Leafe Side Line Faultes Correction 20 1 4 practise prayse ibideÌ„  6 honor humour 22 2 14 friers frieries 26 1 32 Porzolo Pozzolo 28 1 21 22 Putanies Putaines 30 1 16 then that 36 1 16 is doth 39 1 17 none woune 41 2 7 his this ibideÌ„ 1 26 was without was not w tout 46 2 16 didst take didst not take 47 1 7 his the 51 1 14 Hostiences Hostiensis ibideÌ„  19 Cardinall carnall 54 1 4 faction function 56 2 19 breaching bréeching 58 1 23 Sandanapalus Sardanapalus 62 1 20 he in here in 67 1 5 Bosarie Rosarie 71 1 22 vessels Uassalles 87 2 5 word world 89 2 23 beggers beggeries ibideÌ„  29 all a 92 1 28 which with ibideÌ„   ruinesse reuenewes 97 1 32 Swythians Scythians 111 1 21 heade hearde 112 1 31 Whether the Whether if the ibideÌ„ 2 9 dust they dust if they Pasquine in a Traunce Marforius GOD saue you Mayster Pasquine my most pleasant companion Pasquine What Marforius and wherabout goe you Marforius Thou diddest so much delite me the last yeare with thy coÌ„munication that I am now come purposely to tarye with thée â— while that thou mayst once again tell me of thy vision wherof this other yere thou toldest me which pleased me so much as it would not grieue me to heare it a thousand tymes much lesse twise Pasquine And I wil tel thée it againe with good will adding therevnto other things which then I had no time nor remembred me to tel thée aske on hardly and I will fully satisfie thée Marforius Tell me firste of all howe it is possible that thou that arte of stone shouldest get vppe into heauen Pasquine Is it not a greater maruell that some of these lubberlye greasie Fryers Parsons Bishoppes Abbots and other foule gorbellied fathers shoulde get vp thither which are so heauye that Elephantes are scarce able to carye them Marforius What these are men but much more do I maruell when I thinke what the Goddes should haue to do with stones Pasquine And I pray thée what haue the Gods to do with Lions Bulles and Beares which are perillous Beasts Yea and flying foules too and yet for all that in our dayes are they caried aboute in coÌ„panie of the Gods Marforius What we talke of the Goddes of the Christians let vs nowe leaue Lucians fables Pasquine I am content that thou speake of the Gods of the Christians doest thou not sée that they are for the most part made of stone Marforius I take theÌ„ for no Gods Pasquine I know not how y u takest them but wel I wote that the coÌ„mon people now a dayes taketh theÌ„ so Marforius And who I pray thée is so folish as to worship Gods of stone Pasquine I can not tel thée whether this be folishenesse or no but as farre as I fée this is of all men accoumpted godlinesse and if we loke well we shall finde by their garmentes and furniture that they are worshipped and this folly hath bene alwayes in mens mindes as we sée that among those of olde time was the God Terminus of whom a man may reade so many foolishe tales that it woulde make him weary Marforius By my truth thou sayst truly I wel remeÌ„ber that I haue read of that God Terminus in what estimation the people of those dayes had him and yet for all that me thinkes that men of oure time should not worship these stones as they did Pasquine Yea but let vs a while leaue this a part and stand thou stil and heare me Marforius I heare thée wel say on Pasquine Thou knowest Marforius y â— sith I was first acquainted with the world I haue alwayes sought with my whole study to bring men from euil to well doing and moste chieflye Princes and greate men who haue now a dayes their eares so full of flatterers talke and of those flies that Diogenes speaketh of that no voyce except it be of stone can any more enter into them For which cause so often and so loude haue I cryed that I haue enforced my selfe to enter into their eares Marforius But what a presumption is this of thée that will doe this without the Popes licence Pasquine God defende that I should be presumptuous but thou knowest that it hath bene alwayes necessarie to say and set forth the truth the which sithe it lieth as buried and that there is none to declare it it followeth of necessitie by the saying of the gospel that we stones must cry out Marforius I knewe not that till now But I will therfore from henceforth so worke that I will be no longer dumbe But follow thou thy talke Pasquine And so seing that I cast awaye and in maner lost all my labour I began somewhat to doubt in what sort the thinges of the world were gouerned and I doubted of the prouidence of God of his iustice seing the affliction of the iust and the prosperitie of the wicked and within my selfe I sayde what may he be that hath the gouernance of thinges amonges men and I thought it shoulde be some other thing farre different from that which gouerneth the thinges of nature Marforius This is euen the right way to become an Epicure But what diddest thou doubt whether there were one onelye that gouerneth al Pasquine Yea that I doubted Marforius And how came that doubt in thy braine Pasquine I saw that God in nature is a thing moste orderlye beyonde all maruell I sawe all thinges in their times conceyue bring forth flourishe and giue fruite rendering as it were last of al thankes to nature after this sort and afterward againe to corrupt and returne to their mother and firste originall I sawe the Heauen and the Starres not a whitte to chaunge from their wonted course neither rather or later to rise or go downe I saw the earth the sea and the other Elementes to be verye well deuided and their chaunges from one to another for the generation and corruption of things to be exâ—eadinglye well ordered and if I did but beholde the workmanship of man yea or of a flie or of an Empt I was astonished at y â— proporcionate comelye wonderfull vnspeakeable cunning of the Creator moste of all seing all thinges done with so greate reason that nothing in the composition of the nature of things could either be put to or taken away without marring the whole worke so that being drowned in the consideration hereof I cried Great art thou Lorde and maruellous vvorthy to be praysed there is no ende of thy greatnesse Afterward if I considered the life of men and their companie keping their states and conditions so without order and often tymes euillye disposed I coulde not but nedes beleue that some blinde Diuell had had the gouernaunce hereof and that did Christ cause me so to thinke who
deuised in Scotland And it is yet to be sene in certaine old paintings that the Angels plounge the soules into this fire as it were into a baine and theÌ„ forthwith hoyst them vp alofte and many are séene with their armes stretched out with their beardes with the haires of their heade safe and sounde and their whole body cleane whiche betokeneth that that fire doth not burne But this so terrible a fire that made the whole worlde for feare to quake while it was thus kindled by good chaunce is nows quenched Marforius Would God it were so But how knowest thou it Pasquine As I came from Geneua vpon the way I found an Inkeper that tolde it me Marforius What did he tell thée Pasquine Doest thou not remember that yere in which the Secretaries of the newes sayd that there woulde come so many raynes flouds of water Marforius I remember it well it was in the yeare of our Lord 1524. Pasquine Euen so it was doest thou remember what prayers were made to God that he woulde delyuer vs from so great distruction Marforius I remember it well Pasquine God then being moued with compassion coÌ„maunded Neptunus to cary those waters into some other place Neptune therefore sith he could not bestowe where he woulde so great store of waters which he had prepared for the drowning of the whole world let a great part therof soake through into Purgatory quenched the fire in such sort that sith that time hitherto it neuer gaue no great flame A great part therof remayned vtterly quenched Another part thereof eschewing the water as his contrary retyred first to Cicilia and after to Porzolo whereas after it had by little and little made his waye it burst forth with wonderful great hurt to the country and nowe is in the way to goe to Rome where first it began to burne Marforius Why then will so wicked a fire assayle so holy a City Pasquine He that with good reason returneth to his owne countrey it is not to be sayd that he doth assault it Marforius Wel tell me how did this straunge chaunce please the people of that heauen of which thou speakest Pasquine Thou couldest not beleue what griefe they féele thereby They do nowe nought else but stirre vp Vulcane to make such an other for they knowe that from his Shoppe in the hill Atna a certaine Abbot called Odilus brought the first fire to Rome to saint Gregory And if Vulcane make not such an other they doubte that so great rentes as they receyue by this forge wil all come to nought Marforius They haue good cause to doubt for if it be knowen abrode that this fire is put out what will he be that wil take from his owne children and heires to giue to these lazy lubbers whâ— will builde any Chappels who will builde any Monasteries who will any more fat these Hogges who wil haue any more estimatioÌ„ of them I for my part haue hytherto estéemed and reuerenced them for feare onelye of this fire For they made me beleue that it burneth euen the stones But bycause they sée that meÌ„ are not afeard of this their imagined fire of Purgatory they make them féele the fire of this worlde and all to maintaine their tirannicall kingdome Yet profite they little for all that for those men whom they so burne liue in the fire and of their ashes do increase and multiply infinite numbers But leaue we this for I am out of doubt thereof and let vs returne to the Quéere where the Friers be of whome thou spakest not long since Sawest thou any of those Scapuchines Pasquine Thou meanest those y â— haue alredy begon to nestle theÌ„ selues in al y â— townes of Italy with filthy garmentes â—roked conditions with their hoode drawen vp with a peake in the toppe after suche fashion as the Diuill is painted * tempting Christ in the desert Marforius Those I aske for Pasquine I sawe one or two but they wente all alone hated of al men and they mumbled to them selues I wote not what touching fréewil Marforius I beleue that for in this towne and in Padoa I haue heard them at the Shrouetide beat it into the heads of the Fackins But what was the cause they were so hated that garmeÌ„t of theirs shoulde giue them some credite at the least with these poore whoresons Pasquine They were hated bicause that with their filthinesse with their wéede they did so magnifie set forth Ipocrisie that they made some suspect that therby they would whollye withdrawe the people from the other Religions and allure theÌ„ to theirs Marforius Why then doth enuy raigne among them Pasquine Not enuy only but hatred also For they so deadly hate the inuentour of this order Barnardine Ochine that it can not be spoken séeing him now to be become a Rebell to this heauen and that he doth so valiantly assaulte it and layeth to the walles so ruinous a battery And beside that doest thou not remember that I tolde thée that it was the heauen of Popes fooles where those that are immortall are a great deale worse than those that be mortall But thou shalt vnderstande me better by that time thou haue hearde the whole of me point by pointe Marforius Followe on therefore I pray thée for I take great pleasure to heare thée discouer so great wickednesse and to shew the truth naked plaine Pasquine We left therefore the streate of the Friers whereas all these sectes disputed together of their dyuers customes Habits and Institutions that the Tower of Babilon was neuer fuller of confusion and came to the second streate Marforius Tary I pray thée doe they agrée so well together in this heauen Pasquine They do all agrée in séeking to preferre them selues before Christ in the rest they are as wyde as East and West Marforius I can not beleue that Pasquine Canst thou not beleue it O Marforius Marforius thou takest little héede to thinges I knowe wel that thou findest not this in the Comentaries of Gratian nor Accursius but wherefore serue so many Churches so manye sacrifices so manye Frieries so many Monasteries made in the honour of this Saint and of that but to banishe by little and little the memory of Christ out of the world The increasing of these Frieries hath bene the diminishing of the Christian fayth Marforius That is like inough to be true out of doubt But procéede on a little and tell me what followeth Pasquine Then commeth the order where the Urrgines be where are to be séene many thousandes of foolishe women Marforius Why and are the women there aboue men and in a more worthy place Pasquine It was requisite that they shoulde be put in betwene the Monkes and the Confessours for the Monkes teach them how to put the diuel into Hel how he must be fought with and
or such lyke The Patriarches striue who should be chiefe Peters see at Antioche One Pope speaketh against another The Popes vaine gloriouâ— titles Babylon the heaâ— of al abhomination Petrarke calâ—eth Rome Babylon Prophetes Num. 22. This worde Prophete hath two meanings The differeÌ„ce betwene the Prophete and the Doctor The Popes Prophetes are not inspired by God A blessed companie if a man should rake Hell A vertuous studie of a holy Father Like will to like The Pope doubteth of the immortalitie of the soule Qualiâ— Pater talis filius A very proper practise not vnlyke the deuises vsed by the holy mayde of Kent The Knaues will tell tales out of the schole Marke the knauerie of this Coll Prophete These knaues haue manye such knackes in their Bougets No true Prophets Iere. 14. Math. 7. The goodnesse of these Romish fruites Luc. 13. The court of the Popes heauen Iust iudgement and voyde of feare when sentence was giuen against the Diuell * Iohn 14. †Act. 10. The office and duery of an aduoâ—ate * 1. Iohn 2. †1. Timo. 2. Maht 3. Great iniurie done to Christ when any other aduocate is sought 1. Iohn 2. * Iohn 17. Heb. 10. Math. 10. Bartolus and Baldus Saint Michaell wayer of soules A vengeance craftie aduocate that could match the Deuill Masses and such trash shewed forth in euidence The crafte of the Diuell Michaell beateth the deuil Great honor and ioy when the Pope winneth a soule Purgatorie iustely called Pagatorie Michaell in loue with a Bul looke Legenda aurea The fable of Saint Michaell Lucanus the Poete Fryers and lyers shaped both in one moulde Draffe good ynough for Hogges Saint Michaelâ— fable â–ª a figure of Gods Iustice. The worlde abused by Friers Lucian What the Gospell causeth Friers vse violent persuasions Beati qui non ridâ—runt et credideruâ—t The Pallace of the Popes Heauen The fashion of it The Popes Saints can not abide the light The Popes heaueÌ„ resembled to an Alchimistes shoppe The Sonne and the Mone shine both at once Straunge vertue of Beadâ— that can darken both Sonne and Mone The discription and vse of Beades Ipocrisie alwayes carieth Beads The Counsell of all Saints The scope and end of their counsell Why in olde tyme so many counsels were so easily called Why counsels in these dayes can not be assembled The effect of â—â—unsels Verbum dominimanâ—â— in eternum Psal. 2. Equalitic woulde be vsed in tryall of waightie matters The Pope neuer fighteth on euen hand Who be Heretiques and who be no Heretiques after the popes iudgement The Dutchmen first smelled out the Popes craftie conueyaunce The song of the Popes Saints Psal. 2. Math. 11. Politique fetches vsed in the Counsell Saint Ioice patrone of fruitefull succession Spiritually begotten children meete to maintaine the Popes spiritual kingdome The weighti est matter of all the counsell Charlâ—s theâ—â— suspected by the Pope Ferdenando vpon condicion shal haue ayde from the Pope Popishe Doctors The Popes heauen builded vpon Ignoraunce Ignoraunce mother of all errors The duetie of a king Fraunces the French King The Popes counsell to Kings and rulers Marke howe Pasquine prophecieth of Fraunce Apoc. 20. The way to appease Gods wrath Ioan. 4. Auignion vsurped by the Pope Machomet and the Pope are brothers The King of Englande How the possessions of the Church shuld be bestowed â— Thess. 3. Why possessions were giueÌ„ to the Church A pollicie vsed to preserue the Popes Kingdome The reading of the Scripture bringeth knoweledge Why so many VenetiaÌ„s are made Cardinalles Carefull magistrates ouer their people The Pope abuseth al magistrats The Pope maketh all Princes his Butchers and hangmen The great iustice of the Venetians The spiritualtie doth rule raigne eche where Truth can not be heard where such â—irannie râ—ygneth Antichrist and his members the cause of disorders The Charitiâ— of Pasquine Good members of a common wealth By what way the Venetians might become greater Godes enimies fauoured and his frendes persecuted Iohn 18. Luc. 23. A diuelishe decre of the Popes saintes The oration of one of the Saintes to this Diuell their Messanger 〈…〉 The Popes saints fil al the worlde with warres and mischief Rome the Diuels dweâ—ing place The cause of this diuellysâ— decre The Order or Queere of the Aungels The 〈◊〉 orders of the Popes Aungelles Christ is not in the councell Christ goeth to playe like a childe The marchaâ— dises of the Popes store houses God graunt they be neuer better stored Pasquiue meaneth that our Peter peÌ„s and other our proffits the pope had hens were spent vpoÌ„ the mayntenaÌ„ce of wheres and bardasses in Rome The Popes keyes are the keyes of the storehouses Gods worde must destroye the Popes heauen Apoc. 1. Pasquine goeth out of the Popes heauen and goeth vp to Gods heauen A wonderful straunge sight Pasquine setteth forth the punishment of the Neuters Neutralitte must be vtteâ—â—ly auoided Weatherâ— cocks and turncotes are not to be beleued Certain Italians true christians Hebr. 6. Peter de Charles a wether cocke Farellus a true preacher Num. 22. The heauenly harmonie Plato and Aristotle differeth in opinion Christen philosophie The way to knowe God Psal. 19. The varietie of Gods works declare his greate power The Pâ—pe would haue his dead Images to be our liuely scholemasters The dead picture of the vergin Marie liuely counterfeited after a Popes whore Christian Regions Apoc. 4. The description of the true Heauen Apoc. 5. The song of true saintes 1. Peter 4. Equalitie among the true Saintes Apoc. 5. Christ is the way and the gate to Heauen Iohn 10. Iohn 14. Dionisâ—us Areopagita 1. Tim. 6. The Quene of Heauen Psal. 45. The Quene of Heauen iâ— the Churche and not the virgin Mary Popes haue vsurped the authoritie of the Churche The Quenes apparell 1. Cor. 12. Of mariage Ephe. 5. Io. 1. 3. 15. Iac. 4. The worlde contrarie to Christe 3. Reg. 19. Rom. 11. Iohn 14. The saintes be at reste Ap. 4. et 7. Esay 42. The wedding garment Esay 61. Mat. 22. Antichrist 2. Thess. 2. 3. Reg. 22. 2. Para. 18. 2. Cor. 11. Watchwords giuen in the Scripture * 1. Thess. 5. ‡ 1. Ioh. 4. Demaundes of our Ladie Marforius wisheth Pasquine to be Pope The scholes of Pasquine Christ the onely Mayster Mat. 23. Coloss. 1. Ephe. 1. et 4. Apoc. 5. 7. Christ onely gouernour Mat. 8. Io. 14. Mat. 7. 1. Io. 2. Heauenly thinges must not be measured according to mans brayne Luc. ii A maruelous yea almost a miraculous chaunge The â—â—iage to Hell Pasquine a farre trauailed man Pasquine a Curious searcher of thinges Pasquine goeth to sâ—e hell The way to Hell is sone found out Math. 7. Math. 16. The description of Hell What and whome Pasquine sawe in Hell Hell gates neuer shutte Al may goe into hell that will but none may come out Of what stuffe belgates were made Caine the first that entred his father the deuilles Kingdome Caines and his successors
which there is nothing more clere in the holy Scriptures It is no maruel therfore if he condempne such and accompt them as Heretiques as will not receiue mennes deuises in steade of Goddes lawes Marforius Yet it semeth that it is coÌ„maunded in the holy Scriptures most chiefly in that place leauing al other aside which in dede do little approue it where he giueth to the Church y e power to binde and to loose and to remit and retaine sinnes And how shall the Church remitte sinne say they if the sinner tel it hir not and how shal she loose him if she sée him not bounde Pasquine If thou beleue the gospel thy sinnes are forgiuen thée thou art assoyled if thou beleue not thou art bounde and and art in sinne the seruaunt of sinne and of the Diuell And this it is to binde and loose to remit and retayne sinnes and it nedeth not that other know thy sinnes It is mough for thée that thou knowe them and consider them and that thou féele the waight of thine owne sinfull nature Lo we reade that the woman that sinned was sorowfull within hir selfe and she heard that healthful saying Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee nor we doe not reade that she reckened vp hir sinnes Haue thou also thy sinnes in defiance and beleue the gospel and thou art assoyled Marforius And Saint Iames sayth not he Knovvledge your faultes one to another pray one for an other that you may be healed Pasquine This whiche Saint Iames speaketh of here is that which Christ our master had before spokeÌ„ of brotherly loue that if we haue offended any man we ought to seke to reconcile our selues to him and this can not be done except he that offendeth do confesse to the other that he hath done amisse This is the true confession and reconciliatioÌ„ which among Christians from one to another ought to be done the which Christ accepteth before all sacrifices and euery other holy act We néede not talke with Sir Iohn of the matter he must be none that is offended And if thou haue offended God only and not man confesse thy fault to God onely who onely forgiueth sinnes and health the infirmities of the soule It is not therefore euill done if thou aske councell for the infirmities of thy soule at some man that is honest and knâ—weth the truth as thou docst for the infirmities of thy body mingling therefore with it no maner superstition and shall we leauing the holsome couÌ„cels precepts of Christ consent to a confession that ought rather to be called confusion deuised by the shauâ—â—ngs to knowe the secrets of the world and so with â—ccâ—ytfulnesse to bring the world vnder their féete as they haue done already But Christ shall as leaues confounde all inuentions of men and ouerthrowe the deuisers thereof with the breath of his mouth Marforius Theu haste deliuered me out of a maruellous scruple that did sore holde my minde entangled Pasquine Shall I therefore speake of the other sith thou haste vnderstande what these confessours be Marforius I pray the heartily Pasquine In the same Quéere sawe I also Doctours mingled with coÌ„fessours Marforius I would that thou wouldst name them vnto me Pasquine I doe euen scarcely remember theÌ„ so dyuers were they and so mad headed Some were called Magistri nostri some Nostri magistri some Rabini some Scotistae other Illuminati other Cherubici other Seraphici some Extatici and some also Apostatici and Lunatici and their seuerall names were Holcot Briccot Triccot Scot Capriuol Zabarel Lira Hoccam Barbazza all obscure but when the worlde was ignorant accompted most excellently learned Marforius Out vpon thée what Doctors are these thou makest me afeard onely to name them But what did they Pasquine All were labouring to enrich that heauen with both the Testamentes There sawe I Saint Gregory with other Popes who had hyred fouretene Porters to cause the tenthes of the olde Testament to be caryed into the newe Testament and in like maner the Myters the Bendes or Fillets the Sacrifices y â— offrings the Perfumes the Lightes and almost all the things that were in the Iewes Temple Marforius And did they not also bring the wyues of y e holy Fathers Pasquine No but their handmaydes For they sayd that wyues belonged not to the newe Testament Marforius Therefore haue they nowe for this cause in steade of wyues whores Pasquine Yea for they say that it is not lawfull for them to haue wyues but if they haue whores and bardasses it maketh no matter Marforius And what if any of them were maried Pasquine They woulde persecute him they woulde kill him they woulde vndoe him Marforius But for keping of whores worse thaÌ„ that they would neuer blame him Pasquine No knowest not thou that Priest of Placentia that this other day was accused to haue a wife and children straight way the Pope depriued him of the Benefices he had he went to Rome and shewed howe she neyther was nor could be his wife bycause she had a husband but hir he kept as his Concubine and by and by the Pope restored him to his benefices again Marforius Oh vnspeakable abhomination and detestable generation y â— stink of them must nedes ascende euen vp to heauen Howe is it possible that God shoulde suffer them any longer to coÌ„tinue I can not beleue that they can last much longer thus But follow on the rest Pasquine In conclusion I sawe all the olde Testament brought into the newe sauing onely matrimonye Marforius That may be the cause that so many Iewes in these dayes doe become Christians Pasquine It is in dede and yet there woulde be many more of them if the Popes would not then confiscate their goodes for thou knowest how couetous and gredy they be of mony Marforius But how is it possible that the new Testament that is so narrow straight could receiue so great spoyle as they brought from the olde Pasquine They play as the Shoomaker that retcheth his Leather with his téeth Dyers that strech y â— clothes at the Sunne vpon the Tenters and as marchauÌ„ts that thrust the wolles that occupy great rowmes into a little corner of the Shippe one haled on the one side an other heaued on the other side one stole awaye a piece here an other putte to a patche there some stamped it very fine some mingled this piece and some other that other piece so that ech man serued his owne turne Marforius But in transporting the Byshops from that Testament to this in that place where it sayth That the Byshop must be the husbande of one vvife Howe did they vse the matter Pasquine Well I wote there was harde holde For Paule will in any wise that the Byshoppe haue his wife and that for to take away all suspition of him selfe As they were
Anthonie of Florence and many other such like who haue deuised not hystories which ought to be the lightes of truth but fables of Lucian not liues of men but lies of Diuels with a barbarous yrkesome style haue intreated therof And he that taketh them not to be true woe be to him he is an Heretique let him go nay rather kyll him And so say I also of those doltishe deuises lately written of saint Katherine and of saint Thomas Aquine at the instance of that Ipocrite the Marques of Vasto Pasquine Thou séest therefore that we must not folishly beleue euery thing I coulde recken vnto thée a number of Gods of the aunciente heathen transfourmed into our Gods with the same errour and falsehode without changing any other thing than the name only and often times without changing the name at al. Beholde the Rotunda which in the olde time was called Pantheon bicause it was the dwelling house of al the Gods nowe haue they made it the dwelling house of all Saintes and in place of Cibele mother of al the Gods haue they set the virgin Marie for heade of alâ— the Saintes And here harde by thou knowest is the Minerua whiche was in the olde tyme the temple of Minerua and nowe haue they dedicated it to Saint Minerua the Uirgin euen as Pallas Minerua was a Uirgin The Temple whiche in the olde tyme was of Romulus and Remus they haue made nowe the Church of Saint Cosmus and Damian The temple that was of olde time of Castor and Pollux haue they nowe made the Church of Saint Geruays Prothays Those of old tyme that had Lucina to heale their eies these of our time haue Saint Lucie Those of old time had Ceres to be the Goddesse of Corne these of oure time haue Pancras Those of old time had Mars and Pallas to be Gods ouer the warres these of our time haue Saint George and Saint Barbara The Scafaring men in the olde time sawe Castor and Pollux in the ende of a tempest these of our time sée Saint Eremus Among those of olde tyme it was not lawfull for the Uirgins of Vesta to marry with these of our time it is not lawfâ—ll for Nunnes to mary Among those of old time the Church of Diana departed from Zante and together with the builders miraculouslye went into Spaine as a man may reade in Plinie with those of our tyme the Church of our Lady at Loretto came out of Sclauonie and is maruellously come into Italy as is to be read in the lying Legendes of these pickpurse priestes deuising Those of old time washed selues with fayre cleare water to clense them selues froÌ„ sinnes these of our tyme fillip with their finger a little holy water on their forehead They of old time had Iuno Feronia Iuno Lucina Iuno Saturnia Iuno Curites these of our time haue our Lady of grace our Lady of the myracles our Lady our Lordes mother our Lady of the people They of olde time filled their Churches with little Tables conteyning the vowes they made these of our time fill their Churches full of little Tables conteyning their vowes Those of old time said that in beanes dwelled the soules of y â— dead these of our tyme giue Beanes for the soules of the deade And euen so he that will go and search pointe by pointe the Popishe Religion eyther shall he find it altogether like to that of the olde Paganes or if there be any difference it differeth but in the names onely So that if wee will worshippe these oure Saintes bycause we will not be accoumpted Heretiques we fall to worshyppyng of Iuno Minerua Mars Hercules Polyphemus Briarius and an infinite nuÌ„ber of Diuelles vnder the name of Saint Anthony Saint Nichodeme Saint Christian Saint Nafissa Marforius Oh Pasquine thou haste well opened my vnderstanding nowe certainly thou sayest the truth these things are very clere I thought euer till nowe that I had done wel following y â— worshipping of those diuels Pasquine I haue other things without nuÌ„bre to say when I shal vtter theÌ„ I wil make al y â— world woÌ„der Marforius Oh happy day wheÌ„ y â— trueth shalbe sene to shine abrode Pasquin Happy therfore is this day for y â— seest how it is sproÌ„g vp how it goeth shewing it selfe abrode to the worlde in despite of the shauen Crownes Marforius Now proceede on a while to the other Quéeres Pasquine I wil so but first I must tell thée a fewe things that here I sawe heard Marforius Tel me them therefore Pasquine I sawe one of these martirs y â— warned the rest of his fellowes that they shuld do nothing against the Heretiques excepte they would beare the paynes therof theÌ„selues that they should take example by him who had felte the vengeaunce of God for that he had accused of heresie suche as he knew not and of suche thinges as he vnderstoode not if there be any they should rather be wonne by admonishing them to leaue it than with fire and tormentes to make them awaye For they be not al Heretiques that be so called but such as iudge contrary to the holy Scripture and that leaue the coÌ„maundementes of God and follow those of men and defende the same as heauenly commaundements and also preferre them before Gods commaundements these bâ— Heretiques And heaueÌ„ly things are the same onely that are contayned in the olde and newe Testament which if they wil not beleue the day of the Lord shall come that shall discouer all things shal make them repent it and their repentaunce shall not then helpe them Marforius Who was that that was so honest Pasquine It was Rochester about whome were two Martyrs the one was Peter Martir of the order of Fryers Bréechers Marforius Thou wouldest say Preachers Pasquine I alwayes misse in dede The other was Thomas of Canterbury eche of them confirmed Rochesters talke Marforius But had Rochester his redde Hat Pasquine He had in dede his heade red and his shoulders but it was with bloude not with a Hatte Marforius And I heard say that the Pope sent him a Hatte Pasquine Yea but when the King of England vnderstoode it he caused his head to be cut of before he shoulde haue to doe with that Romish harlotte whervpon the Papistes for that they thought he dyed for their defence and bycause he had written against the Lutheranes they put him in the number of these holy Martyrs Marforius It is very well And for one selfe cause as farre as I can perceyue both Peter Martyr a Dominicane Frier in Italy and Thomas of Canterbury in England dyed the one for persecuting after their Frierish fashion certaine poore Countrey men as Heretiques betwene Milaine and Como was slayne The other stryuing with the King for certaine iurisdictions was condemned to haue done against the estate Pasquine Thou sayest truth Marforius
Prophetes which there had the charge to teache religion They taught no maner things y â— were heaueÌ„ly but things worldly nay rather Deuilish and sought to please men and praised themselues and their owne things and aduaunced them vp to heauen to conclude they were all of those of whome the Lorde by his Prophete complayneth saying They preach lyes vnto them in my name I haue not spoken with them neyther gaue I them any charge neyther did I send them Of whome oure onely Mayster and Sauiour Iesus Christ warneth his Church saying Bevvare of false Prophetes that come vnto you cladde in shepes clothing but invvardly they are rauening Wolues ye shall knovve them by their fruites Loe the Lorde sayth playnely vnto vs that we should beware of them And bicause we shoulde not be deceyued he teacheth vs to knowe them by the fruits they work What maner of fruits those be of the Court of Rome of all the followers therof how bitter rotten Worme eaten sowre ful of poyson and how muche to be auoyded euery man may without controuersie confesse From these therfore we ought to beware by the commaundement of our Lorde and Sauiour who shall say vnto them in the day of iudgement I neuer knevv you depart froÌ„ me you that vvorke vvickednesse Marforius Let vs therfore let them alone But whether wentest thou afterwarde Pasquine We went into a maruellous great courte which had many rowmes seuered one from an other where satte most seuere Iudges there were many matters treated of and there was suche a scolding among the Proctors and aduocates that demauÌ„ding who those Iudges were I could not heare what answere was made me Marforius Howe didst thou to vnderstande it afterward Pasquine I withdrew my selfe a little out of the noyse and then I asked Marforius Who coulde tell thée the order and forme of that Courte Pasquine A Deuill against whome his matter passed wente his waye iombling to himselfe Marforius Who did he saye that these Iudges were Pasquine He spake Gréeke I vnderstoode him not well whether he sayde they were Apostles or Apostates Marforius I did neuer beleue before nowe that there were Diuels in Heauen nor that there was any néede of other aduocates than of Christ. Pasquine Whence doest thou gather this opinion Marforius Out of the middes of the Gospel Pasquine Art thou of a popish Lawyer so sone become a Gospeller Marforius Thou art cause therof that hast warned me to search the Scriptures Pasquine Tell me therefore the place Marforius I remember Christ sayeth that he is the vvay the truth and the lyfe if Christ be the truth and if he be Iudge of the quicke and the deade as the Scripture sayeth what néede is there then of so manye aduocates for by the lawes I terme y â— the aduocate is not ordeyned for any other purpose than to enforme y â— Iudge of the truth wherby I conclude mine argument that if the Iudge be the very truth it selfe what néede is there of any to declare the same vnto him Pasquine If I shal shew vnto thée that in this place this worde Aduocate is as much to say as Mediator howe wilte thou aunswere me Marforius Paule sayeth that we haue an aduocate appointed vs by the Father to be a Mediafor vs towarde him In an other place the father sayeth that Christ is his vvelbeloued sonne in vvhome onely he is pleased If Christ be appointed by the father to be a Mediator for vs and if Christ onely be acceptable to God wherefore will we séeke other aduocates Do not we commit great iniurie to the father and to the Sonne putting in his place an other aduocate as though he were more acceptable to the Father than Christ or if he were more sufficient than Christ. Are not we verye fooles in that we will haue those to be our aduocates that haue néede of an aduocate themselues Christ onely is righteous and all men are sinners And this is it that Saint Iohn sayeth in his canonicall Epistle My little ones if any man sinne vve haue an aduocate vvith the Father Iesus Christ the righteous If there were other aduocates they had néede to pray for themselues for they also had néede to be made righteous But Christ only is the aduocate that is righteous and hath no néede to praye for himselfe but prayeth onely for vs all other had néede to pray for themselues and to sacrifice for themselues and their prayers and sacrifices are not perfect therefore are they often tymes renewed But Christ hath once onely and for euer prayed and sacrificed for vs and for his owne merite sake hath bene heard Pasquine Oh Marforius this disputation of thine maketh me thinke that thou are no more Marforius and I hope surely that this nexte spring thou wilt as the serpents doe cast thine olde skinne Marforius I desire with the Gospellers and not with the serpentes to cast awaye mine olde learning Pasquine That is it that at Easter the petie shauelings were wont to yelâ—â— out to the grosse and Ignorant people in a tongue that neyther parte vnderstoode Marforius And good reason it is that to him that vnderstandeth not things be spoken yea and not vnderstoode by them that speak them Pasquine But now let vs follow on our story Marsorius I desire it much Pasquine Heardest thou not what was done before these Iudges Marsorius I heard but I haue forgotten to aske thée what allegations they bring forth in defending their causes doe they vse Bartolus and Baldus and suche other spill causes to set men togither by the eares Pasquine I wyll tell thée the Iudges giue not sentence when they haue heard the matter as they do with vs but euen as if they had heard neyther party they sende them both to the balaunce to be tryed Marforius What is that balauÌ„ce Pasquine In the middes of this Courte standeth a great Saint that is wynged and in the one hand he holdeth a huge payre of Balaunce and in the other hande a sworde and when the matter hath bene well brawled before the Iudges betwéene the Deuill and the Aduocate they come to this Saint as to an Arbytratour who setteth his balaunce euen and in one of them the aduocate putteth all his clients things as Masses Bulles Pardons Prayers sundry seruices of our Lady and of the holye crosse and Dirges for the dead Beads Rosaries Pilgrimages Fastings Friers Hoods Friers Coates as gray whyte asure and blewe vowes abstinences whipping of themselues garments of haire and such like Trumperâ—e and in the other scale of the balaunce they put the wretched â—â—ely soule and to this scale of the balaunce to make it way the more taketh hold and hangeth fast a foule great Deuill and a fatte such as commonly the Priors and Prouincialles of the Friers are Marforius O what a craftie parte is that
face of a Uirgin and the féete and hands of a Lyon his bosome full of Serpents after whome went one laden with weapons fyre and sworde one of these Gods thus spake vnto hir O virgin daughter of the night take thou this paine for vs and so vvorke that our honor fame do no vvhere decay Thou that arte able to set louing brothers to cruell vvarre and fyll al houses vvith mortal hatred one of an other thou that canst if thou vvilt bring into all houses distruction death thou that hast a thousand names to colour thy self vvith as many vvayes to vvorke mischief styr vp thy noble heart hereto that hath suche stuffe in store ouerthrovv the peace that is already made sovv nevve causes of vvarâ—â— let eche man crye for vvarre let euery maâ— haue his hands full When the Angell heard this he promised fully to obeye it and away he getteth flying throughe all the seuerall Quéeres of the other Aungels and out of them tooke all suche as was skillfull in murthers deceyts and all kindes of mischief carieth them with him and part he sendeth into Germanie parte into Fraunce and parte into Spaine and the messanger selfe goeth into Italy Marforius This is like that which Iuno in great rage said to Alecto Sith I can not â— she moue the gods to pity I wil stir by y â— diuels to michiefe But is it possible that these saints be such maner of felowes Pasquin They are much worsse and farre doe passe the wicked spirits furies of Hell in all kinde of crueltie Marforius Where then did that furie Alecto abide Pasquine In this Citie which hath bene the heade of the worlde and from hence sendeth his other Aungels abrode into other townes and places of Italy and somtime goeth him selfe in person as to Bologna to Ferrara and leaueth some of his serpents there to infecte poyson that place Marforius Woe be to the worlde therefore sith so cruell a plague is sent vnto it but wherefore do they this Pasquine Firste for to kindle the hatred and wrath of all kings and Princes against the defenders of the Gospell moreouer that they being occupied in warres discords discentioÌ„s shoulde not so muche as thinke vpon the restoring of this decayed religion not to cal a generall Councell and they in the meane time should lyue in pleasures and stand to beholde this tragedie and enioy the fruit of other mennes harmes yet reioyce they neuer a whitte of thys newe warre of Germanie doubting least it should be turned altogyther vpon their necks Marforius Oh what a wonderfull blindnesse of men is this that such as are the causers of so many euils of so greate warres and of so manyfold errors men ceasse not yet to call most holy most blessed and most reuerend and to thinke their wayes to be so good and holy to the which things God send redresse as ryght néedefull for the soules of such shéepishe fooles as wyll beleue such maner of people But say on the rest Pasquine Al these things were written in their Authentique Authorities for a pretie Ganimedes called them all to supper and so the Councell brake vp And my good Aungell sayde to me Come with me Marforius Whether led he thée to the Quéere of Aungels Pasquine No for he told me he had businesse to do therefore it behoued him to make haste and go out of this heauen but so as we went together he talked to mée of them Marforius How are they placed what be their names Pasquine He tolde me that there is so great a confusion of their names that with much a do can their offices be rehersed yet the best he could he tolde me these were their names Penitentiaries Procuratours Abbreuiatours Auditours Prothonotaries Chamberlaines Suffraganes Abbots and Cardinalles euen as a man woulde saye Angels Archangels Thrones Dominations Principates Uertues Powers Cherubines and Seraphines Thus standeth this heauen my Marforius as thou hast hearde which when I had vnderstoode I came my way following my guide Marforius Thou haste tolde me nothing of Christ sawest thou him there in the councel among those Saintes Pasquine I sawe him not but as I came out afterward I sawe before the Pallace a little childe that played with certaine other children there of whome when I had asked it was tolde me that it was Christ who fell to playing and therefore came not to the Councell for his mother had the whole charge of all things Marforius Why then is Christ alwayes a childe in this heauen Pasquine Yea alwayes Marforius Sawest thou any other thing there Pasquine As I went from that place going for to sée the rest I founde onely a great voyde market place whereas were aboue .vj. hundered storehouses or barnes as great as those that Ioseph builded in Egipt Marforius What was there in them Pasquine Some of them were ful but not with corne but of Waxe some ful of Copes and vestments some with chaynes some full of little broken pieces of Golde and Syluer some other of those store houses were emptie and vpon the dores of these emptie houses was set a little writing that sayde The storehouses of Germanie and of Englande and they were altogether emptie for it was now a great while sith any thing was brought into them and that which was wont to be there was all spente in almes vpon the Nunnes of Pozzo Bianco and Strada Iulia and other places but moste of all vpon the marring I would say marrying of pore boyes And whyle I was there loe there commeth forth the olde man that woulde not open the dore vnto me with his great rusty keyes in his hande and his great euill fauoured myter on his head Marforius What saide he to thée I pray thée hartily Pasquine He sawe me not nor he spake not to me for he was busie about other things Marforius What did he Pasquine He went as one all ful of sorrowe and heauinesse viewing those store-houses and other places of the pallace and he sawe in many places that the walles gaped for the riftes they had the foundations were so decayed and ruinous that all the whole building loked as though it woulde shortly fall Marforius I thought first y â— those keyes had bene the power and authoritie to assâ—â—le and condempne but as farre as I could perceyue they were the keyes of y â— store houses but wherfore was he so ful of heauinesse Pasquine Wherefore thinkest thou it a questioÌ„ to ask wherfore he saw the store houses emptie and saw no hope how to fil them he saw y â— building almost falling and saw no hope how to repayre it he sawe that not onely Germanie went about all that it might to ouerthrowe this his heauen but almost all Italie had layde hand on the sworde that must destroy it the which sworde issueth forth of the
vnderstande are infinite albeit for his notorious worthynesse he shall be called Antechrist that shall be worsse than al the rest and al the Popes state put them all together yet will he say that Antechrist must come as Gregorie sayde It is true that there haue bene dyuers Gregories and it may be that some one of them hath bene good and honest but all such as haue bene Popes are in the lake that burneth with fyre and brimstone in the bottomelesse pit They that were the first were lesse wicked but sithens haue they growen worsse and worsse and the last shal be y â— worst of all and I thinke that shall be the Cardinall Chietti except the dutch Launceknights come into Italic before and so make Pope Paule the thirde to be the last Marforius And yet perhappes they wyll not be taken for the verye maisters or heads for they call themselues Serui seruorum Dei and Prouidentia diuina Papa P. tertius and a number of such gaye glistering titles they outwardly shewe Pasquine This was the cause wherefore Christ sayde that outwardely they should be like shéepe but inwardly they shoulde be Wolues and Saint Paule sayeth that they shall haue a shewe of Godlynesse but in effectes they shall be quite voyde of it And marke well whether they be made Popes by Gods diuine prouidence or no when there was a woman once made Pope they are made in déede by the prouidence of the Diuel and not of God for Gods prouidence knoweth well ynough men from women and hath made one onely highe Bishop which is Christ. Marforius Sawest thou that she Pope Pasquine Yea mary did I sée hir Marforius And what canst thou tell me of hir Pasquine Thou must vnderstande that those thinges that in this worlde are in greatest highnesse greatest felicitie and greatest glorie there beneath are in so much the more basenesse wretchednesse and shame the Popes therefore that in this worlde coulde not satisfie their hungry and gréedy desire of honor being in the estate of Kings and Princes but woulde be estéemed aboue al other men and aboue great Lords and being not contented with this haue lift vp themselues aboue the gospel and made themselues Gods in earth in how great déepenesse of miserie they are their beneath passeth all mens imagination And they are therefore so muche the more cruelly tormented than other as that they haue bene the greatest occasion of the losse of so many people Thou mightest there haue séene them with Myters of glowing brimstone on their heads their other ornaments of their body all of glowing Brimstone with their Chaires of glowing Brimstone and they haue about them as seruaunts woes and Diuels and before them haue they infinite hostes of those gracelesse people that following their wicked steppes are drowned with them in euerlasting miseries al which of them doe nothing else but cursse them and ban them And before this shée Pope stande all those Rascalles and séely fooles that sith her tyme haue beleued in the Popes authoritie and their are they cast in y â— téeth with it and cursed by the Deuils themselues for that after so manifest a token giuen by her from God to the worlde as that they shoulde not meddle with Popes woulde they yet néedes beleue them and follow their curssed wayes Marforius And haue Popes then euen in hell seruantes to waite vpon them Pasquine Yea suche maner ones as I tolde thée of before Marforius Wherein doe they any seruice vnto them Pasquine To torment them euerlastingly Marforius What torments vsed they to them Pasquine To go about to shew the torments of those that be dampned shoulde be euen muche as to tell thée howe manye graynes of sande are in the sea and thou agayne to stande to heare them wouldest be so stricken with feare that thou wouldest not any more giue eare vnto me But let thys suffice thée to knowe also that which Saint Iohn telleth thée that is to were that they are tormented with fyre and brimstone for euer and euer TheÌ„ saw I in sundry places diuers Arches of triumph or Pageaunts as we may cal them One was of Boniface the eyght of that name for that goodly decree he made that euerye worldly creature shoulde be obedient to the Pope as they wil be saued And therein was grauen that decrée in euerye point as it standeth sauing the laste worde which is As they wil be dampned an other there was of Hildebrande the Sorcerer which afterwarde was Pope Gregorie the seauenth for his many and sundry new deuises throughe the which so manye seely wretches are gone headlong to the Diuell and bicause also he did so malapertly stande against the great Princes of the worlde as Boniface and many other and almost all of them haue done An other there was of Alexander Borgias in the which beside his other notable and famous factes was grauen also that worthy and holy acte of his to lye with his owne naturall daughter Lucrece with whome also Duke Valentine his brother lay An other there was of Iulius the seconde full of horrible bloudsheddings and adulteries Another there was of Leo the tenth in the which a man might sée how the tributes of y â— great cities of Sodome Gomorre were brought vnto him And yet was there one much fayrer y â— was preparing for Peter Levves some to Pope Paule y â— third and one for his father also Mar. And of y â— great princes of y â— worlde whom sawest thou Pasquine The greater part and within a fewe of all Marforius What is the cause that so many of them be dampned Pasquine The causes are many but the principall cause is that for as muche as they haue receyued their powers and dominions froÌ„ God as the Scripture sayeth By me Kings doe raigne c. There is no power but of god the powers that are are ordeyned of God c. He it is that maketh the wicked to rule for the sinnes of the people This haue not they acknowledged froÌ„ God nor haue with their good example and good gouernement kept their people in the feare of God nay thinking rather that they did highe seruice to God haue slayne suche as defend the Gospell and the honor of Christ. Whereas they ought rather to haue abolished all the sundry seâ—es of Friers all Idolatries the carcasses and bones of the dead such as they call Saints in the which they put all their religion and should rather haue regarde and care to honest maydens to the poore olde sicke and impotent persones relieuing them with that infinite richesse that vniustely and wickedly are possessed by the smered swarme of shauelings and ought to suffer or rather to cause Iesus Christ to be preached But they doe contrarywise persecute and suffer to be persecuted such as preach him and worsse do those of these dayes than those of foretymes for