becomming a great officer of Lucifer when you vndertook not onely to make a man in your Alimbicks but also to preserue him immortall And it cannot be doubted but that out of your Commentaries vpon the Scriptures in which you were vtterly ignorant many men haue taken occasion of erring and thereby this kingdome much indebted to you But must you therefore haue accesse to this secret place what haue you compassed euen in Phisicke it selfe of which wee lesuits are ignorant For though our Ribadenegra haue reckoned none of our Order which hath written in Physicke yet 〈◊〉 able and sufficient wee are in that faculty I will bee tryed by that Pope who hath giuen a priueledge to Iesuites to practise Phisicke and to be present at Death-beds which is denyed to other Orders for why should hee deny vs their bodies whose soules he deliuers to vs and since he hath transferd vpon vs the power to practise Physick he may instly be thought to haue transferd vpon vs the Art it selfe by the same omnipotent Bul since hee which graunts the end is by our Rules of law presumed to haue graunted all meanes necessary to that end Let me dread Emperour haue leaue to speake truth before thee These men abuse prophane too much thy mettals which are the bowels and treasure of thy kingdome For what doth Physicke profit thee Physicke is a sost womanish thing For since no medicine doth naturally draw bloud that science is not fit nor worthy of our study Besides why should those things which belong to you bee employed to preserue froÌ„ deiseases or to procure long life were it not fitter that your brother and colleague the Bishop of Rome which gouernes vpon the face of your earth and giues dayly increase to your kingdome should receiue from these helps and subsidies To him belonges all the Gold to him all the pretious stones conceal'd in your entrailes wherby hee might baite and ensnare the Prince of the earth through their Lord and counsellours meanes to his obedience and to receiue his coÌ„mandements especially in these times wheÌ„ almost euery where his auncient rights tributes are denied vnto him To him belongs your Iron and the ignobler mettals to make engines To him belong your Minerals apt for poyson To him the Salt-peter and all the Elements of Gun-powder by which he may demolish and ouerthrow Kings and Kingdomes and Courts and seates of Iustice. Neither doth Paracelsus truly deserue the name of an Innouator whose doctrine Seuerïnus and his other followers do referre to the most ancient times Thinke therefore your selfe well satisfied if you be admitted to gouerne in chiefe that Legion of homicide-Phisitians and of Princes which shall be made away by poyson in the midst of their sins and of woemen tempting by paintings and face-phisicke Of all which sorts great numbers will daily come hither out of your Academy Content with this sentence Paracelsus departed and Machiauel succeeded who hauing obserued Ignatius his forwardnesse and saucinesse and how vncal'd he had thrust himselfe into the office of kings Atturney thought this stupid patience of Copernicus and Paracelsus men which tasted too much of their Germany vnfit for a Florentine and therefore had prouided some venemous darts out of his Italian Arsenal to cast against this worne souldier of Pampelâ— this French-spanish mungrell Ignatius But when he thought better vpon it and obserued that Lucifer euer approued whatsoeuer Ignatius sayd he suddenly changed his purpose and putting on another resolution he determined to direct his speech to Ignatius as to the principall person next to Lucifer as well by this meanes to sweeten and mollifie him as to make Lucifer suspect that by these honors specious titles offered to Ignatius and entertained by him his owne dignity might bee eclipsed or clouded and that Ignatius by winning to his side politique men exercised in ciuill businesses might attempt some innouation in that kingdome Thus therefore he began to speake Dtead Emperour and you his watchfull and diligent Genius father Ignatius Arch-chancellor of this Court and highest Priest of this highest Synagogue except the primacy of the Romane Church reach also vnto this place let me before I descend to my selfe a little consider speake and admire your stupendious wisedome and the gouernment of this state You may vouchsafe to remember great Emperour how long after the Nazarens death you were forced to liue a solitarie a barren and an Eremiticall life till at last as it was euer your fashion to imitate heauen out of your aboundant loue you begot this deerely beloued sonne of yours Ignatius which stands at your right hand And from both of you proceedes a spirit whom you haue sent into the world who triumphing both with Mitre and Crowne gouernes your Militant Church there As for those sonnes of Ignatius whoÌ„ either he left aliue or were borne after his death and your spirit the Bishop of Rome how iustly properly may they be called Equiâ—ocal men And not only Equiuocall in that sence in which the Popes Legates at your Nicene CouÌ„cel were called Equiuocal because they did agree in all their opinions and in all their words but especially because they haue brought into the world a new art of Equiuocation O wonderfull and incredible Hypercritiques who not out of marble fragments but out of the secretest Records of Hell it selfe that is out of the minds of Lucifer the ` Pope and Ignatius persons truly equiuocall haue raised to life againe the language of the Tower of Babel 〈◊〉 long concealed and brought vs againe froÌ„ vnderstanding one an other For my part 〈◊〉 noble paire of Emperours that I may freely coÌ„fesse the truth all which I haue done where soeuer there shall be mention made of the Iesuites can be reputed but childish 〈◊〉 this honor I hope will not 〈◊〉 denied me that I brought 〈◊〉 an Alphabet prouided certaine Elements was somâ— kind of school maister in preparing them a way to highe◠〈◊〉 yet it grieuâ— me and makes me ashamed that I should be ranked witâ— this idle and Chymaeriâ— Copernicus or this cadauero vulture Paracelsus I scorâ— that those gates into which such men could conceiue any hope of entrance should not voluntarily flie open to mee yet I can better endure the rashnesse and fellowship of Paracelsus then the other because hee hauing beene conueniently practised in the butcheries and mangling of men hee had the reason to hope for fauour of the Iesuites For I my selfe went alwaies that way of bloud and therefore I did euer preferre the sacrifices of the Gentiles and of the Iewes which were performed with effusion of bloud whereby not only the people but the Priests also were animated to bold enterprises befote the soft and wanto sacrifices of Christians If I might haue had my choyce I should rather haue wished that the Romane Church had taken the Bread then the Wine from the people since in the wine there is some colour to
Virgil and the other Patriarkes of the Papists and beeing not satisfied with making one Transubstantiation purposed to bring in another which is to change fables into Articles of faith Proceeding therefore to more inward places I saw a secret place where there were not many beside Lucifer himselfe to which onely they had title which had so attempted any innouation in this life that they gaue an affront to all antiquitie and induced doubts and anxieties and scruples and after a libertie of beleeuing what they would at length established opinions directly contrary to all established before Of which place in Hell Lucifer affoarded vs heretofore some little knowledge when more then 200 yeares since in an Epistle written to the Cardinall S. Sexti hee promised him a roome in his palace in the remotest part of his eternall Chaos which I take to bee this place And here Pope Boniface 3 and Mahomet seemed to contend about the highest roome Hee gloried of hauing expelled an old Religion and Mahomet of hauing brought in a new each of them a great deluge to the world But it is to be feared that Mahomet will faile therein both because hee attributed something to the old Testament and because he vsed Sergius as his fellow-bishop in making the Alcoran whereas it was cuident to the supreme â—udge Luâ—fer for how could he be ignorant of that which himselfe had put into the Popes mind that Boniface had not onely neglected but destroyed the policy of the State of Israel established in the old Testament when he prepared Popes a way to tread vpon the neckes of Princes but that he also abstained from all Example and Coadiutor when he took vpon him that newe Name which Gregorie himselfe a Pope neither very foolish nor ouer-modest euer abhord Besides that euery day affords new Aduocates to Boniface his side For since the Francisâ— were almost worne out of whome their General Francis had seene 6000 souldiers in one army that is in one chapter which because they were then but fresh souldiers he saw assisted with 18000 Diuels the Iesuits haue much recompenced those decayes and damages who sometimes haue maintained in their Tents 200000 schollers For though the Order of Benedict haue euer bene so fruitfull that they say of it That all the new Orders which in later times haue broken out are but little springs or drops and that Order the Ocean which hath sent out 52 Popes 200 Cardinals 1600 Archbishops 4000 Bishops and 50000 Saints approued by the Church and therefore it cannot be denied but that Beniface his part is much releeued by that Order yet if they be compared to the Iesuits or to the weake and vnperfect Types of them the Franciscans it is no great matter that they haue done Though therefore they esteeme Mahomet worthy of the name of an Innouator therein perchance not much inferiour to Boniface yet since his time to ours almost all which haue followed his sect haue liued barren in an vnanimity and idle concord and cannot boast that they haue produced any new matter whereas Boniface his successors awakened by him haue euer beene fruitfull in bringing forth new sinnes and new pardons and idolatries and King-killings Though therefore it may religiously and piously be beleeued that Turkes as well as Papists come daily in troupes to the ordinary and common places of Hell yet certainly to this more honourable roome reserued for especiall Innouators the Papists haue more frequent accesse and therefore Mahomet is out of hope to preuaile and must imitate the Christian Emperours and be content to sit as yet hee doth at the Popes feet Now to this place not onely such endeauour to come as haue innouated in matters directly concerning the soule but they also which haue done so either in the Arts or in conuersation or in any thing which exerciseth the faculties of the soule and may so prouoke to quarrrelsome and brawling controuersies For so the truth be lost it is no matter how But the gates are seldome opened nor scarce oftner then once in an Age. But my destiny fauored mce so much that I was present then and saw all the pretenders and all that affected an entrance and Lucifer himselfe who then came out into the outward chamber to heare them pleade their owne Causes As soone as the doore creekt I spied a certaine Mathematician which till then had bene busied to finde to deride to detrude Ptolomey and now with an erect countenance and setled pace came to the gates and with hands and feet scarce respecting Lucifer himselfe beat the dores and cried Are these shut against me to whom all the Heauens were euer open who was a Soule to the Earth and gaue it motion By this I knew it was Copernicus For though I had neuer heard ill of his life and therefore might wonder to find him there yet when I remembred that the Papists haue extended the name the punishment of Heresie almost to euery thing and that as yet I vsed Gregortes and Bedes spectacles by which one saw Origen who deserued so well of the Christian Church burning in Hell I doubted no longer but assured my selfe that it was Copernicus which I saw To whome Lucifer sayd Who are you For though euen by this boldnesse you seeme worthy to enter and haue attempted a new faction euen in Hell yet you must first satisfie those which stand about you and which expect the same fortune as you do Except O Lucifer answered Copernicus I thought thee of the race of the starre Lucifer with which I am so well acquainted I should not vouchsafe thee this discourse I am he which pitying thee who wert thrust into the Center of the world raysed both thee and thy prison the Earth vp into the Heauens so as by my meanes God doth not enioy his reuenge vpon thee The Sunne which was an officious spy and a betrayer of faults and so thine enemy I haue appointed to go into the lowest part of the world Shall these gates be open to such as haue innouated in small matters and shall they be shut against me who haue turned the whole frame of the world and am thereby almost a new Creator More then this he spoke not Lucifer stuck 〈◊〉 meditation For what should he do It seemed vniust to deny entry to him which had deserued so well and dangerous to graunt it to one of so great ambitions and vndertakings nor did he thinke that himselfe had attempted greater matters before his fall Something he had which he might haue conueniently opposed but he was loath to vtter it least he should confesse his feare But Ignatius Layola which was got neere his chaire a subtile fellow and so indued with the Diuell that he was able to tempt and not onely that but as they say euen to possesse the Diuell apprehended this perplexity in Lucifer And making himselfe sure of his owne entrance and knowing well that many thousâ—nds of his family aspired
imagine and represent blood Neither did you most Reuerend Bishop of this Dioces Ignatius abhorre from this way of blood For hauing consecrated your first age to the wars and growne somewhat vnable to follow that course by reason of a wound you did presently begin to thinke seriously of a spirituall warre against the Church and found meanes to open waies euer into Kings chambers for your executioners Which dignitie you did not reserue onely to your own Order but though I must confesse that the foundation and the nourishment of this Doctrine remaines with you and is peculiar to you out of your infinite liberalitie you haue vouchsafed sometime to vse the hands of other men in these imploiments And therefore as well they who haue so often in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it in England as they which haue brought their great purposes to effect in Fraunce are indebted only to you for their courage and resolution But yet although the entrance into this place may be decreed to none but to Innouators and to onely such of them as haue dealt in Christian businesse and of theÌ„ also to those only which haue had the fortune to doe much harme I cannot see but that next to the Iesuites I must bee inuited to enter since I did not onely teach those wayes by which thorough perfidiousnesse and dissembling of Religion a 〈◊〉 might possesse and vsurpâ— vpon the liberty of free Commonwealths but also 〈◊〉 arme and furnish the people with my when they were â—nder 〈◊〉 oppression they might 〈◊〉 est conspire and 〈◊〉 tyrant or reuenge them 〈◊〉 of their Prince and redeem their former losses so thaâ— from both sides both from Prince and People I broughâ— an aboundant harâ—est and noble encrease to this kingdome By this time I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lucifer to bee mucâ— moued with this Oration and to incline much towards Machiauel For he did acknowledge him to bee a kind of Patriarke of those whom they call Lay-men And he had long obserued that the Clergie of Rome 〈◊〉 downe to Hell daily easily voluntarily and by troupes because they were accustomed to sinne against their consciâ—ence and knowledge but that the Layitte sinning out of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and negligence of 〈◊〉 the truth did rather offend by ignorance and 〈◊〉 And therefore he thought himselfe bound to reward Machiauel which had awakened 〈◊〉 drowsie and implicite Layâ— to greater and more bloody â—ndertakings Besides this 〈◊〉 Ignatius could not bee â—enied the place whose ambitions and turbulencies Lucifer vnderstood very wel he thought Machiauel a fit and necessarie instrument to oppose against him that so the skales beeing kept euen by their factions hee might gouerne in peace and two poysons mingled might doe no harme But hee could not hide this intention from Ignatius more subtil then the Deâ—ill and the verier Lucifer of the two Therefore Ignatius rushed out threw himselfe downe at Lucifers feet and groueling on the ground adored him Yet certainly Vasques would not 〈◊〉 this idolatry because in the shape of the 〈◊〉 hee worshipped him whom hee accounted the true God Here Ignatius cried and thundred out With so great noise an horror That had that powder taken fire by which All the 〈◊〉 of Britaine had flowne to the Moone It had not equalled this noise and horror And when he was able to speak distinctly thus hee spoke It cannot be said vnspeakable Emperour how much this obscure Florentine hath transgressed against thee and against the Popo thy image-bearer whether the word bee accepted as Gratian takes it when he calles the Scriptures Imaginarie Bookes or as they take it which giue that style to them who carrie the Emperours image in the field and last of all against our Order Durst any man before him thinke vpon this kinde of iniurie and calumnie as to hope that he should be able to flatter to catch to entrap 〈◊〉 himselfe Certainely whosoeuer flatters any man and presents him those praises which in his owne opinion are not due to him thinkes him inferiour to himselfe and makes account that he hath taken him prisoner and triumphs ouer him Who euer flatters either he derides or at the best instructs For there may bee euen in flattery an honest kind of teaching if Princes by being told that they are already induced with all vertues necessary for their functions 〈◊〉 thereby taught what thosâ— vertues are and by a facile exhortatioÌ„ excited to endeauo to gaine them But was it 〈◊〉 that this fellow should darâ— eitherto deride you or which is the greater iniury to teach you Can it be beleeued that he delivers your praises from his heart and doth not rather herein follow Gratians leuity who saies That you are called Prince of the world as a king at Chests or as the Cardinall of Rauenna onely by derision This man whilst he liued attributed so much to his own wit that hee neuer thought himselfe beholden to your helps and insinuations and was so farre from inuoking you or sacrificing to you that he did not so much as acknowledge your kingdome nor beleeue that there was any such thing in nature as you I must confesse that hee had the same opinion of God also and therefore deserues a place here and a better then any of the Pagan or genâ—le idolaters for in euery idolatrie and false worship there is some Religion and some peruerse simplicitie which tastes of humilitie from all which this man was very free when in his heart he vtterly denyed that there was any God Yet since he thought so in earnest and beleeued that those things which hee affirmed were true hee must not be rancked with them which hauing beene sufficiently instructed of the true God and beloueing him to be so doe yet fight against him in his enemies armie Neither ought it to be imputed to vs as a fault that sometimes in our exorcismes wee speake ill of you and call you Hereticke and Drunkard and Whisperer and scabbed Beast and Coniure the elements that they should not receiue you and threaten you with Indissoluble Damnation and torments a thousand thousand times worse then you suffer yet For these things you know are done out of a secret couenant and contract betweene vs out of Mysteries which must not bee opened to this Neophite who in our Synagogue is yet but amongst the Cathecumeni Which also we acknowledge of Holy Water and our Agnas Dei of which you doe so wisely dissemble a feare when they are presented to you For certainly if there were any true force in them to deliuer Bodies from Diseases soules from sinnes and the Elements from Spirits and malignant impressions as in the verses which Vrban the fist sent with his Agnus Dei to the Emperour it is pretended It had beene reason that they should first haue exercised their force vpon those verses and so haue purged and deliuered them if not from Heresie yet from Barbarousnesse and solecismes that Heretiques might not iustly say there