Another being not so gainefull but notwithstanding filthy detestable is that which is called the tax of the Apostolike penance when as impunitie of all sin and wickednes is so manifestly sold euery sin hauing a certaine sum of money set vppon it that euen some canonists do detest that vnsatiable couetousnes and robbery As in the glosse * where Iohn the munke c. fundamenta de elect in 6. saith that Rome being builteby Pirates doth as yet retaine of his first beginning And surely so it is that yéerely an incredible weight of gold is caried to Rome out of the most wealthy treasuries in the world which the popes and cardinals and other epicures of the same order doe spend vpon the most insatiable and bottomlesse gulfe of their lustes with great infamie of the name of Christians The names and titles of the former are infinite but of so great store these are chiefely reckoned The tribute of first fruites or vacances which is the name of the reuenues of the first yéere which the popes gather into their treasurie but these are for the most part doubled and tripled Also the tribute of preuentions resignations for fauour commendations dispensations for age order irregularitie corporall faultes Also of expectatiue graces deuolutions benefices that are like to be void priuileges exemptions for not visiting or to visit by a deputie of confessions of those that are agréed of transactions made vnder the popes good pleasure of changinges of benefices with dispensation of mandates of bishops of expeditions in form by reason of congruitie for making notories and protonotories apostolike with their coadiutors for letters of greater or lesser iustice for secular dignities for dignities ecclesiasticall for new foundations or changing the old or for reduction of regular monasteries into secular state or for restoring them againe for receiuing fruites during absence for legitimations portable altars for non obstances for indulgences of secular clerks for reuocations and reductions for Toleramus or tollerances of concubines and for rescriptions to suites Time should faile vs if we should go about to reckon vp all sorts of their vnlawfull scrapings and robberies Neither is it greatlie néedfull For there is a booke of the popes extant concerning these matters markets hauing this title The taxes of the Apostolike chancery with the Notables as they write them at this day of the church of Rome in which booke there is a woorthy saieng expressed in these words in a certaine place And note diligently that such graces and dispensations are not granted to poore men bicause they are not therefore they cannot be comforted Who is he that is so secure a contemner of God who is he altogither so voide of conscience amongst the kings counsailers whom these monsters of robberies sacrileges simonies do not mooue Who is so hard harted and such an enimie to his countrie which is not throughly touched with so great spoile of the wealth of France and with the ruin of the poore people out of whose marrowes and bowels this money is fet which the déepe lustes of the popes cardinals haue deuoured That which we are now about to say will séem a thing incredible but yet it is certaine and tried to be true When as in times past the Romane empire stoode there was such abundance of wealth and riches so great store of gold and siluer caried thither out of all partes and places of the world of the tributes and taxes of all people and nations in a maner that that citie was commonly called by the Gréeke word The little Epitomie Athenaeus li. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the whole world What if we now shew that the pope of Rome doth draw to Rome yéerely by his shifts cosenage and wicked policies out of Europe onelie which is counted but the third part of the world no lesse store of gold and siluer than the emperors of Rome did exact of all coastes of the earth for so many legions that lay euerie-where in garison Let vs heare Flauius Blondus his testimonie being a man that was an Italian a great flatterer of the popes out of his booke of Rome restored 3. Now saith he the princes of the world do adore and worship the perpetuall dictator not of Caesar but the successor of Peter the fisherman and the vicar of the foresaid emperour the chiefe and high bishop Now the whole world doth worship the senate of cardinals in Rome next to the pope What That almost all Europe sendeth to Rome tributes being greater then at least equall with the tributes of ancient times when euery citie receiueth from the pope of Rome benefices for priestes Thus writeth Blondus But we must a little more diligently frame the reason of this cruel sacrilege For Suetonius in the life of Iulius Caesar writeth thus He brought all France into the forme of a prouince and he laid vpon the same yeerely foure hundred sesterties by the name of a stipende Eutropius left this same written in a maner in as many words in the sixt booke of his breuiarie If we folow William Budeus his account we shal find that this number of sesterties is in our coin ten hundred thousand crownes or as they commonly cal it a million as the Germanes vse it ten tuns of gold This was a great tribute for France which it did yéerely pay to the emperours in such sort that yet notwithstanding there was paide out of the same to some legions that lay in garison a stipende What if we now prooue that the pope of Rome doth with his iuglings and shifts gather to Rome yéerly no lesse sum without paieng any thing out of the same Peraduenture it wil séeme to som a thing incredible and altogither monsterous as I saide before but yet notwithstanding we shall prooue by a most sure testimonie that it is most true Who is then a witnes of that so great robberie or rather sacrilege The senate of Paris that beareth chiefe rule in France which about an hundred yéeres ago presented to Ludouicus the eleuenth certaine requests for the churches of France which Francis Duarene a lawyer translated into Latine and published with the kings priuilege twise at Paris and also twise at Lyons toward the end of the booke concerning benefices For in the 72. article of the same requests it is thus written That we may speciallie and particularly shew how greatly the money of the realme is wasted within those three yeeres we must marke that in the holie bishops time there haue bin void in this realme more than twentie archbishoprikes and bishoprikes and it is not to be doubted but that as well for the yeerely tribute which we call the first fruits as for other extraordinarie costes vpon euerie bull there haue bin paide downe sixe thousand crownes which sum amounteth to an hundred and twentie thousand crownes The 68. article followeth There haue bin voide in this realme threescore abbots places whereof euerie one cost two thousand crownes
thou didst alwaies thirst Sing a song bicause thou hast ouercome the world through the wickednes of men and not through thy religion Not deuotion or a pure conscience doth draw men vnto thee but the committing of many heinous facts and the deciding of controuersies gotten by monie Let vs also heare the complaint of Theodore Nihemius being not vnlike Tract 6. c. 37. to this that the king of France his Counsellers may know how fréely many good men haue long ago detested these sacrileges of the papacie of Rome and haue detested them at the same time when the Church of Christ was oppressed with the most cruell lordship of the same papacie The popes treasure-house saith he is like to the sea into which all riuers run and yet it doth not ouerflow For so into this are caried out of diuers parts of the world thousand waights of gold and yet it is not filled wherein there is a generation which changeth swords for teeth that it may eate vp the needie of the earth and the poore from among men wherein there be many blood-suckers which say Bring Bring The officers of which treasurie are called Gentes camerae and that truly For the Gentils be barbarous nations which haue maners that are discrepant from the maners of men O most iust Gentils which shall haue their lot with the infernall furies or Harpies and with Tantalus being a thirst which neuer are satisfied Moreouer there be certaine verses of certaine Canonists extant which accurse the wicked couetousnes of the popes and amongst these of one Iohn a munke of whom we made mention a little before out of whose excellent monuments these are recited and commended Rome gnawes hir hands but as for those Whom gnaw she cannot those she hates To those that giue she listeneth Against all those she shuts hir gates That nothing giue That hellish court The mother is of euils and care Vnknowen with knowen she equall makes And beasts with those that honest are Also in another place The court doth emptie purse and chests For why she longeth after marks If thou disposed be to spare Thy purse flie popes and patriarks If marks thou giue and with the same Their chests shalt fill thou loosed shalt be And cleane absolued from all offence And vglie sinne that holdeth thee Who keepes the house Whose there It s I. What would you haue I would come in Do you bring ought No Stand at doores I bring ynough then come you in Hitherto haue we spoken of the monsterous robberies of the popes and of the former sort of the crimes of sacrileges and simonie now order doth require that we speake of the other which is commonly called the penitentiarie tax if first we adde that one thing which Francis Petrarcha an Italian left in writing touching pope Iohn the two and twentie that his heires found in his treasure house after his death no lesse than twentie times fiue thousand thousand crowns Which sum the French men expresse thus fiue and twentie millions of Gold And the Germans two hundred and fiftie tuns of gold By the which euery man may easily iudge of other sacrileges and spoiles of the like théeues Therfore the booke is extant being published at Paris anno 1520. with the priuilege of the Parleament of Paris the sixt day of Iune the same yéere the title whereof is The Taxes of the apostolike chancerie and also the holie penitentiarie taxes being likewise apostolike where fol. 36. you may sée these prices of absolutions and apostolike markets An absolution for a munke that weareth voided shooes and that weareth knit garments seuen grosses Absolution for a priest that hath ioined togither in matrimonie those that are within degrees of kindred and hath said masse before them seuen grosses For him that hath lien with a woman in the church and hath committed other euils six grosses For a priest that hath married priuily certaine persons and hath been present at secret matrimonies seuen grosses For a layman that hath taken away holie things out of an holie place seuen grosses Absolution for him that hath had any carnall copulation with his mother sister or other kinswoman or allie or with his godmother fiue grosses For him that hath defloured a virgin six grosses For a periured person six grosses For a layman that hath slaine an Abbat or another priest vnder a bishop which hath slain a munke or a clerke 7. 8. or 9. grosses Absolution for a layman killing a lay-man gross 5. For a priest a deane or clerke when the supplication is signed with Fiat gross 18. or 16. Absolution for him that hath slaine his father mother brother sister or wife or any other kinsman being a layman bicause if any of them were a clerke the murtherer should be bound to visit the apostolike sea gross 5. or 7. For an husband that hath beaten his wife of which beating she brought foorth hir child before hir time gross 6. For a woman that hath droonken any drinke or done some other thing whereby she hath destroied the child that was quicke within hir gross 5. Is not the state of Christian nations miserable and to be lamented out of whose blood and bowels so great heaps of monie are caried to Rome to be consumed foorthwith in dennes brothelhouses and gluttonie of the popes cardinals and such epicures Doth not the spectacle of the common people of France séeme lamentable and deadly séeing that in these times the persecutions of the reformed churches being so often restored and renewed we sée innumerable families cast out through hunger necessitie beg in the stréets being destroied and quite past hope of recouerie And to sée the wealthie fat epicures of Rome to be glutted with the blood of our citizens To sée the naturall countrimen of France that came of most ancient houses wander vp and down with their wiues and children in strange countries being driuen out of their own countrie and places where they were borne And to sée the Romish ruffians which are put into their place by Sixtus the fift to be intertained so courteously by those that are in authoritie O nation of France derided of all other nations that can so long beare that tyrannicall lordship of the papacie O Iesu Christ that wast crucified for vs and raised againe and art placed at the right hand of God the father what end dost thou shew vs or O thou great King what end dost thou giue vs of our labors And to the end the most famous Senators of the Parleament being lawiers may vnderstand that there were long ago of the same order learned men which haue openly detested that cruell and barbarous tyrannie I will héerafter cite some testimonies out of their bookes wherof that is the first out of D. Albericus * The presidēts l. bene a Zenone nu 18. c. de quad praescrip of the church of Rome saith he throgh their craftie suttel wisedō according to the varietie of times haue varied their
of Nauarre his kinsman and subiect For in the yéere M. DXI. at which time that war whereof we spake before waxed hot betwéen pope Iulius the second and Ludouike the 12. king of France who was called father of his countrie and that same furious tyrant went about to terrifie him with his vaine thunderbolts and had made his kingdome a praie and spoile to him that could get it Iohn great grandfateer to this our Henrie reigned in Nauarre He forasmuch as he both was in the realme of France and was neighbor to the French king and also by reason of the great fées he had in his realme was his client and vassall was requested by king Ludouike that he would aide him against his enimie according to the right of senioritie and ordinances of seruiceable clientships The king of Nauarre being not vnmindfull of his dutie toward the king hauing with all spéed mustered and gathered bands of footemen and horsemen in his kingdom he brought so great an armie into the borders of France that he left his realme in a maner naked and destitute of men Which thing being knowen pope Iulius determined foorthwith to deale by messengers with Ferdinando king of Spaine to whom he then first of all gaue the sirname of Catholike anno 1492. that with all spéede he should make readie an armie and should inuade the dominion of the king of Nauarre who was absent and he promiseth that for his part he would both proscribe Nauarre for an heretike and schismatike and would also giue him his kingdome for a reward Ferdinandus hauing gotten so fit an opportunitie to do an exploit determined not to be wanting to himselfe After the curse was pronounced and published against the king of Nauarre he assembled his forces and entering the borders of the king his neighbor being absent he tooke first the principall citie of the kingdome named Pompiopolis and then afterward the most part of the whole realm hauing as we said pope Iulius for his author a good one and without all doubt a fit one if in the rule of the law wherin it is written that He possesseth vniustly which possesseth hauing the pretor for his author it were written the pope for his author in stead of the pretor for his author Soone after the king of France being not ignorant that the senior ought to deliuer his vassall from the danger of that euent which thing euen Bellaius Langaeus somtimes a most excellent light of France doth plainely testifie in his first booke of commentaries sent his armie to recouer Pompiopolis ouer which he set as captaine Dunosius chiefe gouernor of Aquitania and duke of Longouilla But it séemeth more conuenient to defer vntil some other time what happened both at that time and many yéeres after and to set it downe in a booke written of those things For it is sufficient for vs to vnderstand at this time that the king of Nauarre great grandfather to him that now is was spoiled of his kingdome for none other cause saue onely bicause he aided as he ought the king of France his neighbor his senior being excommunicate by pope Iulius proscribed and pronounced to be an heretike and schismatike Whereof not onely the French historiographers are witnesses and amongst these Arnoldus Ferronus and Bertrandus Helias but also the Italians and Spaniards and chiefly Stephen Garibaius in his 29. book Francis Tarapha and Anthonie Nebrissensis in his booke concerning the war of Nauarre * In which places me thinks we 1. c. 1. 2. 3. should not omit the arrogancie of a Spanish peasant as we say commonly who railed vpon and slandered the most wise and moderate king of France that euer was and that in these words Ludouike saith he the French king a man most inconstant Ch. 2. after the maner of his nation being not content to kéepe himselfe within his owne little skin that is within the borders of his own kingdom set his mind toward Italie And shortly after Therefore pope Iulius the second being angrie tooke the sword out of Peters hands and drew it against the rebellious and stubborne he declareth them to be schismatiks and therefore heretiks he maketh their goodes common for the execution of which sentence he calleth vpon Christian princes chiefly vpon our prince Also chap. 3. Therefore the gouernor of the countrie of Spaine fearing the rage of the French men doth exhort Henrie king of the Britans to whom Aquitania did belong to require it againe by war and that he might haue iuster cause to aske it againe the apostolike authoritie commeth betweene whereby he depriueth the French king of Aquitania let the senators and kings counsellers in France marke and giueth it to the king of Britane to possesse and enioie And by and by in that place where he bringeth in the pope conferring with his cardinals The king of Spain saith he must be holpen We must draw out both our swords against the common enimies of all good men the kings of France and Nauarre and whiles that we whet the one that is the secular in the meane season let vs bend the other namely the spirituall against the necks of schismatiks Therfore by the common decree of the cardinals the king of Nauarre was declared to be a schismatike and therefore an heretike bicause being often admonished he was waxen stubborne and he did openly professe that he was French He was fined in his kingdome and all his goods not onely he but also his wife and his sonnes with all their posteritie and all his right of being king was translated vnto Spain The Spanish Nebrissensis saith thus in as manie words wherby we vnderstand by what right by what author and for what cause the king of Nauarre was robbed of his kingdome Indéed Guicciardin in his 11. booke of his Italian historie setteth downe his iudgement touching this matter in these words When the king of Spaine saith he could not affirme that he did lawfully possesse the kingdome of Nauarre for any other cause or by any other title he reasoned that he had possession by the right of the popes commandement and authoritie of the holie sea For the pope being not well content with things that fell out happily in Italie had a little before published a decree against the king of France wherin calling him no more most Christian but most noble he made him and all that tooke his part subiect to the penalties of heretiks and schismatiks and hauing granted power by right to take and enioy their goods kingdoms and all that they had he declared them to be condemned To the same effect also writeth Arnoldus Ferronus a most learned historiographer in matters of France and sometimes senator of the Parleament holden at Burdeaux in these words Ferdinandus saith he king of Spaine so soone as he vnderstood of the league made betweene the kings of France and Nauarre turned his forces prepared against the French king against the king of Nauarre and
and blood of Christ And in like number Ambrose in the booke of the sacraments acknowledgeth onely two baptisme and the Lords supper But the papacie addeth ouer and besides these fiue more Order Confirmation Vnction Trident. con sess 6. c. 14. sess 14. c. 1. seq Penance and Matrimonie The holie scripture teacheth vs that matrimonie is not onely comly and honorable for al men but also that it is in a maner necessarie to Heb. 13. 1. Cor. 7. auoid fornication * Therfore we read that Peter the apostle had a wife * where mention Mark 1. Matt. 8. is made of Peters wiues mother Moreouer Chrysostom * saith The Apostle Ad Tit. hom 1. stoppeth the mouth of heretiks which slander mariage shewing that it is not a detestable thing but so honorable that with it they may go vp into the holie throne euen of bishops To what end should I vse many words The pope himselfe saith * If any man shall teach In decret dist 28. a priest to despise his owne wife vnder colour of religion let him be accursed Also * Bicause it Dist. 31. is prouided that single life might not be fostered and that he should be sequestred from the communion of the faithful which doth separate himselfe from his wife bicause of ecclesiastical orders Also dist 3. c. si quis nuptias But the same pope doth in the Tridentine Councel so forbid his clerks and nunnes to marrie that he doth euen inforce them when they enter his holie orders to take an oth that they will liue in perpetual single life which Paul sheweth to be a sure 1. Tim. 4. Titus 3. marke of Antichrist The scripture teacheth that we must acknowledge that wée haue saluation and iustification by Iesus Christ from the alone mercie of God Ies 43. I I am he saith the Lord which blot out your iniquities Also Matt. 9. That you may know that the sonne of man hath power to forgiue sinnes vpon earth I say to the sicke of the palsie Arise take vp thy bed and go home But the pope saith thus in Bernardin Rosetus We can demerit eternall life with works Serm. 20. Therefore we ought to presume and hold for a certaintie that after this life we shall assuredly haue eternal life for the reward of good works Also in the Summarie de grat sanct Good works demerit three things namely eternall life increase of grace remission of punishment As if either the chastitie or holines of our flesh could be so great that we should not alwaies be accounted vnprofitable seruants or that we can do those works for our Lord and patron besides those that we of duty owe that we can merit any thing But let vs sée the rest The scripture teacheth that in the Lords supper as wel the bread as the wine must be giuen to those Mat. 26. Mark 14. 1. Cor. 11. that come thereto * But the pope will suffer the people to haue no more saue onely the bread and forbiddeth them the receiuing Concil Const. sess 13. of the cup and wine * Which inhibition we may so much the more wonder at De consecrat dist comperimus bicause the pope in his Decrées * hath left this in writing We find that certaine hauing taken onely a portion of the holie bodie do abstaine from the cup of the holie blood who vndoubtedly let them either receiue the whole sacraments or else let them be kept from the whole bicause there cannot be a diuision made of one and the same mysterie without great sacrilege The same scripture commandeth all to take eate and drinke But in poperie onely the priests take eate and drinke which notwithstanding is manifestly forbidden in the same decrée * in these words When De cons dist 2. c. peracta the consecration is ended let all communicate which will not want be put from the bounds of the Church for both the Apostles did thus decree and also the holie church of Rome holdeth this The same holie scripture doth appoint that in the Church and assemblie of the godly all things be vttered in the common language that the multitude may easily vnderstande what euery one saith and addeth a reason bicause if anie thing should be vttered in a strange and vnknowen toong the multitude could not giue their consent and answer Amen But in poperie not onely the priests but also the multitude and silly women which mumble vp certaine forms of praiers do say all in latin The scripture teacheth vs that Christ is the onely bishop and priest who did once sacrifice his bodie for mankind according to that * Christ was once 1. Tim. 2. offered that he might take away the sinnes of manie And We are sanctified by the offering vp of the bodie of Christ once made And againe Ephes 5. Heb. 9. 10. By one oblation hath he consecrated for euer those that are sanctified But the pope hath made infinite priests whom he hath commanded that so often as they say masse they should so often sacrifice the bodie of Christ both for the liuing and also for the dead Whervpon commeth that forme of Canon in the masse We pray that thou wilt accept and blesse these gifts these rewards these sacrifices which we offer vp to thee for thy Church Also vpon Easter day in the secrets of the masse Receiue the praiers of thy people with the oblations of the hosts Also out of the masse for the dead The sacrifices we offer vnto thee for the soules of thy seruants and handmaids Also O Lord we offer to thee sacrifices for the soule of thy seruant Also in the booke of the Conformities * As frier Fol. 65. Iohn was at masse and in the eleuation of the Lords bodie as he offered it for the soules of the dead to God the father he saw an infinite number of soules go out of purgatorie as a multitude of sparkles out of a firie fornace and fly to heauen for Christs merits who is daily offered in the most holy host for the quicke and the dead But let these things hitherto be spoken touching the corrupt polluted defiled and filthy religion of the popes only for examples sake For séeing this crime of the papacie hath in many and great books for the space of more than fiftie yéeres togither béen most plentifully declared and handled by the Diuines of Germanie Heluetia France and England and by others also it séemeth more commodious to come vnto the fourth crime of the papacie The crime of Sacrilege HItherto haue we spoken of the second crime of the papacie Hereafter order doth require that we intreate of sacrilege and of that wickednes which commonlie they all Simonie of Simon Magus For it is manifest that at Rome the pope kéepeth two simonie markes of those thinges which they call spirituall One is that wherein benefices are openly sold without any dissimulation and that is the most gainefull
at the least therefore the sum is an hundred and twentie thousand crownes 74. At the same time there were voide priorships deaneries prouostships masterships and other dignities which haue not the pastorall staffe for their insigne more than two hundred and for euerie one of these benefices there were paide downe fiue hundred crownes the summe therefore is an hundred thousand crownes 75. It is manifest that in this realme there be at least an hundred thousand parishes which are inhabited and replenished Neither is there any one wherein at that time some one did not obtaine an expectatiue grace and for euerie one of these they paied fiue and twentie crowns as well for the charges of the iournie as for the making of the buls non obstances prerogatiues annullations and other especiall clauses which were woont to be adioined to the graces expectatiues Also for the executorie processe vpon the same graces This summe is twentie times fiue hundred thousand crownes Thus saith the Senate of Paris Now let vs collect the totall summe of the summes We shall find that it amounteth to the summe of nine hundred six and fortie thousand six hundred thréescore and six crownes and moreouer to the eight part of one crowne which is the third part of that sum which the Senate of Paris sheweth to haue béen caried to Rome in that thrée yéeres space namely eight and twentie hundred and fortie thousand crowns or to speak plainly in our countrie spéech thrée millions of gold lacking an hundred thréescore thousand or as the Germans say almost eight and twentie tunnes of gold Moreouer we haue found out that the taxe of the vacations written in the bookes of the treasure-house of the cathedrall churches and abbaies of France being taxed onely doth euery sixt yéere amount to the summe of six hundred ninetie seuen thousand seuen hundred and fiftie French pounds besides the prelacies and other benefices that are not taxed the exactions whereof do almost arise to that summe And shal there be any in the kings Parleament of France that will confesse that he can with a quiet mind suffer this whirlepit or rather Scylla Charibdis or gulfe And will not rather so soone as he heareth this losse of so great summes detest and accurse that huge and cruell beast with all praiers And yet we will not cite this testimonie onely Lo we haue another out of the booke whose title is The Forest of common places which was published about the end of the Councell holden at Basill wherein is gathered into a grosse summe the summe of monie that during the time of pope Martin the fifts popedome was caried to Rome out of France alone which is saide to haue amounted to ninetie hundred thousande crownes And do we woonder that that same Senate of Paris did in the same requests artic 71. sore and bitterly complaine that so great a summe of gold and siluer was yéerely caried to Rome so that they were compelled somtimes for the vse of the common people of France to coine brasse monie for siluer monie But let vs heare the 62. article of the same requests Heertofore saith the Senate of Paris the people of this kingdome ran to Rome by heapes whereof some serued the cardinals and courtiers some being seruants to no man but being intised by some vaine hope did spend their owne and their parents substance other some and that a great manie went to Rome for this purpose that they might procure trouble to the rest that staied heere and that they might wring out of their hands by hooke or by crooke their churches and benefices For we find by experience that the greatest part of those which went hence to Rome was woont to die straightway either through wearisomnes and danger of the iournie or through the plague which is oftentimes very rife at Rome and those which escaped out of these dangers they procured trouble to old men sicke persons and to such like which were continually resident in their churches and benefices But it did oftentimes fall out that silly men being cited to the court of Rome when as they could not defend themselues against these false accusers were inforced to end their life through wearisomnes and sorrow 62. Most of those that did hunt after benefices did quite emptie their parents and friends bagges and at length they were brought to great pouertie and beggerie Neither did they indure so great iniuries vpon any other hope saue onely that they might somtimes bring home lead for gold and it fell out sometimes that the gaping crow was deceiued and that the lead that was bought with gold was nothing else but lead For whiles they trusted to their leaden buls there came in one between which brought at a sudden an annullation and sometimes there were ten or twelue that did gape and catch for one benefice And when the strife was once begun they must backe againe to Rome to follow the sute so that whiles all men ran to Rome from all quarters the realme was miserably destitute of hir people and subiects And this surely was the complaint of the Senate of Paris of the vnsatiable couetousnes and gréedie robberie of the popes aboue an hundred yéeres ago which was presented to king Ludouike and yet not sproong from the new and fresh robberies of the popes For there is extant a decrée of that Ludouike that was called Blessed anno 1228. which doth plainly shew how great the couetousnes of the popes was in France euen at that time The exactions Sub. tit de Talijs saith he and heauie burdens laid vpon the churches of our realme by the court of Rome whereby the realme is woonderfully impouerished or which shall heerafter be laid vpon vs will we haue to be leuied and gathered no farther foorth saue onely for reasonable godly and most vrgent necessitie and such as cannot be auoided and according to our expresse and free consent and of the church of our realme It séemeth good to me likewise to cite in this place that excellent conclusion of the Abbat of Vsperge out of the life of Philip the emperor wherby it may be vnderstood Pag. 321. how ancient this complaint was concerning the robberies of the papacie of Rome which Sixtus the fift hath determined to maintaine stoutly with all his tyrannie There scarce remained saith he any bishoprike or ecclesiasticall dignitie or parish church which was not in suite and the cause it selfe was brought to Rome but not with an empty hand Our mother Rome be glad bicause the sluces of the treasuries of the earth are set open that the streames and heapes of monie may flow vnto thee in great abundance Reioice ouer the iniquities of the sonnes of men bicause thou hast a reward giuen thee in recompence of so great euils Be glad ouer thine helper discord bicause she is broken out of the pit of hell that thou maist haue many rewards of monie heaped vpon thee Thou hast that after which
the pope a little vpon their shoulders Also * The chiefe man Sect. 12. ca. 5. of the citie into which the pope shall enter though he were a king shall leade the popes horse by the bridle or if the pope be caried in a chaire or litter he beareth the litter togither with his nobles a little way and then when the pope commandeth him he taketh horse and rideth in his order * But if it so please the pope d. lib. 1 tit 2. that he will not be caried on a horse but in a litter then the emperour or king if any be there must beare the litter vpon his owne shoulders Tit. 2. The emperour must powre water vpon the popes handes at a feast At the popes banquet the emperour or king of the Romanes must beare the first dish in the same 2. Tit. The emperour is bound to sweare to be true and obedient to the pope the forme of which in c. 1. de iureiur c. tibi domino dist 63. oth is extant * Is not the intollerable boldnes of the popes sufficiently conuict by these testimonies Surely it séemeth so specially with those iudges and senatours of the parleament in whom remaineth any feare of conscience and of God especially séeing that euen the canonist doctors do cōfesse the same For cardinal Zabarella who wrote a treatise cōcerning schism about the yéere of Christ 1406. writeth thus in that treatise We must consider vpon doing honor and homage to the pope least men passe measure therein so that they may seeme not so much to honor the pope as God For he must so be honored that he be not worshipped which S. Peter did not suffer to be done to him of whom we read in the Acts. 10. that Cornelius fell downe at his feet and worshipped him but Peter tooke him vp saieng Arise I my selfe am a man like to thee Thus wrote Zarabella wherto agréeth that of Iohn Faber * The pope saith he in words in praefat instit calleth himselfe a seruant of seruants but indeed he suffereth himselfe to be worshipped which the angell in the Reuelation did refuse Thus writeth Faber But the popes fet this title and authoritie of so great pride from the benefite of Constantine the great whose instrument is extant first in Latine * and secondly in in dist 96. c. Const. Gréek in Augustine Steuchus the master of the popes librarie in the booke of the Donation of Constantine imprinted at Lyons anno 1547. as followeth that the empire of the west that is of Italie Sicilia Sardinia France Spaine England Germanie be in the pope of Rome his power and that he haue the name like attire like and also greater dignitie maiestie empire and power as Constantine had that he haue also the like troupe of horsemen to wait vpon him so that when he rideth on horse-backe the emperor do for a time go by him as his footeman and wait vpon him some space holding his horse by the bridle Concerning which matter the same Steuchus in his second booke and thréescore and sixt chapter writeth thus * Also that part of the edict wherin Pag. 134. the mightie emperor saith that he held the bridle of S. Syluesters horse being pope of Rome and that he led his horse wherin is knowne the kissing of the feet is prooued to be true bicause the emperors that were successors did the like not long after For as the pope of Rome entred into Constantinople Iustinian hauing his crown on his head did prostrate himselfe and kissed the popes feet Also when pope Stephen went to Pipinus the French king the same king hearing of his comming went with al haste to meet him togither with his wife and children and nobles and he sent his sonne Charles almost an hundred miles to meet him togither with some of his nobles Also he himselfe in his pallace that is called Ponticone almost three miles off alighting of his horse with great humilitie lieng prostrate vpon the ground togither with his wife children and nobles receiued the same pope on whom he waited still as an vsher vnto a little place besides his sell and brought him with glorie to the pallace These things haue I cited word for word out of Iuo Carnotensis he as I thinke out of Anastasius the keeper of the librarie Thus writeth Steuchus the like whereof Platina reporteth of Pipinus and Charles in the life of Stephen the second Now let vs confer with these flattering and glosing words of the pope of Rome the modestie and commandements of Christ whose successor and vicar the pope affirmeth he is You know saith he that the princes of the nations beare rule ouer them and that those that are great do exercise authoritie ouer them But it shall not be so among you but whosoeuer will be great among you let him be your seruant and whosoeuer will be chiefe among you let him be your minister as the sonne of man came not that he might be ministred vnto but that he might minister * I am in the middest of you as he Matt. 20. that ministreth * Therefore so often as he gaue any commandement or committed Luk. 22. busines to his Apostles he did in no place prefer one before another but he made like account of all as being fellowes in office and fellowes in one busines As when he commanded them to go into the world and to preach the Gospell and to confirme that preaching by miracles * Or Mat. 10. 7. 8. Luk. 10. 9. when he forewarneth them that it will come to passe that they shall iudge the twelue tribes of Israell he saith not that some one of them shall sit in the tribunall seat and the rest in lower places * as the Mat. 19. 30. false Constantine writeth I grant to the pope of the church of Rome that the priests haue him to be their head in like sort as iudges haue the king for their head * When the holie Ghost was sent C. Const 96. dist downe vpon the Apostles as they were togither when power to bind and loose was granted to them when they were sent to preach the Gospell to which of them I pray you is any prerogatiue of right or Iohn 20. Mat. 28. Acts. 1. priuilege granted * And surely these are great examples of the popes insolencie pride and hautines but that is somwhat more and more woonderfull which manie historiographers haue recorded touching the emperor Friderike Ahenobarbus and amongst these Helmodus in the eight chapter of Scl. Chronic. 1. Naucler generat 39. Barnus of the life of popes When he and pope Adrian were agréed togither that he should giue to the pope as great reuerence as he could as to S. Peters successor finally that when he did alight he should hold his stirrop it is said that the emperor stood on his right side and touched the right stirrop Wherat the pope was displeased and reprooued the emperor but he
a band-dog or Cerberus than this But as I haue alreadie said this boldnes of the pope against the king of Nauarr is not greatly to be woondered at séeing such was his vnbridled furie against the most mightie king of France Wherefore let vs heare rather other testimonies of like and the same pride for it is not for man to contend with satan in railing spéeches and it shall be sufficient to vse that curse of Michael the archangell The Lord Jude 1. 9. rebuke thee Therefore to returne to our purpose we must not passe ouer that testimonie of the same popish seruice which is reported touching the same Boniface who in the yéere 1300. when there was great concourse of people at Rome by reason of the Iubilie in the first solemne day the pope shewed himselfe to the people in his Pontificalibus the day following hauing on the attire of the emperor he commanded a naked sword to be borne before him crieng with a lowd voice I am the pope and emperor and I beare rule in earth and heauen And a few daies after hée proudly reiected Albertus created emperor by the electors of Germanie when he came to craue his confirmation denieng that the election had without his authoritie ought to be counted firme séeing he alone had the authoritie of both swords After some good space he confirmed him vpon condition that with al expedition he shuld make war against the French king whose kingdome he gaue him for a pray and reward of his victorie Which things are witnessed by Cuspianus in the life of Albertus in the chronicle of Vsperge and by the writers of the French chronicles But to what end do we prosecute these light and trifling things We haue before declared that the pope of Rome doth claime by the donation of Constantine the empire of al the west parts These be but bare words Wherefore let vs looke into the thing it selfe For we denie that there is any king in the west I meane of France Spaine Aragon Portugal Hungarie Bohemia England Scotland Denmarke Sueueland Ruscia Croatia Dalmatia whom the papacie of Rome will not haue to be vassall and feudatarie to it as if he had receiued his kingdome from him as a fée and benefit and ought for that cause to ow allegeance and to do homage to him It is much that we say and almost incredible to be spoken but the truth shall appéere by instruments that we wil bring to light and by testimonies that we will vse For we wil touch euery realme according to the order of the letters Of that of England AVgustine Steuchus the maister of the popes librarie doth witnes in his book of the donation of Constantine that in 2. pag. 138. that librarie of the popes there is extant a register of pope Alexander the 3. wherein is found an epistle to William king of England For as we vnderstand by that booke of Steuchus the maister of the librarie all the actes of euerie pope are written in seuerall registers to the which what credit we ought to giue the verie rule of the law doth show wherein it is said that a priuate writing must be beléeued but onely against the writer himselfe Therfore this was Alexander his epistle Your wisedome knoweth that the kingdome of Englande sithence the time that the name of Christ was there glorified hath bin vnder the hand and tuition of the chiefe of the Apostles For as you know full well the Englishmen were faithfull and in respect of godly deuotion and knowledge of religion they gaue a yeerely pension to the apostolike sea wherof some part was giuen to the bishop of Rome some part to the church of S. Marie which is called the schoole of the Englishmen to the vse of the brethren These things are cited out of Steuchus But I finde these testimonies in other places besides Steuchus Flauius Blondus in his 6. booke Decad. 2. Then saith he Iohn king of England fearing that he was not of sufficient force to deale with the French king fled to the mercy of Innocentius the third pope of Rome for making England and Ireland feudataries to the church of Rome by league he promised to pay for either Iland an hundred markes in gold yeerely Antonie of Florence saith * Iohn king of England of his own accord Hist. part 3. tit 19. §. quinto anno 1223. by the counsell of his princes offered and did freely grant to God and his most holie Apostles Peter Paul and to the holie church of Rome and to the lord Innocentius the third being pope all the kingdome of England and also of Ireland with all their rights and appurtenances and he hath done and sworne homage for the same kingdomes to the saide Innocentius the pope that he should hold them hereafter as a feudatarie of the said pope and his successours Whereof also Polidore Virgill maketh mention in his 15. booke By this instrument of the pope if as I said we may giue credence to a priuate writing the realme of England is feudatarie to the pope Go to let vs sée the rest Of the kingdome of Arragonia STeuchus in the selfe same booke * saith Pag. 193. Peter king of Arragonia in the third yeer of the L. Innocentius the third being pope came to Rome to the same Innocentius and he receiued from him solemnely an honorable knighthood and he offered willinglie to S. Peter and to the holie church of Rome his whole kingdome and there he had for his fee the same kingdome Also he appointed to pay a certaine summe of money for the kingdome of Sardinia Of the kingdome of Croatia and Dalmatia STeuchus in the same booke * in the register of Gregorie the seauenth we reade thus In the name of the lord of the holie Pag. 191. and indiuisible Trinitie in the yeere of the Lords incarnation one thousand seuenty sixe in the 14. indiction of the moneth of October I Demetrius which am also called Suinumir by the grace of God duke of Croatia and Dalmatia being made and constituted by thee L. Gebizus hauing the power of Pope Gregorie by the ambassage of the apostolike sea by the synodall and generall election of the whole cleargie and people in the Solantine church of S. Peter and being inuested and appointed king in the gouernment of the kingdome of the Croatians and Dalmatians by the banner sword scepter and crowne to thee I vowe and promise that I will vnchangeably fulfill all things which thy reuerend holines shall inioine me that I may keepe mine oth to the Apostolike sea in all things and that I may keepe irreuocably whatsoeuer as well the sea apostlike as the legates thereof haue or shall establish in this realme that I may execute iustice and defend the church also I appoint to pay to S. Peter yeerely in the resurrection of the Lord the tribute of two hundred Bizanties of al my consulships and primacies for the kingdome granted to me Furthermore seeing to