heathens by naturall reason by exaÌ„ples and by holye scripture fyrste howe to deteste Hipocrisie And before wee begin let vs not studie how to please the vayne waueringe mindes of men we muste loke certayne wee shute at a marke the hyttinge whereof if we sayle it is deathe knowe wee not what saincte Paule saythe An quaero hominibus placere si hominibus placereÌ„ seruus Christi non essem That is Go I aboute to please men if I wolde please men I shoulde not be the seruaunt of Christe I am playne it is not possible to serue two masters and that truelye it is not possible to serue bothe God and the Pope it is not possible to obeye the Pope and thy Prince For what felloweship hathe Christ with Belial or what agremente is betwixte lyghte and darkenes or what parte hathe a Faythefull with an infidell well the Noble Romayne Marcus Tullius Cicero whom for learning I caÌ„ not to much comeÌ„de nor for witte ynough prayse neyther yet for Eloquence sufficieÌ„tlye extolle hee in his fyrste booke of dueties of an Hypocrite sayth thus of all iniustice theyres is most worthie of death who wheÌ„ they deceaue most then speciallye wold they seme to be good men Here let vs remembre the shiepes cloathinge that is the seming to be good and then we shall beware the rauening wolfs we shall espie theyr dissembling we shal aduoyd al their subtill jugling but to speke of no heathen what hath 〈◊〉 Hierome of suche euon these woordes An Hipocrite is inwardely Nero but outwardly he is Cato hee is altogether so variable that you might well say how that one monster a newe beast is coÌ„pacted of contrarie diuersse natures S. Hierome will anone in playne woords declare that the prelacie of Rome the Moonkes Priestes Fryars are they Come we to naturall reason doeth not dame nature her selfe preferre the inwarde partes before the outwarde is not this manifest by the fourming of mans body where nature fyrst worketh about the harte the lyueâ— the lunges before she deale with the outewarde forme or other parts I wil omitte to speke of trees where nature first hath regard vnto the rootes then after vnto the partes apparaunte as the bodye the bowes the leafes and fruit what doth an hipocrite â—a what dothe a Papiste hee againste all nature onlye outwardly to seme good sheweth all his indeuor omittinge the inward partes and neglectinge the chiefe duetie of man. This is he which canne behaue him self humblye and canne dowke with his heade yet is hee but a deceauer within Nowe that we maye touche examples an hypocrite is coÌ„pared vnto a Peacoke which hathe winges as if it were of an Angell but the feete of a thiefe and the heade of a Serpent euen so it is of a Papiste his woordes be pleasaunte his workes are detestable and his heade is full of Poyson and sutteltie to lette passe that hee is compared vnto an Ostriche vnto an ape and suche lyke let vs heare what Sainte Bernarde sayth of them Hypocrites saithe hee are biters as doagges deceaptefull as foxes proude as Lyones inwardely they are raueninge wolffes howling as beares they wil be judges without autoritie witnesses without sight false accusers wantinge all trouth And what gather wee of this euon as Hierome saythe That they doe all thinges to be praysed of men We gather that they be lyke vnto the elder tree which hauinge a faire pleasaunt flowre yet bearth a contageous and a most noysome fruite open your eares therefore o ye Hypocrites and heare open your eyes o you papistes and se be not you them of whom it is written Ye haue eyes but you se not eares haue ye but you here not It proffiteth nothing sayth LactaÌ„tius To haue your conscience secrete hydde within it is opeÌ„ vnto God let no place bee leaft vnto lyenge disseÌ„bling for though that with wales things may be moued froÌ„ mannes sighte yet from the deitie of God you can hide nothinge no not with your intraylles but that he seeth and knoweth man throughely What dothe an Hypocrite I praye you seeke what doethe a Papiste hannt for in all his doynges Reuerentiam honoris gloriam laudis a melioribus metui sanctus ab omnibus voeari That is The reuereÌ„ce of honour the glorie of praise to bee feared of their betters to be called holie of all men Shall I rehearse anye scripture againste an Hypocrite or is it not ynoughe onelye to cousyder the twentie and third chapiter of the Gospell after Saincte Matthewe wherin o howe ofte doth oure sauiour Christ repreheÌ„de the hypocrites pro nuÌ„ceth he not woe there in one place eyghte tymes againste them O ye serpentes saithe hee Ye generation of vipers howe will ye escape the dampnacion of hell To speake at once of hypocrites of papists or of both Suche as men thinke to be perfecte among these are but cast awayes Yt remaynethe therefore that we shewe playnelye and that we declare briefely who they are and in shewinge this theyr owne autoures theyr own freinds and the writinges of men auncient and learned shall describe them to beginne a Doctour of theyr own diuinite sayth thus Fyrste the pastoures of the Churche the Cardinalles Archebusshoppes Busshoppes Abbates Deanes Archedeacons suche whiche are promoted to highe dignitie they haue blacke spottes of Hypocrisie as the spottes of a Lybarde These are they whiche come not lawefullye but by yuell meanes vnto the prelacie they are for the moste parte puffed vp withe the winde of the vayne prayse of men and therefore by theyr outewarde signes and dede they seme to haue more in them then in dede theyr is for aboue theyr abilitie they mayntayne greate estates and pompeous furnitures horsses seruantes in abundaÌ„ce They haue also their custrells or pages decked all in silke with crisped or curled heares hauinge Eunuches faces agaynste the intention of the Churche and contrarye vnto the manners and examples of the Hollye Fathers and so they spende the goodes of oure Lorde Jesus Christe where wythe the poore sholde haue bene refresshed vaynelye and vnproffitablye in vayne ornamentes in muche superfluitie and curiositie but Christ his poore meÌ„bres craued for bread and there was none that woulde gyue it them So well dyd Viualdus knowe them hee was of theyr profession of theyr councell of theyr Companye hee sawe theyr workes hee was acquaynted wythe theyr woordes hee wrote thus of them more then thre score yeares agonne and yt is Andreas de Soncino at that tyme a Fryare that commended hys Booke it was the Pope and all hys Prelacie that accepted it there was then nonne that coulde denye it But deale wee wythe others and lett vs heare what Saincte Hierome sayth lette vs heare howe hee reprehendeth them VVhat proffite is it saythe hee to haue the waules to shyne wyth Jeweles and Christe in the poore to starue for hungre the things
of woordes to expounde the same ¶ Of his Miracles The people are most deceaued with fayned miracles wrought eyther by the priestes or els by theyr adherentes for lukers sake In the sacrament it self there appearethe fleass he somtymes by the deuise of men sometymes by the workinge of the Dyuill My god hath made me ware of these huck sters of miracles for hee saythe falsse prophetes shall ryse vp in the latter daies workinge signes and wonders to deceaue the electe of God if it were possible They haue deceaued my people with theyr lies with their miracle ¶ Of him selfe Who so euer is exalted aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God shewinge hym selfe that hee is God suche is the manne of sinne and the sonne of perdicion The Bushop of Rome is exalted aboue all that is called God is worshipped so that he as God sittethe in the temple of God shewing him selfe that he is God Therfore the Busshop of Rome is the man of sinne the sonne of perdicioÌ„ for proofe of the lesse proposicoÌ„ beholde with indiffereÌ„cie what how blasphemousely the papists haue writteÌ„ of their pope Our lord god the pope To thee is gyuen all maner of power aboue all powers aswell of heauen as of earthe The pope is all and aboue all The pope can doe asmuch as Christ caÌ„ doe The pope is the lighte that came into the worlde The pope is more then a god Of him writethe Irenaeus in this wise Notwithestandinge that Antichrist be but a slaue yet will he be worshipped as if he were a God. That Beast which is spokeÌ„ of in the boke of ReuelacioÌ„s vnto which beast is geueÌ„ a mouth to speke blasphemies and to kepe warre agaynste the Sainctes of God hee is nowe gotten into Peters chayre as a Lyon prepared vnto his praye ¶ Of his ende Then shall Babilon whiche is Rome fall when she shall last of all take power to persecute the sainctes of God. Whom our lord Jesus shall slaie with the breathe of his mouthe and shall destroye with the brightnesse of his comming When thou seest that dark iniquitie hath taken holde vpon the priestes beinge placed in the highe toppe of spirituall dignities how maie it be doubted but that the ende of the world is at hande Iesus himself with his presence shall ende that last persecutioÌ„ which shal be wrought by Antichriste Apoc. 8. Greate Babilon is fallen her plagues shall come in one day deathe and sorrowe and hunger and shee shall be brent with fyre A prophesye of Rome Longe totring Rome at length shall waste in errours longe beinge thrall Shee shall consume and ceasse to be the head and chiefe of all Here we see by the auctoritie of Petrarcha that Rome is the whore of Babilon whervnto S. Augustine also doth agree wee see that Antichriste for so writeth Joachimus hath alreadie his beginning in Rome we see by the wordes of S. Hierome that it is the purple harlatte Nexte vnto this Albertus witnesseth that in his time the prestes were thieues and murtherers yea the messengers of Antichrist neither dissenteth Cornelius Bitontinus therefro Antoninus also anoucheth the same For his seate therefore what aunswere can they haue that it is not Rome what haue they to saye and to excuse their priestes what excuse can they bringe that they be not the ministers of Antichriste by what meanes can they proue touchinge his miracles Vim habebit in imperio dolum in miraculis He shall haue saith S. Augustine rage in his raigne deceapte in his miracles Whether hee hathe vsed deceipte in hys miracles or not let the woordes of Lyra declare and to joine with Lyra more witnesses reade againe what Alexander of Hales hath writen and reade further what S. Augustine hathe set forthe Concerninge Antichriste himselfe that the Pope is hee S. Paule doth manyfestlye declare weyghe the argumente consyder their blasphemyes peruse againâ— the wordes of Irenaeus ponder what Bernharde dothe saye and here I mighte haue cause to remember the of a boke most vehementlye wryten by doctour Steuen Bardiner againste the Busshop of Rome vnto which booke doctour Boner who nowe oâ— late dyed hathe made a preface wherein hee calleth the Busshop of Rome an vsuper a wicked man an Antichrist Last of all and of the fall of that beast Prymacius doth wryte very well S. Paule hath wrytten best of all Chrisostome wryteth not amysse sainct Augustyne dyd wryte ryghte trewe Therefore vnto vs that beleeue these testimonyes God hathe sâ—…e hys Gospell to oure comforte hys trueth to oure edefyenge hys woorde to be a lighte vnto our wordes to bee a pathe vnto oure woorkes but of the contrarye parte of them which haue eyes yet will not see wee may saye as it is sayde Mittet illis deus operationâ—m erroris vt credant mendacio God shall sende vnto them the operacioÌ„ of errours that they may beleue lyeng Yea and as it is further said seducentur eis signis prodigijs qui seduci merebantur pro eo quod dilectionem veritatis non receperunt vt salui fierent They shall bee sednced with those signes wonders who deserued to be beguiled because they haue not receaued the truth that thereby they mighte be saued what deceapt was it to haue fleshe to appeare in the sacramente what follye was it for men to be seduced thereby these thinges and the lyke dyd the Priestes by moste wicked meanes bring to passe the priestes I saye of whom S. Hierome wryteth in thys wise Per dulces sermones benedictiones decipiunt corda innocentiuÌ„ qui inique agunt benedicuntur ab eis adulanturque peccatoribus duÌ„modo diuites sint By flatteringe speach and vaine blessinges they deceaue the hartes of the innocentes who doe yuell those they blesse and they flatter synners to the intente they maie bee riche If wee examyne the estate of the Scribes pharises wee shall finde no greater abuses in them then in these if wee consyder the Priestes of Isis and Serapis wee shall fynde these and they in all thinges to agree for the priestes of Isis dyd shaue theyr headdes and so dyd these the Priestes of Serapis dyd shaue them selues and what dyd these thys they dyd agaynste the expresse commaundement which is caput autem suum non radent But their heade shall they not shaue wee see and therefore what neede wee to reade anye further the abuses that hathe beâ—e and wee see that thys is the tyme whereof Chrisostome spake thus ad nullam rem fugient nisi ad scripturas alioqui incident in abominationem desolationis Then will they flyed to nothinge but vnto the scriptures otherwise they shall fall into the abomination of desolation that is as he sayth Into heresye neyther can I forgette the woordes of Gregorie who making mencion
theyr parliameÌ„t wheÌ„ tales went for â—rothe when fables were credited when follie preuayled But because wee speake of birdes let vs goe further and let vs se what is written more of them And then we shall haue these woordes Jacent in loco S. Mariae fratres qui audierunt viderunt aues alaudas congregatas cantaÌ„tes super tectum ecclesiae S. Mariae in obitu beati francisci There lay brethren in a place of S. Maries who hearde and sawe larkes gathered together singing vpon the toppe of S. Maries churche at the deathe of S. Fraunces And is it so straunge a thinge to heare a Larke synge these men woulde make a miracle faine if they coulde neither care they of what For what saye we of doating Drodro of whom they write in this wise Brother Drodro was so holie that one Angell serued him at Masse and an other Angell prepared him hoarsses to trauaile with Withe suche lyes the people were fedde with suche vaine tales were Christians at that time taught to set forthe their moaming masse suche dreames were inuented So that with Irenaeus we may well saie Hi anicularum fabulas assumentes post deindè et sermones dictiones parabolas huic indè afferentes vt aptare volunt fabulis suis eloquia Dei These men doe take in hand olde wiues tales and then euen thence they heape together talkes words parabales to the intente in dede that they may bring goddes worde to agree with their fables These are the woordes of Irenaeus sometime Bushop of Lions in Fraunce who liued in the yeare of our Lorde God one hundreth thre score and syxetene but shall we go further and shall wee see howe sainct Fraunces hys order is proued to proue the same they haue these woordes Nullus dZ debit ambigere de ordine F. Minorum patz patet ex visionibus inter quas est etiam haec Quidam vidit B. Franciscum cum vexillo crucis euntem per coeluÌ„ et infinitam multitudinem fratrum suorum ad christum Nonne oughte to doubt of the order of saincte Frauncis as appeareth by visions whereof this is one a certayne manne sawe sainct Frauncis with the signe of the Crosse goinge throughe heauen with a greate multitude of his brethren vnto Chryste O Chryste what a fondenesse is thys where was thys man when hee sawe Sayncte Frauncysse in Heauen What manne was thys hys name is not in the booke of lyfe and shall wee credyte a certayne manne to vse no more woordes what maddenesse is thys and what was the rule of Sayncte Frauncysse hys rule was as hee hymselfe saythe Liber vitae spes salutis medulla Euangelij clauis paradisi status perfectionis pactum aeterni foederis This booke of life the hope of saluation the marrawe of the Gospell the kaye of paradise the state of perfection the decree of the euerlastinge couenaunte What blasphemies be these howe intollerable are they who yf hee fauoure the Gospell yf hee beleue in Christe canne abyde them yt is in vaine to trouble the reader with any more of their vanities therefore to omitte a greate number of other blasphemyes to let passe theyr sundry dreames not to speake of the greate absurdities contayned within that booke let vs ende with these woordes of the same Franciscus surgens de oratione venit ad fratres turbatissimus dicens Ego vellem quod istum habitum non inuenissem dominus enim mihi reuelauit quod de ordine meo exibit Antichristus secta eius That is Frauncis risinge from prayer came vnto his brethren greatlye troubled sayinge I would that I had not inuented this habite for God hathe reuealed vnto mee that out of my order Antichriste and his secte shall come Nowe you heare what master FrauÌ„cys saythe of his owne flocke howe that of his rule Antichriste and his secte shal come howe canne yt then bee The booke of lyfe the hope of saluacion c. It was not without good cause that Bernhard spekinge of the miseries of mankinde deuided the same into three which he setteth furth in this wyse Faciles sumus ad seducenduÌ„ debiles ad operanduÌ„ fragiles ad resistendum Wee are esie to be seduced weake to worke frayle to resiste And be we not easye to be seduced when the verye wysest dyd beleue such dreames when the truethe it selfe was not regarded and when these vntrothes were estemed then were men foolishe but nowe are childreÌ„ wyse then the learned were blinde but nowe the vnlearned do see therfore in that wee doe se let vs thanke god hythervnto wee haue spokeÌ„ of the Ignorance of the adulterie of the heresye of the prelacie of Rome wee haue sene the follye wher in they are drowned touching Frauncys and others wherfore let vs go further and to beginne heare wee what Bernharde saythe hys woordes are these The offices them selues of ecclesiasticall dignitie are tourned into filthie gayne and into the affayres of Darkenes neyther is soughte in these the safetye of soules but the riotousenes of riches For these thinges the Priests resoarte vnto the churchs they say masses the singe psalmes Yea they stryue impudentlye about Busshoprikes and Archedeaneries wastinge the reuenues of the Church in superfluitie vanitie Such was theyr abuses for foure huÌ„dreth yeres a gone Afterwardes into what follye they fell it is apparante by hystories whiche that I maye speke somwhat of Antichrist I may omitte of Antichriste Hilarius sayth thus Nominis Antichristi proprietas est Christo esse contrariuÌ„ The propertie of the name of Antichriste is to be contrarie vnto Christe Well to the intente that euerye indifference reader maye beware of Antichriste who endeuoreth to diminishe the glorie of God to suppresse the Gospell and to banishe away all Godlinesse pietie I will fyrste speke of Antichristes seate then of his seruauntes of hys miracles of him selfe and so of his ende ¶ Of his Seate ¶ Rome the whore of Babilon the mother of ydolatrie fornicatioÌ„ the sanctuarie of heresye and the schoole of errour ¶ Rome is as the secound Babylon ¶ Antichrist hath already his beginning at Rome and shall aduance him self hygher in the Apostolique See. ¶ Accordinge vnto the reuelacioÌ„ of s. Ihon ther is writen in the forehed of the purple harlatte a name of blasphemy that is of Rome aeternal ¶ Of his seruantes Spekinge of the Priestes whiche were for thre hundreth yeres agone he sayth thus For the most part they be thieues murthers rather katchers then feeders rather killers theÌ„ kepers rather deceauers theÌ„ doctors they be the messengers of Antichrist and the subuerters of Christ his sheepe Wold god they were not gonne whollye with generall consente from religion to superstition from faythe to infidelitie froÌ„ Christ to Antichrist froÌ„ god to an Epicure His Doctors shall fall froÌ„ the vnderstandinge of scriptures geuinge theÌ„ selues deceptefullye with great eloquence and subteltie