truth and grant al others by her example to beware of the Popes and Iebusits most dangerous practises which neuer cease working mischiefe if they may haue fit oportunitie CHAP. X. That kings and Princes liuing in subiection to the Pope are but halfe kings and demi-princes BUt suppose the Pope and his conspiring and working crew should neither attempt to take away the crowne nor the life from a prince that beléeueth his lawes and yéeldeth to the Pope all that authoritie which he claimeth yet doth he lose halfe his reuenues authoritie and regall soueraigntie For first the Pope shareth the Kings reuenues claiming tenths first fruites subsidies confirmation and disposition of Ecclesiasticall liuings and infinite summes of money for pardons licences dispensations and all maner of rescripts Those which are acquainted with the Popes faculties and incrochments in former Kings dayes within this land and now in Spaine Italy and other popish countries know they are intelerable and no way inferior to the Kings reuenues Nay if a King néed a dispensation for an Ecclesiasticall matter he is forced to bargaine with the Pope and to buy it deare The absolution of King Iohn had like to haue cost him the Crowne of England Secondly not the King but the Pope is King of priests and ecclesiasticall persons Boniface the 8. in the chap. Clericis de immunit eccles in 6. doth excommunicate both Kings and others that impose taxes and subsidies vpon the Clergie He doth also lay the same censure vpon those clergie men that pay any subsidies to ciuill Magistrates which sheweth that he kept them for his owne selfe Alexander the fourth in the chap. Quia nonnulli de immunit eccles in 6. exempteth the possessions and goods of clergy men from toll and custome Bellarmine in his treatise De exemptione clericorum cap. 1. setteth downe these propositions In causis Ecclesiasticis liberi sunt clerici iure diuino à secularium principum potestate That is In Ecclesiastical causes clerkes are free from the commaund of secular princes by the law of God And by ecclesiasticall causes he vnderstādeth all matters which concerne the church and which by hooke or crooke the Popes haue drawne to their owne cognition Againe he sayth Non possunt Clerici à Iudice seculari iudicari etiamsi leges ciuiles non seruent That is Clerks are not to be iudged of secular Iudges albeit they keep not his temporall lawes His third proposition is this Bona clericorum tam ecclesiastica quà m secularia libera sunt ac meritò esse debent à tributis principum secularium That is The goods of clerkes whether they belong to the Church or be temporal are free from tributes of princes and so ought to be He sayth also that secular princes in respect of clerkes are not soueraigne princes and that therefore clerkes are not bound to obey them Now how is the King absolute in his kingdome if he haue neither power ouer the persons of the clerks nor their goods Emanuel Sa in his aphorismes In verbo Clericus in his book first printed and alleaged by him that wrote the Franc discourse hath these words Clerici rebellio in regem non est crimen laesae maiestatis quia non est subditus regi The rebellion of a clerk against the King is no treason because he is not the kings subiect This is plaine dealing and sheweth that the king is no king of the Clergie where the Popes lawes beare sway But because these words be somewhat too plaine therefore in a later edition of these aphorismes set out at Venice they haue for their owne ease cut out the words albeit in effect Bellarmine and others teach so much Their practise also declareth that this is their meaning for Thomas Becket stoutly resisted Henry the second and his parliament enacting that clerkes offending against the kings lawes should answer before the kings Iustices Further he would not agree that clerkes lay-fee should come in trial before them Sixtus quartus did enterdite the state of Florence for that they had executed the Archbishop of Pisa notoriously taken in a conspiracie against the State Xistus quòd sacrato viro Archiepiscopo it a foedè interfecto Cardinalem quoque captiuum fecissent Hieronymo instigante grauissimum Florentinis sacris omnibus interdictis bellū intulit saith Onuphrius That is Sixtus warred vpon the Florentines and enterdited them for that they had killed the Archbishop of Pisa being a priest and layd hands on a cardinall And yet he declareth they were actors in the conspiracie against Iulian and Laurence de Medicis that then ruled the State This was also the greatest quarrell of the Pope against Henry the third of France for that he caused the Cardinal of Guise to be killed being culpable of most enormous treasons against him Now what can Kings do against their subiects if they may not punish them offending in treason Thirdly the Popes do draw many temporall matters from the cognition of the King to themselues and their adherents Boniface the 8. c. quoniam de Immunitat Eccles. in 6. doth excommunicate all those that do hinder matters to be brought frō triall of temporall iudges to Ecclesiasticall courts and namely those that will not suffer all contracts confirmed by oathes to be tried before Ecclesiasticall iudges By which meanes almost all causes were brought before them and the Kings iurisdiction almost stopped and suspended The Kings of England therfore to restraine these incrochmēts made the law of Praemunire putting them out of his protection that wold not be tried by his lawes Is it not strange then that Christian princes should suffer such companions to vsurpe their authoritie and not onely in causes Ecclestasticall but also in temporall to beare them selues as iudges Finally they deny that Christian Princes haue power either to make Ecclesiasticall lawes or to reforme abuses in the Church or to gouerne the Church concerning externall matters All papists do so distinguish betwixt Ecclesiastical and politicke gouernement that they exclude temporall Princes from the gouernement of the Church and make them subiect to the Pope Bellarmine lib. 1. de Pontif. Rom. c. 7. determineth that temporall Princes are no gouernours of the Church Ifthen Christian Princes loose part of their reuenues and part of their iurisdiction and are quite excluded both from the gouernement of the Church and also disposing of the persons and goods of Ecclesiasticall persons most apparent it is that such Princes as admit the Popes authoritie are either but halfe kings or else not so much loosing more then halfe their authoritie by the Popes incrochments How contrarie this is to the doctrine of the Apostles and ancient fathers we néede not here dispute S. Peter teacheth Christians to honour the King and Paule exhorteth euery soule to be subiect to the higher powers Now what greater dishonour can be offered to a king then to take away his authoritie And how are they subiect that pay the King nothing and claime
that all the mischiefe she brought with her For beside the yoke of Spaniards she put vpon her subiects the yoke of the Popes tyrannie and of his Italians relinquishing the first fruits and tenths of Ecclesiastical liuings to the Pope and making her people subiect to all his extortions and pillages which not onely to this nation but also to all Christians hath alwayes bene very grieuous Matthew Paris speaking onely of one Popes Legate and his rauinous pillages sayth excepting church treasure there remained not so much mony behind as he had caried with him out of England Nec remansit eadem hora vt veraciter dicebatur in Anglia tantum pecuniae exceptis sanctorum vasis ornamentis Ecclesiarum quantum à regno extorserat Anglicano The same man beside all this as the same author testifieth bestowed thrée hundred benefices at his own and the Popes pleasure Vnde regnum quasi vinea exposita omni transeunti quam exterminauit aper de sylua miserabiliter languit desolatum Whereupō it fel out saith he that the kingdom did miserably languish being laid desolate made like a vineyard exposed to euery one that passeth by and which the bore of the wood did roote out He that shall reade that storie shall find strange inuentions to extort money from the people and vnderstand that great summes of mony were transported out of England by the Popes agents and countrimen Bonner in his preface before Stephen Gardiners booke De vera obedientia sayth that the Popes prey in England was so great that it amounted to as much almost as the reuenues of the Crowne The English nation complained to the Pope in the synod at Lyon in the dayes of king Henry the third of diuers enormous pillages and exactions made by him and his officers but could find no remedy The Emperour as Mathew Paris testifieth found fault with the King of England for that he suffered his countrey to be impouerished so shamefully by the Pope Imperator reprehendit regem Angliae saith Mathew Paris quod permitteret terram suam tam impudenter per Papam depauperari If we account the tenths first fruites rents comming of dispensations about Ecclesiasticall benefices for mariages and vowes money for licences to eate flesh and white meates to kéepe concubines to erect new societies and orders of Friers money for indulgences and pardons canonizations of saints erecting of Churches for rescripts of iustice for absolution from othes for sale of Masses and such like Babylonish merchandize we shall find that the summe doth farre excéed Bonners accompt So iniurious was the Pope in extorting and so patient was this land in bearing all burdens that worthily it deserued to be called the Popes asse Nay such corruption was entred into the Romish church that no act of religion could be executed without paying somewhat At christening they paid a chrisme cloth at buriall a herse cloth Neither could any be maried or housled or absolued but some what was paid At Candlemasse they offered candles at another day bread and because bread would not downe without drinke they offered also good ale in some places By these meanes the priests of Baal liued vpon the poore mans labour and got the husbandmans cow the artificers instruments and what euery man had from the owners and pressed the very marrow out of the common peoples bones To all these pillages from which king Henry the eight of famous memorie and his sonne king Edward had fréed vs Quéene Mary did make her people subiect She also put her people vnder the bloodie hands of the butcherly Romish inquisitors Bonner Gardiner Storie and their fellowes which contrary to iustice and all good forme of procéeding caused foure or fiue hundred to be put to most cruell death in a short space and were the occasion of the death of many hundreds more that either for want or by diseases died being driuen to leaue their houses and to shift for themselues Some also died in prison before they came to their triall Whosoeuer would not forsake the truth was driuen to forsake his countrey kinred friends and to flie into strange countries for succor So we sée murder tortures banishments bands and persecution of Gods saints were the monuments of her raigne Therefore it plėased God to afflict this countrey with a great penury and dearth the like was not heard of for many yeares before nor since Our histories say that wheats was for foure markes the quarter and mault for 44. shillings which considering the rate of things is twise or thrise so much as that summe amounteth vnto now Hereupon it came to passe that the people were constrained to make bread of acornes that had refused the bread of Gods word and that many died for extreme want and penury and yet was not the country halfe so populous as now Finally to her perpetuall dishonor and the shame of all Papists she lost Calice Ghines whatsoeuer by the kings of England was left her in France King Edward the third that most victorious prince wanne Calice and she like a most disastrous Quéene lost it neither did any thing prosper that she tooke in hand In the beginning of her raigne she was driuen to flie into Suffolke disguised and had by all likelihood lost both her life crowne and hope if the professors of the Gospell of Norfolke and Suffolke had not resorted vnto her and defended her against those that pursued her for the which she promised them liberally but performed nothing They deliuered her from danger and she eontrary to her promise deliuered them vp to the bloudy executioners to be pursued with fire and fagot She maried with a stranger to the great dislike of all true hearted Englishmen But well was she requited For her husband neuer did well like her and in the end he went from her and did in a manner forsake her Great hope she had to leaue vs a king of her owne body to raigne after her but her expectation was turned into a mockerie and all the Masses said and prayers deuised and offerings to Saints relikes for her safe deliuerie tooke no effect The saying of the Prophet Psal. 7. was fulfilled in her She conceiued griefe and brought foorth iniquitie Concepit dolorem peperit iniquitatem Salomon for that he was a iust Prince had a sonne giuen him to sit vpon his throne after him as we reade 1. King 3. Was not then this mercilesse Quéene iustly punished with barrennesse for making so many childlesse Without cause she fell at variance with the French entring into her husbands quarrell But she spent her labour and treasure in vaine left the state in debt and lost all she did aduenture for At the sea she was most vnhappie losing a goodly shippe called The great Harrie by fire and hauing no successe in any thing And so it appeareth that she liued and died disgracefully leauing no memorie behind her but of cruell persecution of Spanish slauerie
let vs sée what they are and in what places they are done First workes of true and sincere religion they care not for The Popes giue ouer teaching and busie them selues not much with praying Nay they persecute such as professe religion and will not suffer the vulgar sort to vnderstand what they pray commaunding them to pray publikely in tongues not vnderstood Pontifices nunc bella iuuant saith Palingenius sunt cetera nugae Nec praecepta patrum nec Christi dogmata curant Prelates now delight in warre other things they esteeme as toyes they neither regard the precepts of their fathers nor Christs Religion Iustice is slowly administred among them for the Pope easily dispenseth with the breach of all Ecclesiasticall laws and giueth absolution for most hainous sinnes before and sometime without all satisfaction Vrspergensis speaking of the dayes of Innocent the third Exaltatum est cornu saith he iniquitatis The horne of iniquitie is exalted He sheweth also that then iustice was sold for money In time past saith Brigit iustice dwelt in Rome and her princes were studious of peace but now all is turned into drosse and her princes are murtherers Neither do they so many almes déedes or deale so bountifully that they néed much to brag of their liberalitie Petrarch doth call Rome couetous Babylon and sayth that couetousnesse raigneth there Multo aequanimius ferunt millium animarum iacturam saith Clemangis quam decem solidorum They had rather lose ten thousand soules then ten shillings But percase by reason of their solemne vowes they are chast and continent Alas there is nothing more sensual and luxurious Quis non moechatur saith Palingenius speaking of the Romish vnchast Cleargie that is Who doth not offend in luxuriousnesse Huldricus doth shew that this forswearing of mariage is cause of great vncleanenesse Pelagius lib. 2. de planct Eccles. art 27. saith that by reason of priests vowes and licenciousnesse almost halfe the people in Spaine are bastards Speaking of priests Nimis incontinenter viuunt saith he at que vtinam nunquam continentiam promisissent maximè Hispani regnicolae in quibus prouincijs in pauco maiori numero sunt filij laicorum quà m clericorum This I cite at large for the honor of bastard Parsons that is so well affected to some old bastard Spaniards Truth is no friend to such lying companions VVhat truth can be there saith Petrarch where all is so ful of lyes He excepteth not the secret places of Churches the seates of iustice nor the Popes throne Quis vsquam saith he vero locus vbi omnia mendacijs plena sunt For their fraud and lies Palingenius calleth priests and Friers impostors and crafty foxes Hos impostores igitur vulpesque dolosas Pelle procul Neither can we commend them much for their clemency albeit their Popes sometimes affect the name and title of Clement For they prosecute their enemies as cruelly as euer did tyrants as Platina saith in Sergio 3. they torment poore simple Christians that touch their abuses and massacre them They are red with the blood of saints Finally neither vertue nor pietie sheweth it selfe in any of their actions What are then the good works that our aduersaries so much commend in them selues Forsooth pilgrimages to Rome oblations to saints almes giuen to sturdie Friers Monks building of Seminaries for rebellious youths eating of fish and toadstooles and muscles on fasting dayes vowing of virginitie and single life whipping a mans selfe doing penance by a Proctor praying to Saints hearing of Masses and such like Nay they accompt it meritorious to massacre Christian Princes and others when the Pope doth excommunicate them But part of these workes are flagitious part superstitious none good If then they alleage vs not their good workes and proue them their glory and boasting of their workes will proue vaine and odious Finally they must thew vs where these workes are done for which the Papists looke to merit eternall life and by which they claime iustification If they say at Rome as no doubt they will calling the same the holy citie then we shall wonder at their impudencie For that citie both in regard of Priests and people of all others is knowne to be most flagitious Peters pallace saith Mantuan is polluted and rotten with luxuriousnesse Petrique domus polluta fluenti Marcescit luxu And againe Sanctus ager scurris venerabilis ara Cynaedis Seruit venerandae diuum Ganymedibus aedes The same man lib. 4. fastorum telleth Leo the tenth that he was to reforme thrée things first the bloudie broiles of Italie secondly the poyson of the court of Rome that infected all countries and thirdly the abuses of religion that was much oppressed The manners of Italie Robert Bishop of Aquila rehearseth The sinnes of Rome are noted by Petrarch in his Sonnets beginning Fiamma dal cielo and L'auara Babylonia and Font ana di dolore where he signifieth that she deserueth to be consumed with fire from he auen for her notorious wickednesse Palingenius bringeth in the diuell affirming that both the men and women of Rome were his for that all did apply themselues to luxuriousnesse gluttonie theft and fraud contending who should excell others Cunctiluxuriae saith he at que gulae furtisque dolisque Certatim nosterque est sexus vterque If then pure religion is to visite the fatherles and widowes in their aduersitie and to liue an vnspotted life in this world as Iames the Apostle teacheth then is not Papish religion true nor vndefiled If such as do the workes of the flesh described Galat. 5. shall not inherite the kingdome of God then is the state of Papists most miserable vnlesse they repont They may say to themselues Peace peace and boast themselues that they can do mischiefe But therc is no peace to the wicked neither shall their misthieuous malice and bloudie massacres alwaies escape vnpunished CHAP. III. Of the erronious and absurd doctrine of Papists concerning the foundations of Christian Religion WRetched is the state of those that liue in darknesse and ignorance and without the knowledge of religion and vertue Ignorantia magnum malum and as Tully saith nescire turpe It is a shame not to know But not to know God nor his lawes is both shamefull and damnable Qui ignorat ignorabitur saith the Apostle that is God will not know him that is ignorant of God Yet farre worse it is to do maliciously and wickedly then onely to liue in ignorance and blindnesse But worst of all it is to hold obstinately dangerous and false opinions contrarie to the faith of Christ. If then beside their ignorance and leudnes the Papists hold diuers erronious and false opinions concerning religion then cannot their estate be otherwise then miserable Let vs therefore sée what they hold both concerning the foundations and also concerning diuers necessarie points of religion The Papists giue out that the Pope is the foundation
that is confirmed maried ordered or annoynted as he that is baptised or made partaker of the Lords body and bloud Where Christ distributed the Sacrament of his bodie and bloud and gaue both the kinds to all communicants they seldome distribute the sacrament and take the cup from all but the priest In confirmation and extreame vnction they vse other signes and formes then euer Christ ordained They teach that Christians are able to satisfie for their sinnes and that the Pepe by indulgences hath power to remit satisfaction and to do away the temporall punishment of sinne Are they not then most miserable that haue corrupted the sacraments and seales of Gods eternall testament and as it were broken the couenants betwixt God and vs and despised the pledges of his loue Of Christian faith they thinke so basely that they make it nothing but a bare assent to Gods word as well in fearing the threatnings of the law as beléeuing the promises of the Gospell teach that not only reprobate men but also the diuels also may haue true faith Bellarmine lib. de iustif 1. c. 15. speaking of the saith of wicked men and diuels sayth that both is true and right and catholike faith and comparable to S. Peters faith concerning the obiect Grace that maketh vs acceptable to God saith Bellarmine cannot really be distinguished from the habite of charitie But if this be true then may Christians be saued by their workes without the help of Gods grace working with thē which is méere Pelagianisme For if charitie as it is in vs habitually make vs beloued then it is our loue towards God and not Gods grace or loue towards vs or his grace helping vs and remitting our sins through Christ that saueth vs properly They denie that a man is certainly to perswade himself of his owne saluation or to beléeue the same and all their confidence they put in their owne workes and merites hoping to be saued by pilgrimages indulgences eating of fumadaes créeping to the crosse kissing of the Popes toe praying to saints to stockes to stones giuing of money to lazie Monkes and Friers and such like humane deuises Are they not then most wretched that neither vnderstand what is grace nor what is faith nor what is charitie nor what belongeth to good works He that beleeueth not saith our Sauior Marke 16 shall be damned The Apostle also sheweth that none is iustified but by the grace of Christ. Nay he sayth that Christ saued vs not by the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost By eating holy bread they hope to attaine health of body and soule as it is in the Ronish Missall they doubt not also but that their eating of their paschall lambe tendeth to the praise of God By holy water they teach that not onely diuels are driuen away but also veniall sinnes remitted Finally there remaine but few points of religion which the Papists with their leuen partly of Iudaical and heathenish superstition and partly of hereticall doctrine haue not corrupted What then resteth but that we deplore their blindnesse which admit such erronious absurd and blasphemous points of doctrine and wilfully resist those that offer vnto them the truth out of Gods word CHAP. V. The miserable state of Papists in matters of Religion is proued further for that they are depriued of those blessings which we haue receiued by the abrogation of popish heresies and superstition I Do not thinke but that our aduersaries albeit they differ from vs in other points yet in this will ioyne with vs and confesse that it is a miserable thing to wander without any certaintie in religion Parsons in the first encounter of his Wardword doth in effect say so much and albeit they should denie it yet it is a matter very euident For as the Apostle sayth Rom. 2. Those that sinne without the law shall perish also without the law If they know the law and do it not the law will accuse them and condemne them If they regard not to know the law yet shall Gods iustice lay hold vpon them for offending the law which they ought to haue knowne The Apostle Ephes. 2. when he would put them in mind of their miserable estate before their conuersion saith they liued without Christ and without God in the world As if nothing can be deuised more damnable then to liue with out certaine knowledge of God and of Christ Iesus The Gentiles as the Apostle saith Ephes. 4. walke in the vanitie of their mind hauing their vnderstanding darkned and being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their heart which argueth the miserable state of Christians that liue like Gentils without the true knowledge of Christ Iesus God hath also appointed a certaine ministerie in the Church giuing some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors and teachers and among the rest one end was that henceforth we should be no more children wauering and carried about with euery wind of doctrine But the Papists for the most part as is shewed liue without the knowledge of God and the rest are caried about with the blast of euery blundering Pope wauering as the wind of his blustring bulles and decretals do carie them Upon the Scriptures they ground not themselues but must take both such scriptures and such doctrine as he shall deliuer them Secondly it is a miserable thing to be deuided from the vnitie of Christ his Church For as out of the arke of Noe all perished in the old world so all that are without the Church of Christ shall vndoubtedly perish Those sheepe that are without Christ his fold are exposed to the mercie of the wolfe and without hope of saluation How then can the Papists looke for saluation that in faith and sacraments are deuided from the Catholicke and Apostolicke Church Further by many properties they shew themselues to haue no affinitie with the true Church as before I haue declared Thirdly without true faith it is impossible to please God The same is the doore by which we enter into the kingdome of heauen But we haue shewed that in many points the Papists haue declined from the true faith What hope then can they haue either to enter into the kingdom of heauen or to please God How hapneth it they see not their wretched state Absque notitia sui Creatoris omnis homo pecus est Without the knowledge of God a man is no better then a beast saith Hierome epist. 3. Fourthly the Sacraments are the seales of the new Testament betwixt God and vs. Our Sauior taking the cup at his last supper called it The new Testament in his bloud If then the Papists haue violated Christ his institution in their doctrine and ministration of sacraments as by diuers arguments we haue declared then haue they declared themselues vnworthy
The Popes exactions in all countries are very gricuous Ipse Romanus Pontifex saith Iohn of Salisbury omnibus grauis ferè intolerabilis est The Pope is become grieuous and vntolerable vnto all men Againe speaking of the Church of Rome he saith She sheweth her selfe rather a steppe-mother then a mother and that Scribes and Pharises sit in her which lay importable burdens on mens shoulders which they wil not once touch with their fingers Petrus de Alliaco speaking against the multitude and greatnesse of the Popes exactions busieth himselfe to find a remedie by diminishing the excessiue charges of the Pope the number of Cardinals and disorders of inferior prelats but al in vain He proueth by the testimonie of Humbertus that the cause that disposed the Greekes to reuolt from the Church of Rome was the grieuance of that Church in exactions excommunications and lawes Speaking of the orders of Friers he saith that their state is burdensome to all men and hurtfull to hospitals and lazar-houses and preiudiciall to all states of the Church Bernard of Clugny describeth the qualities of Rome fitly Roma dat omnibus omnia dantibus Rome giueth all things to all men saith he but prouided that they pay for it And again Omnia Romae cum praetio All things may be had at Rome if you will buy them Amongst vs saith Mantuan Churches priests altars masses crownes fire incense prayers yea heauen and God himselfe is set to sale Venalia nobis saith he Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale Deusque Budaeus saith that the Popes lawes serue not now so much for direction in manners as by bankers craft sor so I may almost terme it to get money Sanctiones pontificae non moribus regendis vsui sunt sed propemodum dixerim argentarie faciendae authoritatem videntur accommodare Mathew Paris affirmeth that the Church of Rome in the times of Henry the third coufounding right and iustice like a shamelesse and common whore was set to sale to all men accounting vsury for a small fault and symonie for none Eodem tempore saith he permittente vel procurante Papa Gregorio adeo inualuit Romanae Ecclesiae insatiabilis cupiditas confundens fas nefasque quod deposito rubore velut meretrix vulgaris effrons omnibus venalis exposita vsuram pro paruo symoniam pro nullo inconuenienti reputauit And this taking with the Pope is a matter so plaine and open that they count symony for no sinne in the Pope Papa non dicitur facere symoniam conferendo beneficia dignitates accepta pecunia saith Bartolus in l. Barbarius de offic praet 2. col And that as Theodoric à Niem in his booke of Schisme saith is the opinion of diuers Canonists Felin de offic potest iudic delegat in c. exparte 1. nu 1. saith that moderne Doctors hold without distinction that the Pope is not obnoxious to the crime of symonie and that himselfe is of that opinion What by colour of law and what without law the Pope and his shauclings do spoyle the whole Christian rommon wealth The gaine of the Popes faculties and of popish pardons Masses and dirges and other such like papall wares and commodities amounteth to a great masse of money Therewith the Pope maketh warres the Masse-priests and Friers maintaine themselues and their baggages and all their pompous traine and brauery In the meane while the poore people wring that beare most of this charge Further they are bound to prouide the furniture of altars images Churches and all that is required for Masses In a certaine bisitation at Como by the Popes legate called Bonhomme so many particulars are commaundėd to be prouided as could not in seauen leaues be comprehended In Spaine euery man of any sort is compelled to buy two indulgences the one for the quicke the other for the dead The common rate of a pardon they say is foure reals of plate If the executors wil not be at the charge of a funerall they vse to compell the parties The Pope to get money in his owne territorie beside all this raiseth new customes and impositions dayly maketh a monopoly of whores and hath ordinarie bankes of vsury as the world knoweth and popish writers confesse where they speake of their Monti di pieta The like do other popish Princes in so much that if a man do well consider all he must needs confesse that their gouernement is nothing else but a méere tyrannie odious to God and man Therefore God doth punish them often with warres sedition sicknesse and famine and other vsitations In Spaine it is an ordinary matter to see the people die of famine In Italy caterpillers haue often deuoured the corne and namely anno 1576. In the life of Pius the fift the people of Genua an 1572. do write that many of their people died of hunger and that sew had meanes to satisfie themselues with bread The Iebusites in their annuall letters speake of a great famine in Italy and Sicily an 1592. and shew that diuers were constrained to eate dogs What successe the Popes souldiers and other idlolatrous Papists haue had of late yeares diuers may remember the histories are full Charles the fift seruing the Pope against the Germaines was in the end forced by D. Maurice to leaue the country to saue himself by flight The which he did with such spéed that diuers of his companie forgot to put on their bootes In his enterprise against Algier he lost a great part of his armie and fléete and returned laden rather with scorne then spoile In the end when he saw nothing succéed he crept contemptibly into a monastery and died as sonie say crazed in his braine and most ingloriously King Philip in his memorials to his sonne consesseth that he spent 5594. millions of duckets in 33. yeares and yet neuer reaped any thing for his labour but anguish and sorrow His noble actes by his sonne Charles were written in a blanke booke His first attempt was against the Mores in the Iie of Zerbi But therein his fléete was taken and ouerthrowne by the Turkes and his whole armie slaine or discomfited Leauing the Turkes he thought to trie his manhood against Christians But in his warres he behaued himself so manfully that thinking to subdue the Low cuntries by force which yéelded vnto him for loue in the end he lost halfe of that which he possessed before Purposing to make a conquest of England he was himselfe conquered and ouercome by a woman Bragging of his inuincible fléete he found himselfe and his fléete vanquished by small forces In the end he aymed at the crowne of France promised vnto him by the traiterous Iebusites and their associates but his losse and scorne receiued in that countrey made an end of that old King In Hungary nothing hath succéeded of late yeares that hath bene enterprised by the Popes counsell Eugenius