foote They did esteeme all manner of meates good and lawfull first saying grace in their mother tongues neither did they much regarde the eating of fleshe in Lent no not euen on Good Friday In Summe they went wholy about to bring in a new reformation of religion and discipline ecclesiasticall the like whereof was neuer seene of the holie Churche of Rome nor of our forefathers They tooke in hande to restore all againe to the olde and former state of the Apostles and Euangelistes what pitie what care what sorowe had this bene to our dearly beloued mother the holie Catholike Churche of Rome and to all her good subiectes But praised be our blessed Ladie of Antwerpe your honour did well foresee and in time diligently withstand that inconuenience in that you haue placed the inquisition in the lande driuen away the Gewses or Heretikes laide the Magistrates in prison banished and brought to the Butchers stall the Gentlemen and good subiectes made a way and open passage for the Spaniardes into the lande set vp fire and swoorde in token of victorie and in euerie corner reared vp gallowes and plentifully shed the blood of those newe Euangelistes In Summe your diligence your quicke expedition your great zeale your newe Bishoppes and your holie Inquisition haue so well aduised counselled perswaded or rather forced our Souereign Lord the king his Maiestie much rather to see the destruction of his Patrimoniall lande the ruine of his Subiectes yea the imprisonment and death of his owne onelie sonne then to permit the holie Catholike Church of Rome to suffer suche shame and that in place of the Popes decrees and decretals of the Masse booke Hortulus animae and suche other seruice bookes the Gospel holy Scripture onelie should succeed take possession Therefore your Honour is highly to be praised for such noble actes And euerie man is duely bound herein to assist further you in your enterprise to the vttermost of his knowledge abilitie This Right Honorable and blessed Bishop is the cause which hath moued me poore vnworthie brother of Saint Frauncis order to dedicate and sende this my simple present to your honour to the ende that I with this my small gifte of good will may somewhat though but a little helpe to strengthen repaire the decaied walles of the Romishe Church and establish againe the right perfect foundation of our most holie father the Pope Therefore hauing a while agoe seene marked that in the Citie of Antwerpe was a small booke sette foorth in French Flemish intituled named A Letter Missiue Or An Epistle directed vnto the Apostates Backsliders from the true Christian beleefe compiled and made by Maister Gentian Heruet c And for that the same booke was greatly desired and verie much esteemed of all good and Catholike hearts I haue with all diligence and circumspection perused and read ouer the same wherein I haue founde in effect that in the same is briefly declared and set foorth the whole grounde and foundation of the holie Romish religion which your Honour euen with fire and swoorde to the subuersion and vtter ruine of the whole land doth seke most zealously to mainteine And I am thereby persuaded that the same booke was most worthie to be read ouer of all men to the ende that all startbackes from the faith might returne into the right way and the good faithfull Catholikes thereby strengthened confirmed But nowe considering the saide booke to bee verie shorte and something darke for a matter of suche importaunce and likewise had either none or verie few proofes out of the Scriptures Councels holie Fathers and Decrees of the Popes therefore I haue thought good to set penne to Paper and to set foorth and declare the same at large that nothing needefull should be lacking Moreouer cōsidering that it is most necessarie to declare something more at large especially touching the woorthines and authoritie of the holie Churche of Rome and the true exposition of the holie Scripture wherevppon the summe of all our matters doe depende for that we haue alwayes beene forced to call vpon the Church especially now when there is none other shield or defence left vnto vs therefore haue I traueiled brieflie to shew of this matter where the sure grounde and foundation lies by what Scriptures by what holie fathers by what Councels by how many Decrees euerie point is defended and likewise howe and in what manner the Scripture and the holie Church of Rome are ioyned together and Catholikelie vnderstoode in suche order as the same shall in no wise serue the Heretikes anie thing at al to their purpose or aduantage And forsomuch as this woorke is sucked out of sundrie sortes of flowres gathered together therefore haue I named it The Bee hiue of the Romishe Churche thereby to geue to vnderstande ▪ that as the honie Bee doeth not gather her honie out of one flowre alone but out of manie and diuerse So doeth not the Churche of Rome stande vpon one Scripture Byble Councels or bokes of Decrees but doth catche and snatch out of eche of them that which best serueth her purpose as hereafter euerie man may plainelie perceiue and in the ende of this booke shall vnderstande more at large whereas the speciall causes are set foorth why and wherefore we haue christened this booke with such a name And now hauing vnderstoode that your Honour did a good while agoe set foorth a certaine booke against the confessiō of the faith of these newe Gospellers I did verie earnestly trauell to gette the same trusting that it might perhaps haue eased me of this my labour for that I thought your Honour shoulde haue set foorth these matters there at large But after that I had superficially and lightly reade ouer the saide booke not hauing the lucke to kepe the same lōg by me I was the more willing to set foorth this my Bee hiue for that I sawe it shoulde serue verie well to the opening and more plaine declaration of the foresaide booke which your Honour hath made and published considering that your honour is busie in euerie place with the aucthoritie and dignitie of the holie Churche of her ordinances or constitutions additions or traditions and of the spirituall exposition which shee hath made vppon the Scriptures perceiuing nothing to be clearly set foorth whereby one may finde out these constitutions and ordinances whether in the Scripture in the Fathers in the Decrees or in the Coūcels so that a simple man might alway stande in doubt what you will haue esteemed and holden for the commaundementes ordinances or traditions of the Churche and what men shall call the Churche and likewise what rule or inuiolable order this holie Churche doth commonly keepe and vse in the exposition of
the scriptures but I thinke your Honour did leaue this vndone as our saide Maister Gentian Haruet did especially because it was to small and slight a matter for you to trouble your mytered head with all And therefore haue I gladlie taken vppon me this paine and trauell and haue clearely sette forth in this my booke vpoÌ„ what ground and foundation all these thinges are builded So that the necessarie vse of this booke is vnspeakeable as euerie good Catholike shall well perceiue of him self And forsomuch as herein is not written anie thing but it doeth agree aswell yea better with the said booke made by you theÌ„ with Gentians booke I would gladly haue it set forth as an Exposition Glose or CoÌ„mentarie vpon your foresaid prettie booke but considering that I had not anie copie of your said booke in my custodie and fearing also least your Honor might haue bene offended that any man should take vppon him to expounde or comment vpon your writings which are as cleare as hellishe sunne euen as your owne name Sonnius doth signifie so that I haue proceeded with my first determination thinking it sufficient for me if I might hide this my trauell vnder the winges of your Honor like as vnder the same all our newe Bishops haue beene hatched Most humblie beseeching your Honor to accept this my simple gifte in good parte and as becommeth such a worthie Bishop to do trusting yet within short time to set foorth more such woorkes and thereby so preciselie to expounde all the bookes that are set out by your Honour and other doctoures of Louen your companions that a blinde man may feele them with his handes yea and without spectacles or candle conceiue what greate holines lies hid in such coafers You may if it please you in the meane space accept this my woorke as an explanation and commentarie vpon your booke which to doe resteth at your pleasure and good will. And herein I commende your Byshopps Myter and crosyers staffe vnto the tuition of our holie Father the Pope who preserue and keepe your Honour with all your brethren our new Byshoppes in prosperous estate and proceedinges against all Heretikes Datum in our Musaeo the v. of Ianuarie being the euen of the three Kings of Collen at which time all good Catholikes make merie and crie The King drinkes in anno 1569. Your Honours welwilling seruant in all that lies in my simple power Isaac Rabbotenu of Louen The argumeÌ„t of this booke Wherein the Epistle or Letter missiue of Maister Gentian Heruet is deuided into sixe partes and the meaning of the same brieslie declared THis deepe grounded and most learned Epistle of the right worshipfull Doctour Maister Gentian Heruet directed to those that are declined fallen from the holie Romishe Catholike Church is deuided into sixe speciall and principall partes whereof the first is 1 That the Heretikes and Huguenotes cannot repute them selues for faithfull people so farre forth as they do not beleeue all things which our louing mother the holie Church beleeueth without whom no saluation can be obteined especiallie for that they will not beleeue the Transubstantiation of the breade into the verie bodie of Christ. 2 The second is knitte to the first namelie They mainteine iniuriouslie that wee ought to allowe nothing but what is mainteined by Scripture 3 Thirdlie They doe not beleeue nor allowe of seuen Sacramentes especiallie â–ª Auricular confession the sacrament of Matrimonie and the holie ointment of Vnction 4 Fourthlie They doe the Catholikes great iniurie insomuch as they repute them for idolaters and worshippers of idols 5 Fifthlie They seeke nothing else but fleshlie libertie and their owne appetites 6 Sixthlie lastlie Their Preachers are vnlearned Doultes and leade a lewde loathsome and wicked life In these sixe pointes is brieflie rehearsed the whole grounde and foundation of the holie Catholike doctrine taught by the Romishe Church â–ª and is so gallantlie established yea and all the Heretikes so finelie fetche ouer the coales that there remaineth not a iotte to be spoken of anie further Yet seeing the ground and meaning of this Epistles Authour did stretch chieflie to challenge the Heretikes foorth into the fielde and then Championlike to combate with them like as hee sheweth that not long since the noble Knight Maister Nicholas Villegaignon who by his writing thought to egge foorth Maister Iohn Caluine and by that meane to haue wonne a perpetuall fame and euerlasting memorie It is euen in like sorte fallen out with this good fellowe as it did with the saide Villegaignon For his happe was the better to fitte his purpose to set downe as hee before mencioned manie doubtfull partes verie darke and obscure reasons yea and some somewhat grose supposing herewithall as with a baight to drawe the fishe into his net Whereby alas it came to passe that his good and godlie meaning was spelde and construed a wrong waie and the Heretikes did seeme to make a mocke of it as though he were vnworthie to haue an answere to the same considering that hee did shewe verie litle scripture or authoritie to affirme his matter Euen in like manner as they had in times past iested with the foresaid Villegaignon Therefore it hath seemed both good and necessarie vnto vs and for the preferrement of the holie Romishe Church most auaylable that this present Epistle shoulde be at large declared and verie strong and apte authorities to be brought in for euerie part and parcell of the same collected aswell out of the Scripture as out of the besâ— and fittest bookes of the auncient Fathers Councels and Decrees wherewithall our louing mother the holie Churche is most supported to the ende wee should the better conceiue the costlie hidden treasures which are comprehended in this short Epistle and that eache might vse the same to his most aduantage and for a publike instruction hoping thorough this holie and meritorious worke to purchase heauen and withall to redeeme and set free two or three soules out of Purgatorie ¶ Here followeth the declaration of the first parte of the Epistle of Gentian Haruet wherein is treated what the holy Church of Rome is wherein her power and authoritie doeth consist and how farrâ— the same extendeth then is coÌ„cluded That the Lutherans Huguenotes can not be esteemed or taken for true beleeuers but must be banished and burnt for Heretikes The first Chapter VVherein is plainly declared that the Lutheraâ—â— and Huguenotes are Heretikes and ought to be burnt notvvithstanding that as vvell by Scripture as by many examples they shevve themselues to be the very Church of God. AND to the intent that wee maye orderly deale beginning first with one piece and after proceeding with an other our Maister Gentianus doeth here in his 〈◊〉 charge set forth such a noble grounded and sharpe wittie reason to founde and builde his argumentes vpon that the Heretikes and Huguenotes stand alreadie so amazed and ashamed as a horse that hath ouerthrowen his carre
a worthie matrone of Spaine called Senora Maria Osorio who did obteyne of Pope Paule 3. licence and power for her selfe and twelue of her bloud to coniure and holowe such beades and these beades were of this might that whensoeuer any person did saye a Pater noster thervpon although it were done without deuotion or once thinking of the matter yet did they thereby obteyne forgiuenesse of the thirde part of their sinnes And for this cause were the balles of these beades made of Copper and set in the Church where was set out by them in print their full might with all their properties and nature as is before declared so as at this day men may openly see by the common people which come and say their Pater nosters vpon their beades there holding their handes vpon those balles that thereby they may obteyne the forgiuenesse of their sinnes Nowe ouer and aboue all this the Belles are not onely coniured and hallowed but are also baptized and haue appoynted for them Godfathers which holde the rope wherewith they are tyed in their handes and do answere and say Amen to that which the Suffragane or Bishop doth speake or demaund of the Bell. And then they put a newe cote or garment vpon the Bell and so coniure it to the driuing away of all the power craft and subtiltie of the diuell and to the benefite and profite of the soules of them that bee deade specially if they bee riche and can pay the Sexton well and for many other like things In so much that the Belles are so holy that so long as the Church or the people are vpon anie occasion excommunicate they may not be rong Like as by Pope Bonifacius 8. and Gregorie 9. is manifestly ordeined although yet it is of speciall grace permitted to toll the Aue Maria as Iohannes Caldarinus hathe trimlie written And this I assure you is no small matter For Doctour Albericus de Rosato doth declare that the religious had amōgst themselues at Rome a long and weightie dissention wherevpon great processes were mainteyned and all about this namely which of all the Orders shoulde first knolle the Aue Maria in the morning ▪ which processes did long endure till at the last it was concluded and adiudged that they which were first vp should first knoll Euen after the maner of kine who alway let the formost go before and the last followe after Why I praye you hath it not bene seene that the Spaniardes which are the first sweete and most deare children of the holy Church of Rome comming nowe of late to Groninghen in Friseland did there christen coniure hallow theyr Ensignes naming one Barbara another Katharine c. I saye nothing howe they coniure the diuell out of yong children which are brought to be christened euen as though the yong children to whome Christ doeth witnesse the kingdome of heauen to belong and be those which with their fathers are conteyned vnder Gods promises and made cleane by the bloud of Iesus Christ were possessed with the Diuell The Masse I pray you what is it but a plaine coniuring sorcerie or witchcraft ▪ Wherein the breade and the wine which are but dumbe creatures are by the breathing of the Priest and the power of fiue woordes conuerted into fleshe and bloud So that it is most apparaunt that all her Religion all her diuine Seruice and ceremonies are full of witchcraft sorcerie and coniuring full of ydolatrie setting vppe of Images and giuing them worshippe full of mennes traditions institutions and deuises and in conclusion full of all that which by the holy scripture is openly reproued and plainely forbidden So that verelie these Heretikes must needes bee verie blinde if they doe not well perceyue that the power the ordinaunce and authoritie of the holy Church of Rome neyther can nor will bee shutte in nor hedged about with the pales and walles of the holy Scripture For see here this is that which the steadfast pillar of the Theologie of Louen Iodocus Tiletanus himselfe hath openly written We are not satisfied sayeth he with that which the Apostles or the Gospell doe declare but wee saye that as well before as after there are diuers matters of importance and weight accepted and receiued out of a doctrine which is no where set forth in writing For we do blesse the water wherewith we baptize and the oyle wherewith we anoynt yea and besides that him that is christened And I praye you out of what scripture haue we learned the same Haue we it out of a secret and vnwritten ordinance And further What Scripture hath taught vs to grease with oyle Yea I pray you from whence commeth it that wee doe dippe the childe three times in the water Doeth it not come out of this hidden and vndisclosed doctrine which our forefathers haue receyued closely without any curiositie and do obserue it still c But what neede haue I to trauell much for the establishing hereof seeing there is a generall rule in the holy Church of Rome That the Pope maye franklye ordeyne and commaunde contrarie to the writing doctrine and ordinaunce of the Apostle Paule Considering likewise in especiall that as Eckius hath set downe Christ did neuer commaunde his Apostles to write but to preach True it is that Paule doeth defende saying That the blessed woorde of God is set foorth and is sufficient to instruct to teache to punishe to amende yea and wholie apte and sufficient to make men wise ynoughe for their saluation and to instruct them sufficientlye to all good workes And that who soeuer shall teach any other Gospell than that which hee hath taught though hee were an Angel from heauen is accursed But all that must bee vnderstoode of the tyme wherein hee was whilest the Church was yet in her infancie or childehoode and laye in the cradle For it was yet necessarie for her then to drinke such milke being yet vnable to digest the strong and grosse meates of holy Prelates and Doctours of the holie Church of Rome For that her stomache was yet too weake and quasie And in effect men doe clearely see that notwithstanding the saying of Paule That in Christ Iesus and in the knoweledge of him all the treasure of wisedome and knowledge lyeth hidde so as the faythfull ought not to receyue any institutions or doctrine of men Yet a long time after the Apostles yea aboue seuen or eight hundred yeeres after theyr decease our mother the holye Catholike Churche hath founde out a wonderful and vnspeakeable newe hoorde of wisedome and knowlege through which a mā may come to perfite iustification and to an angelical life and aboue that get in store a heape of deseruings and good woorkes to helpe a good friende withall at a pinche and yet to release a dozen or twaine of sillie soules out of Purgatorie And these be they especially The holie order and full
strength and worthinesse of this new religion of Champions Trueth it is that she was at the last when the matter was knowen banished out of Venice but that was not done for her holinesse but specially because there were a great manie of amorous letters founde about her which were of great importance For else alas what could haue bene said to her heauie and pitiful penance whereof the like is daily done You maye see them sometimes in Italie go alongst the streetes with a great rope about their neckes as if they were dropped downe froÌ„ the gallowes and sometimes they weare a sawsige or a swines pudding in place of a siluer or golden chayne Is not that sufficient to deserue heauen by But if I should go about to expresse euerie particular religion alone which our mother the holye Church hath founde out beside the Scriptures I should haue work for this seuen yeres Wherefore it is not needefull For all good Catholike men do knowe well ynough that our holye fathers the Popes haue sufficient authoritie to bring in and establish newe religions and rules of perfection as manie as it shall please them although it be plaine that the whole Scriptures neuer make mention of anie such as it is most euident by so many diuers orders and religions which haue bene by their holinesse set vp brought in established As there are the orders of the Basilians Augustinians Benedictines Dominicanes or Iacobines Carthusians Carmelites or Ladie brothers Seruitours or Seruants Graie Friers Obseruantes Conuentuales Penitentiaries Minimers Capucines Mendicantes Cluinares Camaldulenses Valembrosences Cisterienses Barnardines Coelestines Gibertenenses Milicenses Castellenses Burfaldenses Mountoliuetes Castinenses Armeâ—tes Regulars PremoÌ„stratenses Whilliamites Lateranes Georgians Iohannians Trinitaries Indians AmbrosiaÌ„s Magdalines or Lazarines red Augustins Helenians Sophians Visitensers Wincesbaterers Gregorians Constantinopolitanes Columbins Crossed brethreÌ„ Starred brethreÌ„ Fratres ClauoruÌ„ Blackfriers Smocked friers BtethreÌ„ of the holy Sepulchre Brethren of the vale of Iosaphat BrethreÌ„ of S. Ioseph of S. Rusius seuen thousande like Of which number the most part haue their mates and companions in the women Cloisters of which some be Bagghines other close Nonnes other called Sisters the fourth are called Chanonesses who haue likewise their Patronesses as S. Clare S. Bridgit S. Lucia S. Agnes S. Marie Magdalene S. Valdrud c. All which haue bene receiued established by our holy fathers the Popes for good and holy Ouer and aboue these they haue ordeined many sundrie Heremitages orders of Heremits as of S. Anthonie of S. Hilarie of S. Makarius S. Theon S. Frontinian S. Horus S. Helenus S. Appellomius S. Paul the Hermit S. Martarius S. PiamoÌ„tius S. Castomianus many more of the like rabie Now are there more added to these the holy Giides or Confraternities as The fraternities of S. Roche of S. Hubright of S. Sebastian of S. Coronne which go cladde in blew of S. Anthonie in blacke of S. Martin in white of S. Dominick in black c. And to the ende that the heritage should not be without Rutters or Pensionars they haue appointed certeine newe religious orders of holy Knights likewise such as are the knights of the Rodes or of Malta Dutch Knights the Templers the Knights of S. Iames our Ladie Knights Saint Georges knights knights of Hierusalem Calitrauenses Montenienses Gartarienses c. But truly I had need of vi huÌ„dred tongues two huÌ„dred pennes a mouth of steele with an iron voice if I should declare all the diuersities of orders religions which our holy fathers the Popes haue set vp not only without but directly against the holy Scripture and yet without naming of the Popes themselues or their Cardinals Prelats Archbishops Bishops Metropolitanes Suffraganes Archdeacons Deacons and such like strange beastes whereof neither Prophet nor Apostle euer heard Nay I dare saye that if the Apostles had but once seene or hearde the hundred part of these new religious orders and professions named they would haue bene afraide of them For seeing that S. Paule could not suffer that amongst the Congregation of the Corinthians some should call them selues the Disciples of Peter other of Paule the thirde of Apollo howe would he then haue bene afraide and out of quiet when he should haue seene or hearde of such an innumerable companie of newe and diuers names professions religions Gods seruices and rules of perfection whereof some were clad and apparelled in blacke some in white some in gray some in green some in blewe some in red some in furres and in all maner of diuers colours and euerie one of them did esteeme his owne order and rules for the best and most worthie to be regarded He would surely haue thought him selfe to haue bene come into a newe world Therefore it is a great follie that men will founde them selues onely vpon that which the Apostles haue taught or written considering that the world is now chaunged and that the holy Church hath found out and established newe religions newe commandements and newe articles of our faith whereof the Apostles neuer knewe For otherwise beleeue me if nothing els were estemed but the bare Scriptures and writings of the Prophets and Apostles then should all the Decrees Decretalles all good holy Ordinances of the Church of Rome all the goodly Councelles which haue bene kept and holden by the order and commandement of the Popes yea all the before specified orders and religion of Friers NoÌ„nes the Heremites Gildes and Knighthoods be vtterly ouerthrowen yea all their merites and supererogations would not be worth an Oaten cake if men should begin to esteeme and accept the holy Scripture alone for a true and sufficient rule and direction and then should Luther haue done well when he caused the decrees and deâ—retals to be burnt O no truely We must aboue all mainteine those in reputation yea euen in greater estimation than the woorde of God it selfe for who soeuer doth sinne against the word of God his sinnes maye be forgiuen him but he that doth sinne against the Decrees of the Pope doeth sinne against the holy Ghost and therefore his offence shall neuer be forgiuen him Therefore it is vndoubtedly a great ouersight of them that would compasse and pale in the holy Church with the bounds of the holy Scripture seeing she may steppe or leape ouer it with a staffe or without anie feare and as often as euer she wil. Yet it is true that sometimes shee doeth helpe her self with the scripture for if there were no scripture howe should one knowe whether there must be a Church or no or wherby should a maÌ„ discerne the true church of God from the church of Antichrist Yet doth she alway rule the Scripture makes therevpon such a glosse as best serueth her turne yea that is more she is the very occasion that any beleefe or credit is giuen to the scripture as is pleasantly set foorth by the holy and
right honourable Bishoppe Guilielmus Blindasinus in his booke called Panoplia wherein he concludeth with strong inuincible reasons That mē were not bound to beleeue the word of God nor to be subiect vnto it if it were not that the holy Church hath so commanded For what do we thinke that the word of God is so strōg of it selfe as to publishe such thinges thorough the power of the holy Ghost if the Church of Rome did not first giue her verdicte in the matter No marie I warant you for so the Heretikes do vnderstand it For these Heretikes will bring the church of God in subiection vnder the scripture therefore do they alledge out of Ieremie That the word of God is like a fire like a hāmer which breaketh stones in pieces that it is liuely mightie sharper than a two edged sword goeth through euen to the soule to the sinewes and ioyntes is a searcher of the thoughtes intentes of the heart and therefore saye they it hath no neede of any mans witnes as Christ him self hath said but that those which do the will of the father shal lightly know by inspiration of the holy Ghost whether the doctrine be of god They say likewise It doth giue light to al things for it is a lampe to lighten the feete of the beleeuers whereby they must walke through the darknesse of this world they say that mans wisdom vnderstanding how great howe wise howe holy soeuer the same can be is plain darkenesse in comparison thereof Well then if it be so that the darkenesse can not lighten the light but that the light it selfe must lighten all things then in very deede can not the worde of God receiue anie light of the opinion or authoritie of man but it selfe must be the light whereby men may knowe which is the Church of God and which is the Synagogue of dissemblers And therefore they conclude according to the worde of the Prophet Esaie That men must followe after the Lawe and the witnesse which is the writtē word of God and that whosoeuer doth not walke after that shall neuer see the daye spring But as I haue alredy said all that is plain heresie for our dearely beloued mother the holy Church of Rome will be chiefe Iudge her selfe ouer the holye Scripture So that the doctrine of the Prophetes Apostles is now no more the foūdation of the Church as it was in the time of Paul but contrariwise the Church with the authoritie the traditions of the same is the onely foundation of the Scripture For euen so might the Iewes before time aduance themselues likewise by the estimation authoritie of the Church alledging that the law and the witnes whereof the Prophet speakes could haue bene of no estimation but by reason the same was consented to thē by the Church and that men should neuer haue knowen neither the Lawe or the witnesse or Gods worde if it had not bene by them and their forefathers set forth declared what they should accept for Gods worde and that the Church with her light hadde lightened the Lawe and the witnesse And so the Church of Rome doeth nowe also saye That the worde of God hath no estimation but that which it hath borrowed of the Church for otherwise as shee sayeth and as all good Catholike writers do declare howe should we knowe that the scripture were the word of God if it were not that the holy Church had so allowed and iudged it Wherefore should we more beleeue the Gospel of Mathewe or Marke than the Gospell of Nichodemus or Thomas For there standes plainly written in the Decrees That neither the old nor the newe Testament were receiued of mē for this cause or that cause nor for that it must be esteemed for an vndoubted rule and perfect knot but only because that the holye Father Innocentius Pope of Rome had so iudged it and so would haue it Therefore yee maye well thinke that God could not plant and establishe his holy worde in mens heartes by the inspiration of his spirit as S. Iohn the Apostle would proue if it were not that the holy Church had therein holpen him So that in this case God is greatly beholden vnto our deare mother the holy Church for her good wil faithfull seruice For if shee had accepted the Fables of Aesope and of Howleglasse the gospel of the Distaffe and of Fortunatus purse the gospel of Nichodemus or the Alcaron of Mahomet or els the gospel which certein Monkes at Paris in the yere of our Lord 1220. had made set forth being ful of al filthinesse and blasphemie naming it Euangelium aeternum that is to say An euerlasting gospel requiring the Pope that it might be by him canonized and so set it forth for the eternall word of God but it ws denied thē as hap was but if it had bene so I say that the pope and the holy Church would as wel haue allowed it as they did the holy scripture with the Masse booke with the seuē Psalmes with the Rosarium beatae Mariae who could haue said No to them And that should then haue bene the worde of God yea and therewith must God haue beene content Wel go too then seeing that men did herein credit the writing and seale of the church wherfore should they not thē giue as great credit to them in al other matters For euen so doth the text of the foresaid decrees argue saying with plaine wordes In so much as men do receiue and accept the old and newe Testamentes because that Pope Innocentius hath ordeined iudged so it doth necessarily folow that the Decretalles of the Popes of Rome must likewise be receiued accepted the rather for that Pope Leo hath likewise ordeined That whosoeuer doth set him self against them his sinnes shal neuer be forgiuen him c. It is very true that by this argumēt it must likewise folow that all the Iewes Caballes Talmood and all their dreames must as wel be receiued as the fiue bookes of Moses the bookes of the Prophets For it is most true that as we haue receiued the new Testamēt of the christē church so hath the christen church receiued the bookes of the old Testamēt of the Iewes Synagogue And now euen as our Romish church hath receiued the writing of the Apostles iudged the same for true so likewise hath the Iewish church iudged the bokes of Moses of the prophets for true receiued thē for authētike Nowe then as men do herein beleeue and allowe the Iewes writings and seale so must wee also following the rule of our Doctours of Louen beleeue the said Iewes in all that they say and teache and thereby nowe shoulde our Romishe Church come short home But we do not esteeme such cōsequencies It is but Philosophie and the Popes of Rome are no
And againe vpon the Councel of Affrica whereas the craft and falshoode of the Popes of Rome Sosimus Bonefacius Coelestinus were knowen and declared who had sought by falsifying of the Councell of Nicene to mainteine their authorities Wherevpon it was ordeyned That no man shoulde for any matter of difference appeale to Rome or ouer the Sea. Which was also established in the Councell Mileâ—etano Wee haue runne to long before the dogges to be afrayde of these matters Therefore they may go shooe the goose and make children afrayde with that which they bring forth out of the third Councel of Carthago and of the Councell of Affrica As that no man might take vpon him to be called The chiefest of the Bishops or The chiefe Bishop or High Priest yea by the Roode well sayde wee haue our aunswere readie ynough for that matter which is That men maye in no wise take vpon them to keepe or holde anie Councell at all yea though they were neuer so well defended both by the â–ª Scriptures in the Bible and by the holie fathers vnlesse they doe well and fully agree with the holy Church of Rome for she hath full power and authoritie to alter all Councels and to make them voyde of no value nor effect euen as shee shall thinke good and to explane them as shall serue best for her purpose yea to tumble and tosse them topsie turuie euen as shall best serue her turne And therefore where as menne presume so muche to alledge and bring in the ordinaunces of the Popes Gelasius and Hilarius whiche saye that the Sea of Rome is more subiect and obedient to the Councels than anie other man eyther the Councell of Basile wherein was determined and concluded That the Councell is aboue the Pope yea and that the Councell maye depose the Pope All that is not woorth a strawe For all the Balles that are serued on that syde the Tenise Court are easilye smitten backe and turned at the rebounde with halfe a woorde speaking to witte Saluo in omnibus iure Romanae Ecclesiae Which is too saye The right and authoritie of the Churche of Rome in all pointes reserued For this is the verie taiâ—e of euerie Councell wherewith they are turned about as with a rudder eeuen whither the Pope will haue them The v. Chapter VVherein is taught that the canons and decrees of Popes can not binde the Romish Churche but that she is sâ—ill aboue all decrees and maye breake and adnihilate the same so as shee shall thinke good THis same must be vnderstoode of all the former decrees and canons of all the Popes deceased For although it be cleare that they are inspirattons of the holy ghost against which it is not lawful for any man to speake so as whosoeuer doeth despise them is voide of the Catholike and Apostolike beliefe yet that notwithstanding they cannot therefore by any meanes close or shut vp the authoritie of the Church And wherfore For that there is one common rule of the holy Church set foorth for an vndoubted article of our fayth which is That the Romish church is she which doth giue to all Popes decrees their full power and might prouided alwayes that she her selfe is not in any wise subiect to the same by reason that she hath a ful power always to make such decrees and ordinances when soeuer it shall please her as hauing power and being heade ouer all Churches from which poynt no man maye dissent So after this manner doeth shee giue and graunt to the decrees full power and authoritie with this exception That she her selfe will in no wise incline or yeelde to the same but that she may do any thing agaynst the same whensoeuer it shall please her Euen like as Christ did teach the people as hauing might authoritie and power of himselfe and not like vnto the Theologians or Phariseis whiche durst neither put to nor diminishe or take from the same And euen after this maner it followeth with the Popes They giue the decrees their authoritie and yet notwithstanding this may they do as masters and Doctours of the lawe euen when they list agaynst their owne lawes and decrees â–ª and therefore the decrees and Canons doe not conclude anie thing at all without this exception That the Churche of Rome may alway vnderstande interprete and expound the same as she shal think good And herevpon it commes to passe that in all decrees one of these tales is ioyned to wit Reseruing alway the right and title of the Church of Rome or So farre forth as the Church of Rome doeth thereof allowe â–ª And so hath the high and renowmed Iurist or Lawyer Philippus Decius written namely That all decrees and Canons are by Gods appointment subiect vnto the Pope of Rome It is verie true that the holy Fathers and Popes Gelasius Felix Sosimus Vrbanus and Leo 4. haue concluded That all the decrees and ordinaunces of the Pope beeing contrarie to the olde and former decrees and Canons shoulde bee voyde and of none effecte And whereas Gregorie hath likewise ordeyned That whensoeuer any Pope wil haue his Decrees obserued then must he è contrà obserue the decrees of the Popes his predecessours But vpon that the glose saith Hoc non credo which is I doe not beleeue that And is not that answere grounded vpon good reason So that wee may boldely conclude That the holie Church will not be bounde nor pend in by any Decrees Shee is like vnto a Catte shee can not bee forced or compelled For else might these Heretikes and Huguenotes choke the holie Church with her owne decrees For they woulde bring foorth this Canon Vt quid Canon prima quidem Canon Non hoc corpus and such other like Thereby to teache that there is but one ghostly or spiritual food set forth in the Sacrament which is receyued onelie by fayth and not eaten nor swallowed vp with the teeth Further they would come out with the decree in the chapter Leginâ—us ff Quid enim dist 93. thereby to prooue That all Bishops haue like authoritie in what place soeuer they bee whether at Rome or at Canterburie and by that meanes shoulde all the authoritie of the Pope become creeple and lame whiche were a pitifull case They woulde goe about to teache out of the Chapter Vbinam distinct 96. that they ought likewise to come into the Councelles and to haue their voyces in the Consistorie euen as well as the annoynted Priestes whiche might bring in a great coÌ„fusion disorder They would mainteine by the decree of pope Gelasius That the cup in the Sacrament ought likewise to be ministred to the Lay people according to the institution ordinance of Christ for the Gela. doth esteme theÌ„ for terrible blasphemers of God robbers of the church which in that case do not folow the speciall commaundement of christ They woulde with the
decree in the chapter Placuit de consecra dist 4. bring free-will to the gallowes They woulde rid Auricular confession out of the way and vtterly confounde the defending of Priestes to marrie and quite abolish the forbearing of flesh yea they would throw downe fastens euen and Iacke a Lent and breake both their neckes Besides all this they woulde plucke downe all Bishops and Prelates all Abbaâ—s Monkes and Chanons from their riches welthinesse and merie dayes And would make of them poore beggers with Pokes because it is ordeyned by speciall woordes in the Decrees That spirituall persons shall not enjoy any landes or possessions And euen so woulde they dispossesse the holy father the Pope of all his patrimoniall goodes and heretage whereof Saint Peter by his testament hath put him in plentifull and peaceable possession and would leaue him nothing but this bare deuise or prouerbe Aurum argentum non est mecum That is to say I haue neither golde nor siluer by mee And so where he is nowe a riche God they woulde in steade thereof make of him a poore deuill and then they would driue all Priests and Parsonnes Monkes Friers and Nonnes into their Churches and Cloysters euen as men woulde driue a heard of swine into their Styes â–ª and that by force of the decree Cap. Clerici causa 14. quaest 4. and cap. peruenit dist 86. and more such like which are written in the 86. distinction And nowe note another thing which is worst of all they would mainteyne that all Priestes Monkes and Chanons with all the hellish shorne and greasie swarme are exâ—â—â—able and shameles heretikes yea accursed and false theeues â–ª and that al Cardinals Bishops and Popes haue effectually and Ipso facto forfeyted all their offices authorities benefices prebendes according to the decree Si quis dist 69. cap. Nullâ—â— cap. Baptisando 1. cap. Quicquid cap. Placuit and an innumerable companie and too long to rehearse So that herewithall shoulde our deare mother the holie Church of Rome be cleane rooted out and spoyled of all her goodly treasures riches possessions and gouernments and in the ende should vtterly loose her credite countenance and being forced to play the bankrupt should be driueÌ„ into an hospital there to ende her sorowfull and miserable dayes Therefore let euery man which will pretende to be a good and faythfull member of the holy Church looke well about him that he in no maner of wise for any thing that may be do extoll the decrees so high that the holy Church of Rome should be subiect vnto them but let our holy mother alwayes remaine vnhindered at libertie and free that shee may freely as touching all Decrees Canons writings and ordinances dispense ordeine iudge dispose order and reserue and in summe bind the diuel vpon a cushen for she neither may nor will be constreyned in any matter considering that shee is like vnto these olde Foxes which can not bee taken in anie trappe She can leape ouer all gates and hedges ouer all ditches quagmires ouer al parkes pales and she hath no other order nor rule but what she thinkes good euen her owne deuotion her good intent c. And to conclude that which shee perceyueth to tende most vnto her pleasure and profite The vi Chapter VVherin is concluded out of that vvhich is aforesayd that the benefite and profite of the Church of Rome is the onely rule and direction of all scriptures decrees and Councels HErevpon may wee boldly conclude and out of that which is sayde before make a most true and infallible generall rule That neither the holy Scripture of the olde and newe Testaments nor the writings and doctrine of the olde fathers nor Councels nor Decrees nor any other institution or ordinance in the world can be specially holden for the certein rule of fayth wherevnto the Church is bounde nor yet for the traditions and institutions of the holy Church which all Catholike men are bound to beleeue vpon paine of damnation But the estimation and benefite of the holy Church of Rome is the only principal most sure rule directioÌ„ whereby all Scriptures councels ordinances and decrees must bee guided and gouerned Yea it is the verie pricke the white and the but whâ—reat all good Catholike christeÌ„ people must shoot al their arrowes and lay their iust leuel Therfore whensoeuer the holy Scripture will serue the turne of our deare mother the Churche of Rome shee may accordingly vse it and wherein so euer the Councels can doe her any seruice she may commaunde them and when the olde Fathers say any thing that can further her cause shee may allowe it and let the rest goe Also wherein soeuer the decrees may further her purpose she may haue them in reputation and make them equall with Gods worde But whensoeuer the Scripture doth make against her she may finde a glose or an Allegorie vpon it and so couer the matter with a blewe mantle And when the olde Fathers write any thing which soundes against her holines she may thrust them out of the doores and send them packing And wherein soeuer she doeth mislike of the Councels she may admit approue other councels against them and so driue one thunder away with another And when soeuer the decrees tend any thing against the maintenaÌ„ce of her honorable state she may boldly deface theÌ„ set an earmarke on theÌ„ which shee calles Palea that is to say Chaffe or Strawe or else she may sauâ—e them with something adde vnto them a glose of Accursius â–ª or Panormitanus or of Iohn Andraeas which will bring the matter in frame As for example Whereas almightie God doth by his holy worde commaunde That no man shall make anie image or likenesse that is spoken onely for the Iewes And as the Councel of Africa only because of the ambition of the Popes of Rome who would haue questions suites to come before them and there be determined did ordeine That no man shoulde transport anie matter ouer Sea by appellation and such like Therevpon shall her Gratianus gratiouslie glosse excepting onely such as shall appeale to Rome And whereas Pope Gelasius doth command that euerie one which will not shamefullie separate the Sacrament of Christe shall minister the supper of the Lord vnder both kindes to witte of breade and wine That must be vnderstoode onely vpon al priests and so like vpon all other And when as they can finde no good glose to couer the matter withall then it is sufficient to say Non credo I do not beleue it or Hoc antiquum est This is ancient happened In illo teÌ„pore In that time c. In summe she will vse the matter so handsomely as shal make most for her own aduantage Then you may perceiue well ynough that she is like the honie Bee which wil sit vpon euery flowre and fetch out of euerie one of them that
is my name sacrificed a pleasant offering offered vp that is to say The offering and sacrifice of the holy Masse For that can not faile so long as it pleaseth our mother the holy Church to haue and will haue it thus vnderstoode And although it be so that Peter hath otherwise interpreted it saying That all faithfull are that holy Priesthood to offer vp spiritual offrings wherwith God is pleased through Iesus Christ yea they are the chosen generation the kingly Priesthoode the holie and elect people to set foorth the worthines of him which hath called thē out of darkenesse vnto his wonderfull light Wherewith Iohn the Apostle doeth also accorde saying That Iesus Christ hath made all faithfull Christians kings and Priestes to God his father and applies this sacrifice to their prayers and Psalmes And although it be so tha◠the Apostle had so saide to the Iewes That we should offer vp vnto God the offring of thankesgiuing which is the fruites of our lippes and tongues yet notwithstanding the holie Church is not therewith satisfied because greate disorder might followe for that then there shoulde be no mo priests which could serue in the Masse therfore she hath strongly concluded that this place of the prophesie of Malachie may not any otherwise be vnderstood than by the second councell of Nice the councell of Constance the councell of Trent further as by al Catholike men as Thomas de Aquino Scotus Durandus and by all the Doctours of Louen it hath bene vnderstoode interpreted Iudging without doubt that all these profounde learned Doctours together on a cluster as hauing greater measure of wisedome and learning than the rest did vnderstande Malachie farre better than Peter and Iohn who were but simple fishers and had neuer bene Studentes in the famous and renowmed Vniuersitie of Louen And yet if it were so that Peter were not content yet hath the holie Church giuen him to vnderstand that his foresaide reason must bee vnderstoode meant of the Priests only and not of the generall congregation of Christ. Moreouer and beside all this these wordes of Paule where he saith That we should deliuer or offer vp our bodies a liuing holie and an acceptable sacrifice vnto God which is our dutiefull seruing of God c. hath she violently forceably wresled to the Masse and the offering of the Priestes cōmanding that those words should do dailie read in the Canon of the Masse ▪ that at euerie word a crosse should be made to the ende that they by the power and vertue of the crosse might altogether transforme and change their naturall vsages and so serue the turne of the holie Masse For if men will vnderstande them according to their nature after the letter to wit That all perfite Christians must offer vp to God their bodies in all holinesse by that it should seeme that Paul hath otherwise vnderstoode Malachie than the holie Church doth vnderstande him And then should S. Peter haue done euill when he soung his first Masse at Rome vpon the altar which is yet there to bee seene in the holie place at Saint Iohns de Laterane And nowe our Lord hath saide Oraui pro te Petre ne deficeret sides tua ▪ O Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith shuld not faile So that Peter then can not haue done amisse when he did sing Masse And herevpon is to be concluded that the Masse is founded grounded vpon the scripture And yet we see further That in the scripture there are two sortes of Priesthoodes spoken of The one is the order of Melchisedech and the other is The order of Aaron who came of the tribe of Leui. Nowe both these two orders seeme to haue bene a figure of our Priestes Which doth appeare by this That our Priestes haue in their Masse by vertue of the fiue wordes changed the bread into the bodie of Iesus Christ then they go and offer him vp to God the Father praying and beseeching him that he with a mercifull and pleasant countenance will beholde the offring vp of his onely begotten and liuing Sonne Christ Iesus and that he will accept the same euen as hee accepted Abels offring and the sacrifice of Abraham of the hie Priest Melchisedech Who will nowe cast in any more doubts whether they be the right Priests placed in the roomes seates of Melchisedech Aaron Nay they do far passe both Melchisedech Aaron seeing that they do pray for the Sonne of God him selfe are a meane not only betweene God and man but also betweene God the Father and Christ Iesus his Sonne which in an Euangelical degree they do resemble to the sheepe and the lambes So that by this it is apparant that the meaning of our mother the holie church is That Christ is to be accounted for nothing els but the sheepe which Melchisedech did offer vp Contrariwise the Priestes are the true Melchisedechs which do offer vp Christ pray for him For when all is said what other thing did Melchisedech I pray you foreshewe but onelie the figure of the holie Pope of Rome who is the chiefe Priest the Summus Pontifex The high Bishop which doeth create all Priestes and Deacons set vp all spirituall orders giuing and appointing to euery one of them their charge what they shall doe Then must he needes be the right Melchisedech whose Priesthoode is not to bee resembled to other priestes For this is set forth in the Decretalles euen thus in plaine wordes Durandus hath set out the same at large in his booke called Rationale diuinorū officiorū Therefore that which the Apostle would say to the Hebrewes That as Melchisedech was a figure of Christ And accordingly as Melchisedech hath neither had anie successour nor lieftenant that euen so Christ had neither successour nor lieftenant but should him selfe in his owne person exercise his euerlasting Priesthood being once entred into that heauenlie holinesse through the power of that one offering to witte his owne bodie and bloud which offering being once fully accomplished for the remission of our sinnes can neuer be renewed nor done againe But all this doeth not serue the purpose touching out matter for if that were true then the Masse would be nothing worth and our Priestes might go with emptie stomachs and in the end be glad to get them into some hospitall for a refuge or at least to gette their liuing with painfull labour which would be a pitifull case considering that they haue neuer bene vsed to anie labour but simplie to say Masse sing Euensong and to mumble ouer their Mattens and therewith to deserue first a liuing here on earth and afterwardes heauen for themselues their pretie wenches and their yong bastardes Therefore doeth our mother the holie Church conclude that the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrewes did not well consider the pith and ground of the
yet at this present in a golden chest And yet besides that not only his Legend but likewise that holy man Lippomanus the booke called SpeculuÌ„ historiale that is The Mirror of histories made by Vincentius Lirinensis do perfectly set forth That Iesu Christ met him with out the town gates of Rome And being demanded by Peter whether he was going He answered I am going to Rome to be there crucified againe and a while after was Peter crucified and that vpon the same day place vnder the same tyrant that Paule iust a yeare before was put to death yea after that he himselfe had bene Pope and gouerned that sea 25. yeares by the same token that his seate which was hewed out of a Purphyre stone and the Albe wherein hee song his first Masse do both remaine yet for a memoriall And although Saint Luke doe testifie that hee continued verie long at Hierusalem yea and that in the verie same time that hee shoulde haue bene in Rome by the reckoning and calculation of our deare mother the holie Church of Rome and that Paul doth seeme to agree with the same where he writeth that the time that he lay in prison in Rome there was not one of the faithfull that did visite or assist him I leaue to say that Peter shoulde then haue beene Pope but all this cannot persuade vs For that is to bee answered that Saint Luke might be ouerseene in his writing and I thinke he was no good Arithmetician or else we may say as diuers Lutherans them selues confesse that one bodie may bee in two or three or mo sundrie places at one time And touching that he had perhappes forgotten that Peter was Pope of Rome as is apparant by that he writeth to the Galathians where he saieth That Peter was appointed for an apostle to the Iewes and he himselfe to the Gentiles Or else it may well be answered that it was not decent for Peter beeing a Prince and Duke ouer all the Apostles to go seeke or visite such a simple fellow as Paule was lying in prison Considering how that Pope Gregorie the 7. successour about the yeare one thousand and seuentie did suffer the noble Emperour Henrie 4. who came in the colde winter simply clad bare headed and barefoote most humblie desiring to haue accesse to his holinesse beeing then in the towne of Camisen his holinesse did as is before said suffer him to tarie before the gates of the towne three daies without once looking vpon him or sending to him I let alone that he would once step a foote to go meete him being in the meane space passing his time dallying with his Curtesans and with the Dutchesse Matildis who yet at last did make intercession for the Emperour Wherefore is it not to bee thought then that Peter did likewise stand vpon his grauitie and reputation without much going to the prison to seeke Paule or visite him Especially considering howe busie he was to appoint and set new Prelates in euerie place For it might perhaps be that Peter was not verie well at ease or diuerse other occasions might cause it But this is alway to be beleeued and holden for a verie truth That Peter was fiue twentie yeres complete resident at Rome and distributed the landes to euerie one according as he thought good likewise ordeined and instituted Prelats Bishops and Archbishops ouer all the world and deposed the heatheÌ„ gouernors which at that time bare rule out of their places placed other in their roomes which hee did name Primates for that euerie man came to receâ—ue iudgment at their hands as is very finely and at large set out in the epistle of Anacletus and in the booke of decrees And that this is wel founded vpon scripture it is apparant by the wordes of the saide Anacletus who doth bring in for verefying of his saying plaine textes out of the Psalmes to witte Moses and Aaron with their Priestes For out of that is forceablie concluded as hee saieth that the Pope of Rome is the head of the Church Is not that well shot God saue the marke Also the holie Apostles saieth hee did debate and determine amongest themselues as I thinke at that time when they did striue who should be chiefe amongst them that the Bishop of euerie Countrie shoulde knowe who should bee next vnder him for notwithstanding that they were all Apostles alike yet did Christ giue that vauntage to Peter that he shoulde bee chiefe of the Apostles and so named him Cephas that is to say The chiefe head or Prince of the Apostles See now this is the exposition of our deare mother the holie Church of Rome vpon these woordes of Christ Thou art Cephas And yet it is true that Cephas is a worde of the Chaldee tongue and doth not signifie A heade but A stone as Petra doth in the Greeke or Latin for so S. Iohn the Euangelist him selfe doeth expounde it But notwithstanding that seeing it hath pleased our deare mother the holie Church of Rome to vnderstand it so considering that this worde Cephas or Cepha doeth signifie in the Chaldee tongue A stone the like worde in maner in the Greeke and in the French tongue doth signifie A head as to wit Cephali or Cheff therfore it is good reson that we take the exposition of Iohn as literall repose our selues vpon the exposition of our deare mother the holie Church who onely in deede hath the power and authoritie to interprete the Scripture spiritually and allegorically So that this worde Cephas must needes signifie A head and not A stone as is plaine to be seene in the glosse of the Decretals And out of this we haue to note two principall pointes The first is that the holie Church hath such power and authoritie that she can not onely chaunge the bread into flesh but is able to make of a stone a head as well transubstantiate the wordes as the bread The second is that a man may make a good similitude or parable vpon the neerenesse of names in speache which in pronuntiation doe sound one like another as the holie Church hath concluded herevpon That Saint Clare can make dimme eyes looke clere S. Quintine can heale the quensie in the head and S. Valentine the falling sicknesse and S. Etropius the dropsie because these names in pronuntiation do sound one like another And yet this can not alway fall out so for then might the Heretikes conclude out of the same that Curats are curres the Spiritualtie spite faultie Bishops verie bitesheepes Cardinals carnals and that maister Gentianus after the French is vn genti asne that is a proper asse and Blindasinus a blinde asse Which thing nowe can not bee so considering that asses are not accustomed to write bookes as these men haue done Therefore wee must remitte the iudgement of these matters in like cases and nerenesse of
images to witte that they must stande on high pranking vppon the altars and so be deuoutlie prayed vnto by the common sort Besides all this they bring forth that Moses did set vppe a brasen Serpent in the wildernesse by Gods commaundement to the intent that all such as should looke therevpon might bee healed of the biting of the venomous serpentes For vppon that text of scripture they say thus What follie and madnesse should it then bee of vs that wee should yet doubte whether all such as looke vpon the image of Christ the image of our Ladie and of all other holie Saintes shall become holie and shall likewise bee healed of all diseases Which thing is likewise by the holie father Pope Adrian most faithfully assured with Bull and Seale so as there is no further doubte to bee made in that matter the rather for that this is to bee seene euidentlie at Halle a towne in Brabant where so manie â—rutches of lame men and so manie painted tables are hanging of such as haue bene so well and perfectlie healed of their diseases that the most part of those which hang there neuer feele anie paine or griefe neither in the head nor in the bladder I speake not of so manie wiues as haue bene conceiued with childe after that they had once had our holie and blessed Ladies girdle tied about their middles And nowe of late it chaunced in Holland That a poore woman with a verie great bellie came verie deuoutlie to seeke our blessed Ladie of Heukelem and when shee had giuen her offering shee returned home againe and left her great bellie behinde her Yea there was a blinde Gentleman came out of Fraunce to Saint Iob of Wesemale in pilgrimage to recouer his sight againe which he had lost by Saint Iobs disease and after hee had well ended his businesse hee cried to his seruaunt in French Ie voy which the Doctours of Louen did vnderstande not to bee that hee would be gone but that hee did see In so much that the same is written and hanged vp vppon a table in the Church for a great miracle And it is to bee crediblie beleeued that hee did see as well without spectacles as with a candle I forbeare to speake of the great miracles which the holie and mightie blessed Ladies at Laureto in Italie and Montferrato in Spaine doe and of Saint Iames of Compostella and Saint Catharina of Scena and such other like holie hee Saintes and shee Saintes for that is not meate for euerie mans mouth wee must content our selues with courser meates and keepe our mouthes close from such daintie dishes Yet notwithstanding if there were a plompe Hollander or a Malle Brabander or a Botte Flemming that had a stomache or appetite to such lordlie fare and would goe take vpon him a pilgrimage for a wager to come againe within a certeine time hee may doe so well inough and so goe and strawe his lust abroad amongest the holie and blessed Ladies of Spaine and Italie and see what great miracles they can doe more than our Ladies can doe here Hee might perhappes speede as well as a good honest man of Paris who could haue no children by his wife and in hope of helpe did vowe diuerse pilgrimages And first hee went to seeke Saint Iames at Compostella and from thence hee went to Rome to visite the holie Apostles Peter and Paul and then on forwarde to our holie and blessed Ladie of Laureto and from thence to Hierusalem and last of all to Saint Catharine of Scena in fine so as hee was about a three yeeres from home And then when hee came home againe hee found his wife merrie and had in the meane space gotten three prettie children with helpe of the good Saintes which hee so deuoutlie had sought Was not this nowe a great miracle Therefore who soeuer hath a desire to goe from home and seeke Saintes hee may set forwarde when soeuex hee will the wagon standeth readie And nowe will wee proceede to our matter againe and campe with these Heretikes who mocke and iest with these our holie fathers of the foresaid Councell because they bring in and alledge an example of the brasen serpent to establishe their images by saying That the same was a figure in the olde Testament pointing to Christ and was set vppe by GOD his speciall commaundement but vnto this wee will answere them That they haue eaten stockfish and knowe not what doeth belong to a pregnant and ripe wit for otherwise can they not perceiue that our images are figures likewise as wel of Christ as of his deare mother grandmother and other holie hee Saintes and she Saintes yea and that are by speciall commaundement of our holie father the Pope and the holie Church set foorth But yet for all this these dull Heretikes goe on forward with their follie saying That the good King Ezechias did breake downe and burne to powder the same brasen serpent as soone as euer hee sawe and did perceiue that the people beganne to cense and honour it in like manner as the holie Church of Rome doeth nowe honour and worship her Saintes And those mad brained fellowes doe therevpon conclude that wee ought likewise euen so to burne our images But wee denie that flatlie for that was an other matter considering that our images are no serpentes as that was It is verie true that wee doe as well cense to Saint Margaret Saint Georges dragon and Saint Anthonies hogs as to the Saints themselues pray to the one as well as to the other although those are not much better than serpents but that now is otherwise to be coÌ„sidered for it is not done in honor of the dragons but of the Sainte which they stand by as is well proued by a certeine Doctour of Louen who going out of the porche of the graie Friers at Louen did put off his bonnet before the image of Pilate which standeth there sodenly turning back again cried with a lowd voice Non tibi Pilate sed Christo as though hee would haue said As for thee Pilate thou art but a varlot what dost thou thinke I did not put off my bonnet to thee but to that Christ with whom thou art dealing Nowe consider euen so standeth the matter with our Dragons and with S. Anthonies hogs They gette many times offrings and waxe candles and are often times kissed for neighbourhood for the good Saint sake by whom they stand but they doe not take it vppon them selues no more then a dumbe stocke or blocke Therfore remaineth this determination of the holy fathers of the said Councell alwayes fast and ratified to witte That the holie Church must haue images seeing that the Iewes had a brasen serpent This is likewise mainteined with manie other goodlie testimonies as specially with that which the prophet Dauid saith in the 96. psalme There is praise honor before his face Item I loue the cituatioÌ„ of thine
feast of Tabernacles wee haue our Church holydayes or solemnities and so forth as is plainlie to be seene in the booke of the said Eckius â–ª So that there is no other difference but as though the diuell to disguise him selfe should put on a Friers cowle And wheresoeuer in the olde Testament anie mention is made of feast dayes our deare mother the holie Church of Rome applieth it to the establishing of her festiuall or holie daies and solemnities so that the Heretikes can not iustly complaine of vs in this case say that we can not bring in any Scriptures for proofe of the matter seeing that the olde Testament is full of such Scripture as they them selues knowe well inough The xvii Chapter VVhich treateth of the forbidding of Priestes to marrie and howe womâ—n ought to be common by speciall commaundement of the church of Rome which is diligentlie by them obserued NOwe as touching the forbidding of Priestes Monkes Friers and all other Spirituall persons to marrie that matter we can not defende by the olde Testament seeing that in the old Testament all Priestes were married Therefore in this matter we will haue nothing to doe with the olde Testament because it doeth make against vs but wee say that it is chaunged by the newe as heretofore wee haue proued by speciall textes as to write where it is written None of those that liue after the fleshe can please God. Againe Be you holie like as I am holie more such like which hertofore we haue alledged and by the booke of decrees established for euer Yea and it was specially prophesied by Paule That in the latter dayes there shoulde come such as should forbid marriage and the eating of meates which God hath created and ordeined to bee eaten with thankesgiuing So that it is no maruell that it was not forbidden in the olde Testament nor yet in the beginning of the new testament for these last dayes whereof Paule speaketh were not yet come and as a good wise Doctour holie Priest of Groining saide The Pope did not then gouerne But nowe that those last dayes are past and the Pope hath taken the whole regiment of the Church into his handes the Church hath now declared openly set forth and established without retractation That no man being married can bee holie nor please God for that is plaine vncleanenesse and fleshly defiling as we haue heretofore declared by plaine and special texts of the decrees And therefore hath our deare mother the holie Church of Rome concluded and set forth That it is much better and lesse offence for a Priest to vse another mans wife than to marrie one of his owne after that he hath once accepted and married our deare mother the holy Church for his wife during his life as Phigius Eckius Ioachimus Perionius and other like pillars of the holy church of Rome haue verie finelie set out in their writing Yea we do finde by daily experience that the holie Catholike church of Rome will a great deale rather suffer that these holie sheete Nonnes of Cloisters and such like should being with child destroy it in their bodies with drinkes and other medicines yea or kil it after it is borne than that they should according to the counsell of Saint Paule marrie a husband Which thing was apparant at the visitation of the Cloisters in England which King Henrie .8 caused to be done throughout all England where manie priuies in Cloisters were found full of the bones of yong children with manie other abhominable matters which are not meete to bee rehearsed And Iouianus Pontanus a good Catholike and a well learned man doth likewise witnesse that it is a common practise of these holie Religious women to doe such thinges It is likewise found in ancient credible histories That Saint Gregorie Bishop of Rome after he had first set foorth a verie straite commaundement against the marriage of Priestes did afterwarde repeale and call backe againe the same verie earnestlie lamenting and repenting verie sore his former doing because that sending vpon a time to his pondes to haue some fishe taken there was drawen out of the same with the nettes and brought to him aboue sixe thousande heades of yong children which he straight wayes did with sighes and lamentations acknowledge to haue bene so murthered by reason of his said commaundement But our deare mother the holie Church who hath not lightly anie respect to such small matters as that although she heares of inough such yea and doth daily see them before her eies and is often times put in remembrance of them yet shee had much rather ouersee and suffer such thinges to bee done then to consent that those holie Nonnes which haue professed chastitie should marrie I doe not speake of it that shee will rather looke thorowe the fingers or winke at the abominable filthie Sodomitrie of Monkes and Friers than she will reuoke and call backe againe her holy commaundement for chastitie notwithstanding that Pope Pius the seconde himselfe hath oftentimes acknowledged that although the forbidding of Priests to marrie was done vpon great consideration yet it must now vpon other consideration of greater importance be set at libertie againe But this is their first rule and ABC that they learne as soone as euer they are admitted Priestes or professed Monkes or Friers and that they continually harpe vpon this string Si non castè tamen cautè which is thus ment That if they cannot liue chastly yet they shall vse it so secretly as that it be not much talked of nor knowne And now after this to prouide so for the matter that these holie Fathers should not go to grossely to worke therefore hath our deare mother the holie Church laid an ordinance before her spouses the Priests and Spiritualtie that they might freely vse other mens wiues that all women ought to be common for them Whereby men may well consider that she is none of these gealous wiues which cannot be content that their husbandes shoulde once make a good countenance to another woman for she is well contented that her sweete husbandes to witte Priestes and Monkes shoulde vse all women at their pleasure Yea moreouer she will mainteine that it ought to be so and so goeth about to establishe it with plaine textes of the holie Scripture besides the worthie witnesse which shee doth borrow out of the heathen Philosophers For consider these bee the proper wordes of the holy father Pope Clement whom the Church doth esteeme to haue bene a successour of Peter and therefore hath she caused these his wordes which are worthie of perpetual memorie to be written vpon the doores of all Cloysters and Spirituall houses to bee set in her booke of decrees as a woodden diamond might be set in a laten ring where he saith Deare brethren to liue in common is verie necessarie for all men but most specially for those which will
certein words and then he can neuer come in hell for all the diuels will runne away from before the crosses like a dogge before a fliâ—che of bacon And therefore must hee take vp his lodging either in the suburbes of hell or in Purgatorie where hee shall haue his house hire and firewood free till such time as he with soule Masses and Popes pardons haue gotten a platte of ground in heauen to build a house thervppon of merites and good workes And this same oyle is of such power that through it all our sinnes are forgiuen vs according to that which the Priestes mumble out in their Masse Per istam sanctam vnctionem piissimam suam misericordiam indulgeat tibi Deus quicquid peccasti per visum per aud itum odoratum tactum gustum c. that is to say Thorough this holie oyntment and by his meeke mercie will God forgiue thee all thy sinnes what soeuer thou hast committed by seeing by hearing by smelling by feeling and by tasting c. Consider nowe what can you looke for more to enioye by the pretious bloud shedding of Iesus Christ the sonne of GOD than that which the Priestes doe beare vs in hand to giue vs by the power and vertue of their holie oyle These Heretikes may if they will hold fâ—st on the offering vp of the bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ but the good Catholike subiectes of the holie church of Rome will in no wise forsake this holie oyntment We will rather bidde Christ him selfe Adieu then wee will suffer such a pretious thing to be wroung out of our handes It is verie true that these Heretikes doe herein againe mocke with our deare mother the holy Church saying that our Priestes are like vnto Apes and Monkies which will counterfeyte euerie thing that they see done before them though they haue neither knowledge nor vnderstanding of the matter and this doe they alledge hereof because that Marke doeth witnesse That the Apostles had receiued the gifte of the holie Ghost whereby they did make the sicke whole with their prayers and with anointing or laying on of handes or by some other apparant token As it doeth likewise appeare in Paule who amongest other apparant giftes of the holy Ghost did likewise deale with this gift of making the sicke whole and he him selfe did shewe a notable token ouer the dead falling vpon the dead carcase and embrasing it in his armes As we reade also of the Prophet Eliseus who did the like ouer the dead childe stretching forth his feete and his handes and set his mouth directlie on the mouth of the dead and his eies on the eies of the dead and so he with these notable tokens iointlie with his deuoute prayers did reuiue that dead carcase But nowe seeing there are no more such giftes amongst the Congregation for that nowe the preaching of the Gospell hath no neede of anie newe establishing by signes and miracles therefore will these Heretikes say that it is but verie Apes plaie to vse outwarde tokens where they haue no inwarde power nor might which may be shewed with the signe or token For otherwise the Priestes must rubbe all blind mens eies with spitle and clay and stretche them selues out vpon all dead carcases which were a verie beastlinesse seeing they haue not the power to make the blinde see nor to reuiue the dead neither can they with their oyle make anie sicke man whole And therefore they were better to burne the oyle in their lampes or grease their bootes withall rather than so to dissemble and mocke with God and his word This talke these Heretikes haue when they are gathered together but we doe not passe for them one haire For when wee shall finde anie of those that would grease his shoes with that holie oyle or oyntment yea if he will not pray vnto it and worship it vppon his knees as though it were God him selfe him we will burne in steade of oyle and make a good fire of him â–ª For we will stand vnto the wordes of Iames the example of the Apostles whether we haue the power to make whole or no we go foorth with our matter euen as we also grease the childrens eyes with clay and spitle although we haue not the power to make the blinde see yea and although the children are not blinde it is inough for vs that our mother the holie Church hath so ordeined Notwithstanding it is here greatlie to bee noted that maister Gentianus hath gone about to declare his innocencie herein saying that hee did bring this in onelie by manner of example and as children playe in iest For otherwise if it were in earnest hee would bring in other manner of stuffe for hee could say so much to the matter as hee would quicklie stoppe the mouthes of the Heretikes as men may easilie iudge by his goodlie vtterance and by his great learning which doth appeare of him on all partes Here doeth followe the declaration vpon the fourth parte of Maister Gentianus Epistle treating of the praying to images Howe they are holden and ordeined in the Churche of Rome And also of this worde or name Idololatria of the idolatrie of the Heathen of praying to Saintes and of the Sacrament with suche other like matters The first Chapter Of the name Idololatria and that men ought to pray to Images wâ—th suche prayers as do appertaine vnto those after whom the images are made And of the good felowâ—hippe and agreeing in one which is betwixt the Iewes and the Churche of Rome and of the hallowed Agnus Dei. THe fourth part is a weightie matter and of greate importaunce which doth make master Gentianus haue an vnquiet minde as he himselfe doeth say to wit That these Heretikes haue no more respect vnto these olde and deuoute Catholike men but for to esteeme them for seruers of false Gods worshippers of images and do call them Idololatras that is Idolaters Alas is not that greate pitie And are they not maruellous muche to blame whereas our deare mother the holie churche can in no wise beare with this name nor heare of it but hath finally concluded commaunded and ordeined vpon paine to be banished accursed excoÌ„municated anathematized That no man shall name her Saintes by that same Greeke worde Idola which is asmuch to say as an image or likenesse yea and hath flatlie determined that from hencefoorth this same worde shall no more be taken properly for images or likenesses made after any man or other thing to their worship like as it hath euermore from time to time bene taken and vsed aswel by the Greekes as Latinistes but shall now be taken for nothing else but onely for the false Gods of the Heathen or Iewes and such images as they heretofore haue vsed in their Temples Insomuch that the verie naturall and proper name and similitude of this worde is wholy transubstantiated and turned into an other
substance and being And therefore these Heretikes are verie much to blame that they will come and plague our most deare mother yet agayne anewe with this worde Idola say that the good Catholike people and Subiects of the holie church of Rome are verie Idolaters because they doe greatly esteeme and woorshippe the images of our Ladie and of other holie Saintes and doe kisse them and licke them and trimme them vp with goodlie garmentes and iewelles setting candles burning before them because they cannot see without candles and cense them with sweete incense and sing Hymnes and other songs of praises deuoutly before them and because they carrie them about vppon their shoulders for that they cannot goe themselues and fall downe vpon their knees before them and say to them Our father which art in heauen They set them vpon Altars they go to them on Pilgrimage to gette health and good lucke in their affaires and doe euen as much worship to them as the auncient Romanes and Greekes or as the Israelites did vnto their false Gods. Nowe vpon this these Heretikes say that it is verie ill done of them and will proue them to be verie idolaters and woorshippers of false Gods but the blinde heretikes doe not perceiue that our images are no idolles but holie Saintes whiche doe manie and great miracles Neither will they vnderstand howe that our deare mother the holie churche of Rome hath commaunded vs so to doe For all the holy catholike teachers haue verie friendly and ioyntlie concluded that all images ought to be worshipped with like worshippe as doth apperteine vnto such after whome the said images are made as the good and holie man Thomas de aquino hath plainely written Yea because that he did handle that matter so exactly there was a crucifixe in the citie of Naples which spake to him saying Gentle Thomas thou hast written well and truely of me what reward wouldest thou receiue Wherevpō he did make answeare to the crucifixe and saide I will haue nothing else but euen thy selfe Now whether the same crucifixe was of Gold or siluer bicause he was so farre in loue with it aboue all other things that I cannot tell but I knowe very well that hee hath written wonderfully for the aduauncement of prayer and woorship to be done to Images and is for that cause likewise by Pope Iohn the .21 canonized for a Saint For he hath concluded wherein our deare mother the holy Church doth likewise follow him that whyle Christ is praied vnto with Latria which is to say after their interpretation with the spirit as God men shall likewise pray with Latria vnto his Image which is with a cole or with a Pencill painted vpon a wall and likewise woorship it as God himselfe if it be so that it be painted with lōg haire and with a round Trencher behinde his heade and holding vp his two fingers and hauing the world with a crosse vpon it in his hand for euen such a fellowe is the righte Saluator mundi The worshipfull Maister Bonauentura doth likewise establish this matter yea all the writers of the sentences haue generally so ordeined and concluded herevpon insomuch that these Heretikes ought not now to doubt any more of the matter Yet it is very true that Durandus woulde not allowe of it but did rather directly withstād it saying plainly that Images ought not to be prayed vnto with the like honour as those after whome they were made or painted But all the rest were offended with him for that he refused to follow the authorite of the holy church And perhaps if he had not written so as hee did hee had been canonized as well as Thomas de Aquino Notwithstanding that a certeine Spaniard called Perezius did followe him in that point saying That stones and blocks ought not to be praied vnto worshiped with Latria as God cōsidering they do alway remain stones blockes how muchsoeuer they be halowed or cōiured by any body But he is far out of the way in this matter For first wee knowe that Saint Thomas de Aquino was taught by Saint Peter and Saint Paule so that he coulde not erre and after that hath our deare mother accepted his opiniō for the best And wherfore shuld she not For seing that a simple priest can with fiue words of a little round cake make a God wherefore I pray you should not a Bishop or a Suffragane make of a goodly gilded Image a God also That were to put little trust in our deare mother the holy church Therfore we must remain stedfast vpō the common opinion and iudgement of our deare mother the holy church of Rome For a final end the Heretiks do vs greate wrong to call vs seruers of false Gods worshippers of Images and Idolaters euē as the Iewes do who cānot find in their hartes to bestow any honester name vppon vs And therefore saith Maister Gentianus that some good people which see deper into the matter mistrust that these Heretiks should haue some secret intelligence with the Iewes yea should play bootie be in pension with them to maintein frendly conuersation with them yet he addeth vnto it that he for his part doth not beleeue any such thing whereby it seemeth that he woulde herein a little flatter and annoynte their mouthes with Honie to please them withall but it is not so for hee speaketh in this behalfe as doth become a good and stoute Catholike subiecte of the holy church of Rome And besides that he should haue done these Heretikes a great deale to much worship if he shoulde haue yoked them in a Waggon with the nation of the Iewes who as wee haue heretofore plainly set foorth are the very best founders and chiefest fountaines and welsprings of all the ceremonies and institutions of the holy Church of Rome It is verie true that our deare mother hath amended them and brought them into a better order for that her wisdome and vnderstanding doeth farre exceede the wisedome of Moses and Aaron And therfore hath shee in place of one temple of Solomon caused to be builded vppon mountaines and hilles and other hie places aboue a hundred thousand and in place of three or foure altars which they had shee hath set vp so manie that they are not all to be told ouer in seuentie yeres Although in deede as before is rehearsed the example and paterne doeth proceede from the Iewes and is borrowed of them which shadowes and figures our deare mother hath followed verie diligentlie Therefore whereas these Heretikes will with the Apostle to the Hebrewes defende and say that all the figures and shadowes of the olde Testament were ended and cleane taken away by the comming of Christ and ought not to be vsed anie more is rancke heresie And truelie they do therby sufficiētlie declare that they haue no vnderstanding with the Iewes neither in white nor blacke For the Iewes hold that for the principall
might almost be taken for a blasphemie and an heresie For although it bee verie true that the holie Churche hath no golden Calfe yet hath shee not therefore forgotten to follow herein the trace and footesteppes of the Iewes her good schoolemaisters For in place of that that Aaron the high Priest once halowed the golden Calfe our deare mother hath ordeined and set foorth that the Pope of Rome who vndoubtedly is established in Aarons place shall yeerely hallow and blesse a certeine number of lambes of waxe which he doeth call Agnus Dei that is to say The lambe of God or The sonne of God which hath taken away the sinnes of the worlde and being slaine as a lambe for vs hath released vs from the bondage of the diuell euen as Aaron and the Iewes did name their Calfe The God which had deliuered them out of the slauerie of the land of Aegypt And now although that a Calfe is better than a lambe and golde of muche greater value than waxe yet our holie father the Pope of Rome hath suche a notable deuise of Alcamistrie that he will for these lambes bring good fatte Oxen into his kitchin and lumpes of golde which will not bee muche lesse woorthe than the golden Calfe of the Iewes for the power of these lambes is so great that it is vnspeakable And that may be perceiued out of the Latine verses whiche Pope Vrban did once send with fiue such Agnus Dei to the Emperour of Graecia for a great and solemne present whiche verses are these that followe Balsamus munda cera cum Chrismatis vnda Conficiunt Agnum quod munus do tibi magnum Fonte velut natum per mystica sanctificatum Fulgura de sursum depellit omne malignum Peccatum frangit vt Christi sanguis angit Praegnans seruatur simul partus liberatur Dona defert dignis virtutem destruit ignis Portatus munde de fluctibus eripit vndae ▪ That is to say Balme virgin waxe and holie water an Agnus Dei make A gift than which none can be greater I send for thee to take From founteine cleare the same hath issue in secrete sanctifide Aynst lightening it hath souereigne vertue and thunder crackes beside Each heinous sinne it weares and wasteth euen as Christes precious blood And women whiles their trauell lasteth it saues it is so good It doeth bestowe great giftes and graces on such as well deserue And borne about in noysome places from perill doeth preserue The force of fire whose heate destroyeth it breakes and bringeth downe And he or she that this enioyeth no water shall them drowne Now my maisters how like you this sauce Let vs now see if the golden calfe of the Iewes had such might and power No that was farre from home Neither do the Iewes ascribe anie such thing to their calfe but did euen simplie thinke ▪ seeing Moses was away that they wold haue some apparant thing before their eyes which should put them in remembrance of their deliuerance by God and therefore they did call it The God which had deliuered them out of the land of Aegypt as our mother the holie church doeth likewise cōmonlie say by an old rotten blocke ▪ Behold there is your God which was hanged vppon the crosse for you or There is our Ladie which hath done great miracles So that their Calfe is not to be compared with our Agnus Dei. But nowe seeing the Iewes do knowe nothing of all this neither do vnderstande of what power this is therefore may they iustlie thinke that their golden Calfe and our Agnus Dei are both children of one mother So that Maister Gentianus had done much better speaking vnder correction that he had not so quicklie and spitefullie blamed them for that matter least nowe they should say that the potte doeth blame the kettell for being so blacke with smoke The ii Chapter That the sacrament of the Altar must be prayed vnto otherwise Christ were no god ANd nowe proceeding to the conclusions which Maister Gentianus doeth adde herevnto which I assure you are verie fine and spiteful wittie is a very learned piece which the schoolemasters of Louen call Argumentum cornutum that is to say A cornet or horned Argument because he doeth herewith thrust all the Huguenotes as farre backwards as a lustie yong oxe would crushe Paules steeple in pieces with his hornes Marke nowe this is his argument If the sacrament of the Altar were not prayed vnto then were Christ no God and now Christ without all dout is God Ergo these Huguenots must needes be damnable Samosatenes which denie the Godhead of Christ. That hitteth as iumpe as sixe fingers in a gloue For the holie church hath once for all resolutelie concluded That the breade of the sacramēt is the verie body of Christ as long and as broad as it did hang vppon the crosse Then it must needes followe that whosoeuer doth not beleeue that doth therewith also not beleeue that Christ is God or else must men needes say that the Church of Rome hath erred which were so daungerous a matter as would make the brisles of a wilde Bore to stand on end It is verie true that Christ did not commaund vs to praye to it but said simplie Take eate c. And neither Saint Paul ▪ nor anie of the Apostles did euer knowe of anie praying to it But what is that to the purpose Seeing men are sufficientlie informed that they had not yet that power to make goodlie pixes or sacrament houses to laie him in and to carie him sometime about in procession vnder a Canopie of silke The followers were then to many they had not the leasure nor time neither was the dearelie beloued and eldest daughter of our deare mother the holie church of Rome as yet borne to wit Transubstantiation But as soone as that blessed babe was brought into the worlde by the meane faithfull helpe of that good middewife called Theologia Sophistica and was nourished vppe with the sweete milke of her deare mamme and nourse Concomitantiae then came first in sight iointlie withall The praying to the sacrament and then they lodged their God in the halfe moone and shut him in a goodlie golden cofer or pixe till the time that hee should goe abroad with the Giant in the procession to quicken his spirites a little and then they will daunse before the Bride with a fife a drumbe And thus doth this wittie conclusion and argument of Master Gentianus proponing remaine so fast and firme as a reede which is shaken to and fro with all windes The iii. Chapter Of praying to images and especiallie to the crosse and of the great power and aduantage of the crosse NOwe after the praying vnto shapen goddes hee doeth begin againe with praying to images and to the crosse which is from the Oxe to the Asse and surelie he hath conceiued that verie wiselie where he saith That we may not
lighted vpon this Churche and it was twelue foote high and sixe foote broade so that vndoubtedly it must needes be our Ladie which came to take viewe of her feast and solemnization for this happened vpon the day of her birth the eight day in September in those dayes when dumbe beastes spake and houses did â—lie And then did the cocke crowe and it waxed day Lastly wee may easily discerne this same by so many yea many godly miracles which shee euen there hath shewed vppon those whiche in their neede did call vnto her out of so many faire pictures and costly monumentes whiche were lefte there in her holie Churche by sundrie Emperours Kinges Dukes and all other sortes of people to an euerlasting memorie This is no mocking matter For the Pope of Rome was woâ—nt yeerely to receiue hereby about a hundreth thousande Ducates howbeit that now the rent is greatly abated And therefore is it that he doeth cause it to be so diligently kepte and so strongly inuironed with walles appointing alwayes a Cardinall for safe keeping of it and aboute foure or fiue dozen Cannons and Chaplines which vsually obserue to doe her diuine seruice and keepes her from Theeues â–ª and Robbers from Spiders from flies Mothes and other her enimies The whiche is so true that who so dare but once doubte of it the same is reputed and presented for an Heretike like as is manifested by the example of Petri Pauli Vergerij which for the same cause was once in the handes and examination of the Inquisitours Whereby wee may sufficiently gather that this Ladie is greatly desirous of glorie and honour and coueteth to bee accepted and worshipped for the Queene of Heauen and also to haue the preeminence before all the Saintes of Paradise For shee is of an other disposition than the holy Virgin Marie the mother of Iesus Christ was who did acknowledge her selfe to bee a poore handmaide of God and did direct those which needed any thing vnto her sonne Iesus Christ. But this standes bedeckt and garnished with Golde and Siluer like a Queene and willes that we should reuerence and adore her clothes and iewels her Churches and Chappels her gilded cofers and other her furniture vtensiles and implementes like vnto the euerlasting and liuing god To conclude the holie Church hath made her Queene After this hath shee also mustred all other Saintes and hath assigned and appointed to each his sundrie charge and seuerall office a paâ—t Each hath his holy day his sundrie Collect holy Hymnes and deuout praiers euerie one doth know ouer what handicraft or science ouer which disease ouer what towne or Church he is appointed to be patrone defender and Baal â–ª The Dutche are vnder the defence of Saint George The Burgonians holde Saint Andrewe for their Patrone The Frenchmen Saint Michael The Spaniardes Saint Iames. And further Saint Peter and Saint Paule are troden in the place of Romulus and Remus and defend the Citie of Rome with a key and a sworde Saint Markes Lion is Patrone ouer the towne of Venice Saint George on cockehorse ouer Genua Saint Ambrose with his staffe and whippe in hand ouer Millain the three Kings ouer Cullin Saint Dionis keepes the towne of Paris Saint Goele doeth keepe scoute watche at Brussels Saint Baue and S. Louell doe loue the towne of Gaunt Saint Romboute doth keepe the garrison at Machelin Saint Lambert at Luike and so foorth After this hath Saint Hugh and Saint Eustace gotten the hunters in gard Saint Martin and Saint Vrban the Aleknightes Tauernhunters and dronkardes Saint Crispin and Crispinian are Patrones of the Shooemakers Saint Arnold is Baal ouer the Millers Saint Steeuen ouer the Weauers S. Luke is alloted the Painters And the Physicians which might haue grudged and complained hereat haue gotten Cosmus and Damian to their chosen The Carpenters do vaunt of their Patrone S. Euloge The Tailers which loue good fellowship do cleaue to S. Goodman The potmakers haue elected S. Goare who carrieth a blacke diuell vppon his shoulders with gloing eyes and a pot in his hand The whores and light women were not content with one Patronesse but haue Saint Aphra which may bee set in Venus place which in times past was also called Aphrodite and besides her S. Magdalin and so forth as appeareth in Processions and statelie shewes in Brabant and els where where each companie doth beare his Patrone or Baal in stremers displayed with great state Moreouer and aboue this S. Anthonie must keepe the hogges S. Loy the horsses and kine S. Hugh the dogges least they run madde S. Gallus gardes the geese Saint Wendelin the sheepe S. Gertrude reigneth ouer rats and mice Yea which is more each disease hath his sundrie Apothecarie and speciall Doctour S. Iohn and S. Valentin do heale the falling sicknes howbeit that S. Iohn with S. Benedict is also appointed ouer all infections of poyson S. Anthonie can heale the burning S. Roche the pestilence Notwithstanding Saint Sebastian hath some skil in it also S. Roman doth restore the possessed and madde people againe to their former health S. Marke doeth preserue the people from souden death S. Cosmus and Damian are good for all byles and swelling diseases S. Iob for the pockes S. Appolin for the touth ache S. Clare doth cleare and heale the firie and red eyes S. Agatha hath skill howe to deale with swelling breastes S. Margaret is middewife for those which are in trauell with childe But because that she remained alwayes a chaste virgine and therefore not throughlie expert in her facultie S. Norpurg was ioyned with her as a trustie mate in such a matche S. Petronella can driue away all manner of agues S. Vincent and Saint Vinden cause all thinges that are lost to bee restored againe Saint Seruatius doeth cause all thinges to bee well kept Saint Vitus doeth direct all daunsers and such as will leape or vaute Hereafter yet hath eche his chosen ioynt or speciall place in gouernement of a mans bodie like as in times past the twelue signes of the Sunne Saint Otillia doeth gouerne the head in place of the first signe named Aries howebeit shee hath bequeathed the tongue to Saint Katharine and to Saint Appolin the teeth Saint Blasius is appointed ouer the necke like as the signe Taurus Saint Laurence keepes the backe together with the shoulders in steede of Gemini Cancer and Leo. Saint Erasmus rules the whole bellie with the entrals in place of Libra and Scorpius Notwithstanding that Saint Appollinar hath also taken charge ouer Scorpius for hee is president of the secret members And forwards in steede of Sagittarius Capricornus Aquarius and Pisces hath the holie Church of Rome elected Saint Burgard Saint Rochus S. Quirinus S. Iohn and other more which gouerne the thighes the knees the shinnes and the feete To conclude eche hath his seruice and who so is the deuoutest in honouring these Saintes with burning tapers with rose garlands with gaie coates and
doth agree with Latria and saith that to God alone we shall attribute the same But in the first wordes he doth not once mention that we must worship God alone with Proskynesi that is With falling feete or kneeling Therefore will the holy church that this shall also be attributed to the Saints like as it is apparantly manifest by the 2. Councell of Nice and by al Catholike writers And although it is true that Christ doeth declare these wordes by the witnes of Moses which doeth ascribe the first as well as the last to GOD alone yet the holie Church is not to reason with Moses in this point for so much as Moses wrote that to the Iewes which were inclined to the seruing of idols and not to the Church of Rome which doe not woorshippe idols but onelie Saintes Item there is an other plaine text in Paule which saieth to the Galathians That when they did not knowe GOD then did they serue them which were no Goddes euen where he doeth vse this word Dulium which is deriued of Dulia Whereby it doth manifestlie plainlie appeare that these Heathen haue also knowen this Catholike distinction and therefore woulde not worshippe their Saintes as Apollo Bacchus Hercules Castor and Pollux with more other such like with Latria but baselie with Dulia Euen like as nowe the holie Church of Rome doeth serue her Saintes Touching all other Prophetes which so often crye that in time of neede wee should onlie turne to GOD and that hee will bee honoured by our calling to him yea and say that all Patrones Defendours Baals which may be thought on to declare our grieues vnto them are plaine idols all that is to small purpose for they did not in those dayes knowe anie thing at al to say touching this our distinction and therefore haue they gone roundly to worke vsing plaine speech without fauouring the matter or lapping it about with softe ragges but haue serued all such as inuocate idols pray to Patrones seeke vnto Saintes or anie deceased dead men with one sawce and without excepting anie hath giuen them to drinke of one cuppe But if the Iewes and other idolaters had bene so wise to haue obiected to the Prophetes this worthie distinction in steade of a bucklar I trowe they would as easily haue stopped their mouthes as nowe ye newe gospellers and preachers are put to silence The vi Chapter VVherein the worshipping of Saintes is affirmed by Scripture NOtwithstanding our louing deare mother the holie Church of Rome can also fishe somewhat out of the Prophetes writinges wherewith shee doeth approue the seruice of her holie Saintes Prouided alwayes that shee hath the keie to vnfolde the same for her most aduantage For in the first booke of Moses called Genesis is plainlie and expreslie set downe That Iacob doth pray ouer Ephraim Manasses after this sort saying God before whoÌ„ my fathers Abraham Isaac did walk God which had fed mee all my life long vnto this day and the Angel whiche hath deliuered mee from all euill blesse the laddes and let my name bee named in them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac This hath the holie Church of Rome construed after this sorte That Ephraim and Manasses must inuocate or call vppon the name of Abraham Isaac and Iacob for so much as the olde Romishe exposition which shee doeth accept as most firme and irreuocable hath in place of named or called set inuocated And although the Heretikes doe vnderstande this after the most vsuall manner of speeche accustomed amongst the Hebrewes that Iacobs name called vppon or named by Ephraim and Manasses is as much to saye As that they should bee accounted of Iacobs generation and accepted for children of Israel like as Iacob him selfe doeth expounde it saying Ephraim and Manasses shal be my children and shal be called after the names of their brethren in their inheritance And like as is saide in Esaie the fourth chapter That seuen women shall wishe by one mans name to be named or called vpon by them which is That they may be called the wiues of one man Notwithstanding for so much as this exposition is according to the plaine literall sence therefore hath the holie Church of Rome abiected the same and accepted the other former meaning thereby concluding that Abraham Isaac and Iacob are to bee inuocated or called vpon Howbeit the Prophetes Fathers in the old Testament haue neuer done the same but haue protested the contrarie saying O Lorde thou art our father for Abraham knoweth vs not neither is Israel acquainted with vs but thou Lorde art our Father Redeemer and thy name is euerlasting But that happened because the foresaid Abraham Isaac and Iacob were yet in the lodge of hell and must pray for them selues could not then see in the looking glasse of the Trinitie what was done here on earth Wherefore likewise the Romish Church hath not set downe their names in the Kalender according to the custome of Rome Besides thei are to old and were neuer canonized of anie Pope Neuertheles they serue our turne to shewe after what order wee must deale with our Saintes Moreouer we haue yet an euident text in Ieremie which is TheÌ„ said the Lord vnto me Though Moses Samuel stood before me yet haue I no heart to this people Wherevnto doth agree the text of Ezechiel saying thus When the land sinneth against me and goeth forth in wickednes I will stretch out my hand vpon it and destroy all the prouision of their bread and send dearth vppon them to destroy man and beast in the lande And though Noe Daniel Iob these three men were among them yet shall they in their righteousnesse deliuer but their owne soules saith the lord c. Nowe like as by these wordes of Ezechiel it is concluded that Noe Daniel and Iob were in the towne of Hierusalem when GOD destroyed the same so may wee also in the like manner conclude and affirme that Moses and the Prophete Samuel did pray for the children of Israel And notwithstanding that the Lorde saieth That he would not giue eare to their prayers yet the holie Church doeth not regarde it for so much as like as it hath beene saide they lye yet in the dungeon of hell and could not praye so earnestlie nor with such zeale as the Saintes doe which nowe are in heauen Yet neuertheles If they being yet in the dungeon of hell prayed so hartilie for the people What may wee suppose that the Saintes doe nowe which stande in the Kalendar and are Canonized by the Pope Verelie they praye so zealouslie that often times their images here on earth through anguishe doe sweate and weepe The holie church doâ—h bring forth manie moe places of scripture for confirmation of these articles namely that which Dauid saith O God I haue honored thy friends which is That we shuld call vpon Saints
which are Gods friends Also that Iob saieth Crie I pray thee if happilie there be anie that wil answere thee looke thou vppon the holy men c. And albeit hee speaketh there of the holie men which are in this worlde like as the verie text doeth plainely shewe it selfe yet why may wee not vnderstand the same of our Saintes and holy men deceased For so much as our mother the holy Church will so haue it to be vnderstoode Ouer and aboue this Christ will say at the last iudgement day vnto those which haue beene helpefull to the poore and needie Whatsoeuer you haue done to the least of these the same haue you done vnto me Ergo Who soeuer doeth pray to the Saintes and in place of God doth worshippe them that doth God accept as if it had beene done to himselfe There are yet many more sundrie of such like proofes of scripture which woulde bee to tedious to rehearse But because the Heretikes doe deride them and will vnderstand them according to the literall sense and after the Greeke and Hebrewe text I knowe no better meane to dispute with them then with a good fagot Yet will I adde thus much more That when they haue a sute to a King or mightie Prince they knowe verie well that first they must speake and sue for helpe of some of the Lords who may broach their cause and by their intreatie be a meane for them and so to further their sute which considered they ought not so rudely to encroche vpon the king of all kinges without first to haue spoken with one of his court In verie deede it is most true that a poore woman at Louen sometime did thwart the Doctours and set them non plus by saying That if so bee it that the King or Prince himselfe had called charged her that shee should come to him like as Christ expresly charged vs to come to him saying Come vnto me all ye that labour and are laden I will ease you Then would she not haue gone to seeke any other for her Mediatour But this womā was a great Heretike and therefore was also burnt Wherfore this article doth remaine in force vnsoluble to wit that we must haue allowe these Saintes for our Mediators Aduocates Atturnies being else vnable of our selues to obteine fauour of Christ Iesus yea though he should once againe die the death for vs to prepare vs the way to haue free accesse to the mercifull throne of his heauenly father For all this cā not serue but we must haue a great sort of Solicitors Patrones Mediators Baals which must moue the matter for vs to whom we must vse all the worship and reuerence which we are able to shewe vnto God himselfe sauing that they must bee content with Dulia and must permit God to enioy Latria to himselfe wherewith this matter is fixte And so will we proceede to an other Now followeth the declaration vpon the .5 part of Maister Gentian Heruet his letter wherein is shewed that the heretikes seek nothing but libertie of the flesh hating all prayer fasting and abstinence The first Chapter Which declares that it is a lawfull thing to lie falsely to accuse an heretike being to a good intent Also of the fables of Cocles of Laurence Surius and of Aloysius Lippomanus and to what purpose they serue a◠things most needefull and necessarie IN this fifth part doth M. Gentianus shewe that these Heretikes seeke nothing else but fleshely libertie and to get loose the bridle of their owne wills and appetites and therefore saith he is it that to the death they hate all prayers fasting and abstinence But here draweth great heauinesse towardes For a man might euen at the first sight imagine that he speaketh not indifferent but of affectiō Forsomuch as it is most manifest and well knowen that they highly esteeme of prayer and also fast verie often refraining not onely from fleshe but also from all kinde of meates vntill the verie night and remaine durable in prayer and in hearing of sermons Hereby then a man might suppose that Maister Gentianus hath deserued a whetstone and wagged the thumbe to make his case good Wherefore wee will more deepely consider this point and warily weigh the reasons which haue moued him herevnto So that wee haue then here to consider vppon two pointes Namely the first is that which Dauid saith That the zeale of the house of the Lorde hath euen eaten him Which is euen here affected in Gentianus For he is so hottely inflamed with the zeale of the holie Romish Churche that he is in a manner astonied and amased so as he doeth not see what he saieth In the meane while notwithstanding doeth he recorde and call to minde that whiche our holy mother the Churche of Rome hath concluded in the councell of Constance and the same time did put in practise when the holie fathers there congregated did permit Iohn Hus and Hierom of Prage to be burnt contrarie to the letters of safeconduite whiche were graunted and giuen them by the Emperour and the saide councell ordeining most firmely that it should bee no offence to breake promise with Heretikes Yet perhappes our Gentianus hath read in Cicero That a mans faith or promise is stedfastnesse or vowed truth of that which he pretendes to doe or speake Therefore he feareth as wee may iudge that if he should say nothing but a truth he might bee reputed and taken for a transgressour of the ordinances of the foresaide councell as though he had vndertaken the faith of the Heretikes Moreouer the holie Church hath consented and ordeined that sometimes a lie may be inuented against Heretikes for a good intent as to fraie simple people from desire to reade their bookes least thereby they should fall into their heresies And that this be true appeares first by strong prouebable reasons further by credible examples The reasons are these That the holie Church hath ordeined concluded like as yet by the daily exercise appeares that it is not ill done to make the people beleeue many fables Caūterburie tales as of holie reliques Saint Gabriels fethers and Saint George his speare with whiche he did pearce the Dragon Also of Saints as S. Christopher S. Barbara S. Katherin of S. Francis vine and others suche like whereof Gesta Romanorum Vitas Patrum Speculum historiale the booke Lippomani the booke Abdiae and Sophronij and the golden Legend are full and replenished with a number of suche fables whiche our holie mother the holie Churche of Rome doeth tearme Piae fraudes that is to saie holie deceiptes or golden Legendes And saieth that it is the milke whiche Paule did giue the Corinthians to drinke when they were yet vnable to disiest strong meates like as a good gray frier was woont to say at Ghaunte In so much then that it is allowable to faine suche fine fables to
burne them before they shoulde bee borne or brought foorth into the worlde which he doeth affirme with a plaine texte which he hath read in the kitchen bible or else hath learned of his Cooke namely that of Egges fride in a frying panne come no ill chickens I omitte the goodly Sermons of dronken Nicholas the Bishoppe of Harlem and many famous sermons more of sundrie worthie champions which doe ring their larum belles with suche vehemencie against Heretikes that when they are in their pulpites their hearse and rustie throtes will scarse bee refreshed and cleared againe with foure or fiue pottles of wine Yet can I not forget nor let slippe out of memorie that pretious Sermon of the reuerend Bishop of Vtrecht which he made when the Prouinciall councell was holden there whiche is about three yeeres past For in the same he declared and pronounced it out at large of the Dutche Beare Luther and that his mother was a whore and had slepte by the Diuell with many suche like Caunterburie tales and forged fables whiche he had rakte together out of Cochles or brother Laurence Surius who were godly Catholike pedlers And verelie suche trustie speares as Laurence Surius and Cochleus haue well deserued a good peece of rosted beefe hotte from the spitte considering that with their notable and excellent briefe histories they haue furnished and well armed the Bishoppes Monkes and priestes with suche stuffe as will serue their turnes to occupie their Pulpittes with all So as their stories may well and aptly bee called Dormi secure that is to say Sleepe without care So that the Monkes and Parishe Priestes neede not studie in their Bibles for to make a sermon so long as they are prouided of suche bookes For therein they finde made readie to their handes matter enoughe to prate vppon yea if it were naught else but the pretie pageant whiche the foresaid Laurence Surius doth rehearse of Caluin To wit That Caluin shoulde seeke to confirme his doctrine with miracles and therefore shoulde persuade a man to suffer himselfe to bee borne in a coffin to Church And when Caluin called to him before the multitude that if his doctrine were true he should arise the man being smothered in the cheste was founde starke deade his wife beginning pitifully to lament Caluin did with faire speache and promises of recompence perswade her to bee still and presently gotte him into the Pulpitte declaring to the people that it was long of their vnbeliefe that this miracle woulde not fadge It is a common saying that To him which telles a lie or a fable it behoues him to haue a good memorie But this was out of this good Historiographers heade for so muche as he did not call to minde that they are not accustomed at Geneua to bring deade ▪ corses into the Churches ▪ and muche lesse in time of any Sermons besides he had forgotten that Caluine did alwaies teach it to be an vngodly and a diuelishe acte to goe about to confirme the doctrine of the Gospell a new with miracles which hath alreadie in times past beene sufficiently confirmed with most notable and wonderfull miracles of god But the good Catholike is to bee pardoned for that with eating too muche fishe his braines are weakened and his memorie thereby decayed Yet he declares more which sounde a great deale better As touching the miracles of Luther of the bloud which issued out of the Sacrament from the altar in the countrie of Brandenburge whiche it may bee he hath learned of Aloysius Lippomano who hath likewise written a great booke full of such iestes And many more suche lies and toyes with a witnesse which serue greatly for the vse of Priests and Monkes in time of their sermons preachmentes And chiefely these newe base Countrie Bishoppes whiche for the most part haue spent their time in studie betwixte the butterie and the kitchen and can saie but litle except they be prickt forwardes with some helpes like as may appeare by the worthie sermon of the reuerend Bishop Franciscus Sonnius the father of all the newe Bishops which he made at his first entrie to a citie called Hertoghenbosch saying That the citizens might reioyce for so much as they had gotten him to be their Bishop for that henceforwards quoth hee you shall haue great resort of manie strangers which afore times were wont to haue their trade to Luyke and Vtrecht and the one should eate a herring the other should drinke a potte of beare which would be a great helpe to their impost c. Was not this a good helpe to sing Gaudeamus In like manner also Curtius at Bridges which notwithstanding had bene Pastour or Curate of the great and chiefe church at Louen expounding that parte of the Gospell Ego sum nolite timere I am hee be not afraid said That he was the man of whom so much had bene spoken and that they should not stande in feare of ought considering he was a towns man borne and christened in the same font In fine it was which way to London A pooke full of plummes The good Curate had but litle to say for hee knewe no tales of Robin Hoode nor yet of Caluin nor the Dutch Beare his miracles Hee had not red ouer the pleasaunt histories of Laurence Surius Cochles nor Lippomanus Therefore are they highlie to bee commended which can furnish out their matter with such pleasaunt rehearsals to keepe the audientes waking as for the Byble or Gospell they haue not forgotten much because they feare to read it least thereby they should become Heretikes To conclude so farre foorth as lies and fables doe serue to the aduancement of the holie Church of Rome they are not onelie to bee borne withall but also greatlie extolled And therefore it is no maruell that Maister Gentianus durst thus boldlie affirme by writing That the Huguenotes and Lutherans did hate and detest all prayers fasting and abstinence This is than the first point which is to be cōsidered hereof for his discharge to wit That he hath in this behalfe behaued him selfe as a good and faithful Catholike The ii Chapter VVherein is declared Howe it is to be vnderstood that the Huguenotes the Lutherans do hate all prayers fasting abstinence and penaunce or mortification and herein is comprehended of the abstinence and mortification of Monkes Bishops Prelates and other and of the mortification which is vsed amongst the Huguenotes Lutherans THe other part is that hee hath great reason to say the Heretikes are mortall foes to prayer fasting mortification For there is a rule in lawe That to plead a case ill and otherwise then it ought to be or to neglect the same wholie doeth fall out to one effect Well then albeit the Heretikes doe often pray fast for so much as they doe it not as they ought it serues them to no purpose It is true they pray morning euening would be loth to go to
friendes in riches and may bestowe some of our ouerplus vpon them which wee like best Like as our louing mother the holie Church hath neatelie concluded Therfore is Maister Gentianus to bee vnderstoode after this manner Forsomuch as he doeth verie Doctorlike conclude saying Wee may not repose or trust hereto to much to witte that Christ shoulde haue made full satisfaction for vs For albeit that S. Paule euerie where doeth teache otherwise and in anie case will haue that we shall repose all our confidence without anie surmising or doubting vppon the merites and satisfaction of Christ yet this is not to be vnderstoode literallie ▪ as the Heretikes do take it but spirituallie that is to say after the glose interpretation of the spirituall Councell of Trent like as we haue sufficiently declared aboue And therefore is that likewise true which Gentian doeth gather hereof to witte That God doth not accept or allowe the conuersion and repentance of Heretikes for so much as it is not done as it ought to be And it is not an easie matter as he saith to make God a flexen beard For that can none do but our deare mother the holie Church of Rome which hath foure white feete and can not erre Therefore hath shee in token that she wil make God a flexen beard a religious custome to make her God with a graie beard like to flexe And in their procession when they carrie Corpus Domini about they doe likewise make a god with a flaxen bearde and so beare him triumphantlie about with a Tabber pype in manner as though they were going to the Theater or to the playing of a Fensers price And howe be it that Gentian saith God will not be derided or mocked that is vnderstood by the liuing God which is in heauen and not by the same God which our deare mother doeth keepe as prisoner in the Sacrament boxe against her festiuall solenmizations For that is a patient God and is neuer angrie but alwayes pleased alike and at one staie prouided alwayes that he be saflie kept and well garded from myse mothes and wormes which are his deadlie foes Now followeth the exposition vpon the sixth and last part of Maister Gentian Heruet his Epistle treating of the ignorance and wicked life of the Huguenote preachers and of the Holines of the Pope and other Prelates The first Chapter Declaring the lothing of Gentian Heruet and what we◠must doe when a Priest doeth lothe so much that he doeth cast the Sacrament out of his stomache after he hath said Masse IN the sixt and last part saieth Maister Gentian that he doth maruellouslie lothe when hee considereth the qualitie that is the custome and life of the newe Huguenot Preachers But it were not good that he should consider that to much after he hath song Masse for otherwise he might make a mad sturre and giue the holie Church both her hands full He might by ouerlothing cast a calfe and so cause the louing God to voide his stomacke Were not that a goodlie loathing It is true in deede that the Romish church is prouided in this respect that who so doeth cast the calfe shall againe suppe vp the same without salt Yet hereby might growe a greeuous matter for the calfe might cause him to lothe more then he did before insomuch as the good God would lodge no longer in his stomacke and then should we be driuen to burne him and to keepe the holie ashes for a relique vnder some aultar This were in verie deede most blasphemous and worst of all for our deare mother the holie Church that shee should handle the matter with her blessed God as she doeth with Heretikes and Huguenotes True it is that vpon a time when the Doctors were assembled together at Paris and with this matter beeing greatlie encombred there was one of the ancient which did esteeme and passe it verie lightlie saying Seeing hee did permit himselfe to be crucified of the Iewes why should he not suffer him self to be burnt of vs And thervpon was it concluded that which yet in these dayes is to bee seene in the Cantils of Masses and all Masse bookes to wit that both he and the cast Calfe shall together bee burnt without redemption and thereof to be made holie ashes for to seale on the first day in Lent or on Ashewednesday all good godlie or deuoute people therewithall on their forehead Yet were it not meete in these dayes to followe that Councell in burning him seeing the Heretikes doe on all sides so ouercharge him for if he perceiue nowe that the Catholikes will also burne him his heart might fal into his heeles cause him to loose his courage quite and than our game were quite lost Therefore I would wishe Maister Gentian to be friendlie in treated not to loth so sore especiallie after he hath said Masse or else if in cace his stomacke be so tender that he cannot abide anie filthines he ought to beware frō looking to muche on the Huguenote preachers forsomuch as they bring such lothsomnes to his stomacke The ii Chapter Of the great knowledge holines of Priestes Monks BVt I pray you let vs heare whereat he doth so much loath Hee saith first that they are the most ignorant and the moste vnlearned which are to bee founde in the world after that that they are likewise of a wicked life But before he doth come so far he doth aboue al protest That there is in some Priests Monkes other religious persons a certaine excessiue and beastly ignorāce yea that some do lead a verie lewde life Which he doth handle verie wisely circumspectly to the end we should the sooner beleeue him to desire a reformation aswell as others do Like as we may lightly gather hereof according as himselfe doth witnes that he hath expounded the sixth article of the coūcell of Calcedonie permitted the same to bee extant in print Is not this a great matter an vnfallible token that he meanes the reformation of the mind He hath assuredly deserued hereby a fatt benefice or a Bishops myter Yet doe I not regard so much the first point that there are such ignorant Priestes which cannot reade their Masse nor Dirige bokes And if they can do that what neede they any further Therfore is Gentian to blame to esteme them vnlearned howbeit I surmise he hath done thus to shew that he hath learned Rhetorica or The arte of eloquence and vtterance For thereby is learned That if we seeke greatlie to rebuke any man it cannot be done more aptlie than by dilating and amplifying his default in comparing him to some one who hath bene tainted with the like For as touching the Monkes it is no maruell though they are vnlearned seeing their profession doeth require the same and the more ignorant they bee the welcomer and more acceptable are they to their Couent For those which are verie well learned haue
Archpriest in the schole of the foresaid Gisbertus who after was called Syluester the second and was faithfullie instructed in his worthie science whereby he atchieued the Popelie Seate and farre surpassed his Uncle Benedict the 8. who had reigned not long before him in al subtiltie and craftie dealings like as histories make mention Hee reigned in the dayes of Conrad 2. Henrie 3. And after being departed this life appeared to an Heremit in the likenesse of an horrible vnnatural beast hauing head taile like an Asse the rest of his bodie like a Beare And being knowen of the Heremite demanded what the same signified made ananswer that he ought not to maruel therat considering that by Gods iust iudgement he was perpetually coÌ„demned to the same as one who after a beastly manner had liued without faith and beleefe without reson and Lawe in this worlde Like as by all credible histories is vniformally declared and therefore was in his life time complained vpon for many shameful actes which he had committed And in the thirteenth yeare of his Popedome was banished Syluester the third being chosen in his roome who also was deposed within nine and fourtie dayes after as an vnmeete and vnlearned man And the foresaide Benedict put in againe who within a while after was put forth againe Gregorie the sixt taken in his steed Howbeit some Historiographers wil say that he was not deposed the second time but did of meere couetousnesse for ready monie sel his title vnto the saide Gregorie In fine this is the effect That there were the same time three Popes at Rome namely Benedict Syluester and Gregorie who did all at once draw for the longest cut drew so long till the fourth named Gratian did arise who had likewise gone to schoole with Syluester the second and played his part so neately that he bought all their three partes and became Pope him selfe Howbeit that he like a Simoniake that is one which was crept in with coyne was first by the Spiritualtie of Rome and after by the Emperour Henrie in a generall Councell deposed and one promoted to his place called Sindegerus who after that would be called Clemens the second But hee likewise made the matter short for nine monethes after stept Damasus the seconde in place hauing poysoned the other and scaled the Romishe Seate him selfe without a ladder that is without election of the Commonaltie or helpe of the Clergie Wherefore we may allowe him the fourth degree of this last quarter considering that in those dayes the most part of Popes and other Prelates were addicted to sorcerie and poisoning with other diuelish deuises whereof histories do sufficientlie witnesse and make mention at large The fift place by all reason doeth belong to Gregorie the seuenth whiche before was named Hildebrand who as histories declare did temper his Triacle so well that as good as fiue or sixe Popes were by the Italian Dramme brought to their baine to the ende hee might finde a readie beaten and troden pathe to their place yea he was also a scholer of the forenamed Syluester Forsomuch as Syluester as hath bene shewed did instruct Laurence the Archpriest and Theophilactus who after was called Benedict the 9. and Laurence did teach this Hildebrand who thereby atteined to the holie Seate And notwithstanding that first in a Councell holden at Worms he was for a coniurer and craftie villain who by policie had obteined the Popedome and also after that in a councell holden in the citie of Brixne by manie Nobles and Bishops lastlie in a councell at Mentz as a Simoniake or a merchant of Benefices a seditious mutiner deposed from his Seate â–ª being accused lawfullie charged that he â—â—lie with briberie crept into the same and had brought all Christendome into a commotion sowen discord on all sides did mainteine and receiue vnder his tuition al Periurers Murtherers Church spoylers Villains Theeues and such as by fire consumed true mennes substauÌ„ces like as afterward him selfe lying on his death bed did confesse Yet all this notwithstanding he wrought so much with helpe of his master whom he serued that he againe like to a cat did clamber on his seat and did work all the spight hurt which he could deuise vnto the Emperour Henrie the 4. suborning certain persons some with treason some with poyson some with other treacherie subtile deuises to procure his end And the better to atchieue his inteÌ„t did coÌ„monlie beare in his bosome a booke of Necromancie Yea his Secretarie Iohn the Bishop of Portua did testifie in a publike sermon that he had committed such factes whereby he deserued to be burnt quick forsomuch as he had throwen the holie sacrament into the fier in his coniurie to the end he might haue knowledge from the diuell of his good fortune and succession against the Emperour Henrie And this is the holy man which did forbid Priests and the rest of the Clergie to marrie wiues yea that none should be receiued in anie office pertaining to the Church except first he were sworne to liue chast vndefiled that is without a married wife He also did forbid all Chisten people on the Saturdaies all Monkes for euer to eat flesh Likewise he did separat Azo the Gouernour of Esten from his wife the Dutches of Matildo vnder pretence that they were a kinne within the fourth degree but in verie deede it was because hee would haue the woman at his pleasure like as all Histories do witnesse that shee had great familiaritie friendlie conference continuall conuersation with him What say you then was not this fellow holie ynough to occupie the fift place in this noble quarter Go to then after him may followe in this quarter Iohn the 21 who reigned in the yeare 1276. for that he did giue such credit to his knowledge of Geometrie and to the Geometricians or starre Prophetes that he spared not to say That by the same hee was assured to liue a long time But he deceiued none more than him selfe For he continued but eight moneths in his Popedome being soudeinlie slaine in the citie of Viterben by the falling of a chamber which hee had caused there to be built so as it is manifest that this was one of the diuels prankes who had assured him so finelie of a long life Nowe for to furnish the seuenth part of this last quarter we can find none more fit than Alexander the sixt who before was named Rodorike Borgia and being Cardinall sought by all meanes possible to waxe Pope finding in the ende no waye more commodious to atchieue the same than by framing him selfe to the studie and exercise of Necromancie or black science which art he most diligentlie did applie thereby examined the diuels whether they would willinglie and without grudging prefer him to the Popelie crowne Whervnto they presentlie
article and foundation of their beliefe to wit that the lawe of Moses with all her ceremonies figures shall neuer be taken away nor altered but shall continue in her Esse for euer like as it doeth appeare by their teacher Rabbin Moses Henmaymon who wrote a booke of the thirteene articles of their beleefe This tendeth likewise as right as a line against the doctrine of the Lutherans and Zwinglians who take vppon them to defende stoutlie that men ought not to vse anie other ceremonies than onlie such as Christ him selfe and his Apostles haue ordeined And therefore will not they haue in their teÌ„ples anie altars nor guilte images nor any other such like ceremoniall things but will onlie when as they are asseÌ„bled together that nothing els shal be done than like as Paule hath taught after that euerie one hath soung a Psalme or declared some texte of Scripture or some open declaration or exposition and all tending to edifying or as he saâ—th in an other place That which we haue receiued of the Lorde c. And now they are so grosse that they doe not note that it was so In illo tempore that is to say At that time when there were wodden chalices and golden Priestes â–ª but as the good martyr Bonifacius and after him Durandus haue â—aide the leafe is now turned because now wee haue wodden Priestes and golden Chalices For now is the authoritie of the Church and the seruing of God waxen a great deale fâ—tter than it was in the time of the Apostles And therfore can the holie Churche now agree a great deale better with the Iewes And so haue commaunded verie straightly that there shall no more Masse bee ministred with wodden Chalices for that God shall not bee moued to wrath in such a thing wherwith he ought to be pleased as if they be of golde and siluer as it hath bene concluded in the Councelles of Triburensis and Remensis and so entered in the decretals For she will according to the maner of the Iewes set foorthe her seruing of God brauely with gold and siluer yea the more that the religion and the Gospell doe take â—o them the more will shee haue the Iewish maners and ceremonies vsed So that Maister Gentianus shoulde erre verie faâ—â—e if he should goe about to resemble the Huguenotes and Caluinistes to the Iewes who doe agree so well in one with our deare mother the holie Churche of Rome that they pisse both in one quill and haue all studied in one schoole But these Huguenotes will haue all thinges after their owne minde refourmed according to the Gospell as it was in the time of the Apostles and therefore wee will let them goe with a good yeere and holde vs fast to the Iewes For our holy father the Pope himselfe doeth beare the Iewes verie good will and doeth shewe them all the friendshippe he can or may He doeth keepe a great many of them in his citie of Rome and lettes them haue one or two of the best streetes that bee there Yea he is fast in their pension for of euerie Iew that will haue a synagoge in his house the Pope hath thirtie pounde Turnoys which is seuen Ducates and sixe sterlinges and if they will haue licence to set vppe one openly then the price is set vppe in the Popes reckoning chamber at sixtie pounde Turnoys which is fifteene Ducates Note what fearefull blasphemie shoulde it then bee to say that the Huguenotes were in pension with the Iewes likewise for that therevppon it must needes followe that they shoulde bee companions and brethren with our holy father the Pope No no I warrant you he can agree much better with the Iewes yea with the Turkes Heathen better than with the Huguenotes which goe about to refourme his holy Sea according to the Gospell he can neither abide the sight nor smell of them â–ª yea and the matter is so farre gone that he woulde allowe them an assemblie and meeting together as he doeth the Iewes for a small peece of monie to the ende that he might sette a 〈◊〉 vpon them and burne them all vppe where he might catche them or come handsomely by them It is most true that the Iewes doe likewise call vs Worshippers of false gods and idolaters that is Prayers to images and doe herein agree with these Heretikes but they are therein to bee â—orne withall For they haue learned it of olde out of their Bible and also out of their Prophetes who knewe nothing at all yet of the goodly and Hellishe I forget my selfe I should haue said holy ordinances of the Popes of Rome neither did they vnderstande that the images must bee prayed vnto and worshipped euen as the thing after which they are made and fashioned For Saint Thomas de Aquino that heauenly English Doctor was not yet in place for to teache such thinges neither had â–ª they yet hearde any tidinges of our Saintes nor of all the miracles which they doe nor that the milde Empresse Irene had not yet scratcht out her sonnes eyes to bring to passe by the good assistaunce of the seconde councell of Nice the woorshipping of images againe And therefore the Prophetes knewe not yet the difference that is betwixt Latria Dusia and Hyperdulia and therefore did they condemne all such as did pray to any images for woorshippers of false goddes without making any difference or exception betweene the Catholikes and the Heathen And now when the Iewes doe reade the same they thinke that the Prophetes did speake as well of our deare mother the holie Church as of their forefathers And then that which the Prophet Ieremie saith That they did offer Cakes to the Queene of Heauen that doe they thinke to bee spoken of by suche as call our Ladie The Queene of Heauen and doe offer to her Cakes Flawnes Tartes and all kinde of proper thinges without care But these heretikes doe knowe better â–ª yea their olde shooes doe knowe that the Prophetes speake to the Iewes and not to vs For wee were yet vnborne and therefore wee may not seeme to take it vppon vs for he that is not ytchie hath no neede to scratche and he that is not scabbed hath no neede to clawe And yet they pretende so as though they knewe no other and doe not forbeare to blare vs out for woorshippers of false goddes and idolaters therefore shall not they goe free with the Iewes And it is not to be thought that they shoulde haue any secrete conference with the Iewes as Maister Gentianus hath verie learnedly considered and noted yet hath he dealt verie grossely in one point where he doth so spitefully blame the Iewes for their golden Calfe saying that our deare mother the holie Church of Rome hath neuer beene brought vnto so great a follie as that Truely if this had not proceeded from him euen of a pure and simple Catholike zeale it