Masse being ended to repaire to their chambers and there to abide vntill the Bel warneth them to the scholes First the deuines scolasticall and positiue then the phylosophers and logicians and afterwardes the rhetoricians and gramarians One forme after another at diuers and seuerall ringing of the bell goeth to heare the publique lectures of the schooles of Rome and when they are come home from the schooles then one or other ringeth the bell to washing of handes ouer one of the Towels which are there to wipe their handes therewith there is written pro sacerdotibus no scholler dareth to wipe his handes therewith Then one ringeth the bell to dinner and one of the priestes is appointed by father minister a Iesuite to say grace and grace is said in latine and during dinner time one of the schollers who is appointed for that weake ascendeth and goeth vp to the pulpit whiche standeth in the lower ende of the refectorie or haule and there-hée readeth one hystorie or other and afterwards the Martyrologue But if any of the schollers haue committed some veniall sinne as they terme it then he pronounceth his fault and inioyneth suche penance as is specified by the superiours or written in his scedule or peece of paper assoone as he hath done reading hee cōmeth down immediately after wards one or other ringeth the bel thē they rise vp frō dinner to recreatiō their talke is of England wishing hoping the subuersiō thereof they had rather that aliants and straungers did rule the lande And that I lye not hée that is reconciled to the veritie of the Gospel and to the concorde of the reformed Church may beare testimonie for this man was in my time in the Englishe Seminarie and visited a scholler once lying sicke in his bedde which scholler died within a while after There were fiue or sixe schollers with the Neapolitane Priest and a Iesuite then beyng of the Englishe Seminarie nowe reader of Philosophie in the common schooles these perfect scholers talked of the Spanish Nauie of D. Nicholas Saunders then Captaine generall ouer the souldiers which came out of Spaine with him they hoped said they to sée the Masse openly aduanced in Englande for saye they wée had rather haue the Quéene of Scottes or the King of Spaine to gouerne the land thē our gracious Quéene Elizabeth whom God defende for his glorye sake and the maintenance of true religion When I hearde these vnnaturall woordes pronounced of vnnaturall subiectes towards their natural soueraigne and Countrie I could no longer forbeare to speake somewhat after this manner against these most malicious and blooddy wishings Though said I being then moreinclined to superstition then otherwise the religion of our Quéene Countrey differeth from the Catholique faith yet doe I not reade in Gods woorde that it is lawfull for vs to wishe the death of our naturall Princesse the ouerthrowe of our louing Countrey wherein we were borne Wée ought say they as wée may reade in the scripture hartily to pray vnto God for the happie conuersion of our Quéene and countrey to the faith of the Romanes Oh say they we had rather haue our parentes and friendes burned to ashes then that they shoulde renounce the profession of the faith of Rome but God sendeth a shrewd cow short hornes Neuerthelesse our hope and confidence is in the Lord of hoastes that the wished day of theirs shall neuer come to passe if the euent of all things should happen according to their wished mind they would not spare to imbrue their giltie handes in the innocent blood of their parentes and kinsfolke that shoulde boldely and constantly confesse Christ to bée the inuisible head of the Churche and not the Pope Father Ferdinando commended their villanous and Diuelish wishes For breuities sake I omitte to delate vpon their tir ānous doyngs desires and demaunds Nowe I procéede to certifie the curteous Reader of their manner of penaunce If any had committed some faulte by negligēce or through disobedience or contrarywise he hath penance inioyned him according to the qualitie of the crime As if he cōmeth to late to acōpany his fellow to the schooles then he is cōmaunded to stand at dinner or supper vntill the Rectour biddeth him sit downe If any other rose somewhat too late to contemplation hée is charged to lye prostrate on the ground vpon some couerlet or blanket and there hée lyeth on his backe vntill father Reetour or father Minister in the Rectours absence willeth him to rise vp Some for not comming to church some for neglecting the hearing of exhortations some for passing by any Iesuites some for one fault and some for another receue diuerse penances Some holde their fingers in their mouthes in the middle of the haule some are forbidden to drinke some haue not their antepast their first dish of meat or of fruites or of rootes some of ther post-past their after dish eyther of fruites or chéese And thus much in breuity fouching their maner of penances Euery one hath his bedde alone for feare of the abominable acte of Sodomie which is vsuall at Rome amongst all fortes of people And a little before midnight one of the Iesuites commeth to the scollers Chambers to sée what rule they kéepe and whether euery one bée in his owne bedde The scollers both in winter and summer weare two gownes the one vpon the other and a doublet and brieches in summer but in winter they haue warmer apparell Euery wéeke they are bounde to say ouer their beades for the Popes health and his florishing prosperitie and for the whole colledge of the the princely Maiesticall Cardinalls The first time that I came to the Englishe Seminarie father Rectour asked if I had any holy beades I tolde him no the next day the Rectour gaue me a payre of beades and warned me diligently and affectionately to pray incessantly for our patrone the Popes holinesse as he termed it I will sayde I say ouer my beades as well as I may but I could not tell what to doe with my swapping beades vnlesse to fray away dogges For I coulde better number the beades seuerally thē say my prayers on them I neuer learned to vse my beades but contented my selfe with my little primer booke and when I lost them I neuer sought any other I was complayned of to the Rectour for that I regarded no better the Diuels guttes To procéede further to write of the orders of the english seminarie I thinke it not amisse once a moneth euery student hath giuen him the name of some Saint whom for that moneth he taketh to be his patrone and defendour to him hee directeth his prayers and supplications as to God him selfe In that little fragment of paper is written to what purpose he shall pray as for the Popes health and long life that he may see reuengement done vpon princes who are fauourers of the reformed religion that he may subdue all countries fallen from him vnder his seruile
selfe will the instruments of Sathan and men pleasers in iniquitie they that buy embrace bookes wherin consisteth matter of defence in true religion or a plaine discouery of the hypocrisie of the wicked or the manifestation of the corrupt liues of suche as fight against their own consciēce I meane Papists What Papiste is there of any knowledge learning or reading in diuinitie but he knoweth seeth and readeth the trueth D. Alen. D. Bristow D. Nicolson Parsonnes Campion others were sometimes Protestantes but nowe as Demas Crescens Titus and Alexander they are departed from vs because perhaps they woulde not nor coulde not anie longer abide with vs what shall I say of the Seminarie men the most part of them all forsooke their Countrey for want of liuings for want of maintenaunce there are fiftie Schollers in the English Seminarie at Rome that coulde not tell what shift to make for their liuing here in England therefore being loth to bee taken as vagrantes and burnt in the eare as Roges they thought it farre better for the auoyding of this infamie to hazarde their soules to keepe their eares whole and their necke bone vnbroken they feared maister Recorder of Londō very much they thought it good to proue the Popes liberalitie in renouncing the trueth which before they professed and in acknowledging him to be their Christ to be their Messias to be their Iesuah And for some succour sake they outwardly faine themselues to be Papistes but inwardly the most part of them doe see the trueth and confesse they are in a wrong way some of them oftentimes tolde me at Rome whose names I omitte to put in writing hoping their conuersion that the Romish faith was not the true faith Foure of these with mee determined very often secretly to forsake Rome and returne to our countrey But these foure Schollers by their familiar frindes and fellowe Schollers were with much a doe perswaded to remaine at Rome vntill by their Rectours they shoulde be sent to England But as for me what I once determined to do by the sufferāce of god that I thought to bring to passe perswasions coulde nothyng cause me to change my purpose I was perswaded by diuers both by the Iesuites and by the schollers to remaine at Rome but I woulde not nor coulde not vnlesse I had despaired of my saluation as I did during the time of my sicknesse for that in hypocrisie I liued as a Papist my conscience striued so mightily within me that I feared not in talke with my fellowes to speake against the Romishe religion insomuch that oftentimes I was at Rome called heritique I appeale vnto them for testimonie of this trueth that haue heard mee so speaking at Rome but what is this to the purpose greater was my sinne that for any temporall liuing I shoulde forsake my God wherefore very often troubled I am in conscience and grieued in mind that I committed such an horrible offence in the sight of God In deede I must needes confesse that I beleeued vnfaignedly a Monasticall life to haue beene allowable before God I graunted inuocation of Saintes and as for transubstantiation I doubted these two pointes of the Romish religion I did hold a little before my conuersion at the Towre to haue bene firme and agreeable to God his holy worde and as for the thirde point which was transubstantiation I could not tell what to thinke therof but nowe God be thanked I am resolued in these three points as a Christiā ought to bee this treatise is called the book of Pilgrimage for that in my perigrinatiō I haue seen with mine eies the most things which I haue written in this booke for your instructiō christian readers not for any profite of mine estimation fame or glorie to bee gotten thereby as the Papistes doe surmize I am briefer then I woulde bee and that because there are certaine bookes scattered against mee and against my workes whiche bookes if I may geat I meane God willing to pourge my selfe of the slaunders and false reportes of the aduersaries I take no great pleasure in writing greater pleasure would I take to applie my studies but seeing that the Papistes seeke to deface my sayings it is reason that I should defend mine owne cause as farre forth as I may if they flow in termes of Rhetorique and seeke to shadow the truth with their subtilitie I woulde be contented with a plain stile so that I were able to bring forth somewhat in defence of truth I craue the spirite of mildnesse and not the spirite of scoffing and taunting which spirite they neuer want Farewell louing readers God graunt you a perfect faith and to me likewise and also for my former sinnes and hypocrisie the fatherly visitation of God here in this worlde that I may once feele Gods loue towardes me a sinner an abiect and wormes meate God be mercifull vnto me and confirme my faith God forgiue me mine hypocrisie my wicked life and lewde behauiour God giue me grace neuer to commit the like trespasses against his diuine maiestie in word or deede Be thou fauourable O Lorde vnto Sion build vp the broken walles of Ierusalem forsake not thy Sanctuarie but saue thine elect from the pernitions customes of the wicke◠worlde so full of poyson so full of murther so full of whoredome so full of auarice so full of contempt and so full of securitie that alas euen with horrour it swelleth to the toppe of the vppermost heauens and it annoyeth the seate of the most highest Such as are gone astray God bring them home such as are conuerted God make them strong such as are and euer herevnto haue bene in the true faith of Christ God giue thē perseuerance vnto the ende and in the ende suche as are wicked God make them good God increase the number of his elect God make vs all his faithfull seruantes to raigne with him in glory and blisse in his kingdome of euerlasting ioy Amen I. N. If vertue faile as it doth beginne The people must quaile and die in their siune And if it decrease Gods curse is at hand To destroy vs our peace our soules and our lande Therefore let vs amende Gods plagues to preuent For when life is gone it is to late to repent Take heede then to preaching Gods worde to imbrace And learne to take warning least God you deface IN not well perusing my copie through my default Christian readers fiue or sixe grosse words haue escaped my hands to the print vncorrected but yet they are not so grosse and obscure but that others more learned then I am in a matter more graue haue writen the like wherefore let not these fiue or sixe words offend your modestie neither thinke the woorse of my booke if any other faultes bee escaped in the booke amēd them I pray you and construe them to the best A Lessandro imperatore diceua che il prencepe doueria sempre essere piu prōto presto in dare
Sbirri euen to Saint Peters Church they woulde hane killed him in the Vestiarie had not the shauen crownes holpen him and deliuered him from the danger then imminent Cardinall Como Cardinall Morono cardinall Sauello best fauourers of the English Seminarie at Rome are very proÌ„pt and readie to exhort the English Priests â—o seduce the simple people héere in England and to stirre vp dissention amongst â—he Gentrie But to warne the popes â—chollers to goe decently in apparrell to walke circumspectly in their calling to deale with all men simplie and iustly to liue vertuously they neuer intende it But what crastie counsell may be giuen to make hurly burly in this lande they giue it To speake a little of the Bishops I thinke it not amisse The Bishop of Versellis and the Bishop of Pauia were at great dissention for worldly dignitie as my brother reported vnto mée who was with them both and heard how the one backhited the other and the one maliciously slaundered the other The one dealt with my brother very liberally willed him to certifie the Bishop of Pauia what liberall giftes hée had receiued at his handes The other knowing of the Bishop of Versellis liberalitie gaue him more Iuels then other wise hee woulde haue doone and willed him to tell the other Bishops what hée had giuen But when they gaue him so much money for that the one woulde séeme more vertrous then the other I cannot tell buâ—â— surely because the one willed him to ceâ—tifie the other how much money hée hareceÌ„tued I thinke it hypocrisie The Bishop of Turym had the name in the town to be very much fleshly minded but whe ther hée was such a one or no I canno of certaintie tell how beit thus went thâ— report of him Though the Bishop oâ— Granoble hath vowed chastitie yet heâ— hath two or thrée base borne children and kéepeth a well complextioned gentlewomaÌ„ to serue him at bed at boord What liuers the Bishops are in Fraunce they that haue dayly trafficke in those countries may soone knowe and howe wickedly most Bishops I doe not say all leade their liues they that bée trauellers can easily shew I will not name all whom I haue knowne by the report of manie to haue liued very hypocritically naughtilie in germany where papistrie reigneth The Bishops in many places liue not spiritually but secularly as my brother hath séene with his eyes Let no man thinke that I reporte these thinges to thee of malice How the generation Papisticall Bishops haue liued from me to time histortes do declare Hee â—at was Bishop sometime of Cambray 〈◊〉 his booke de vitis Patrum de rebus estis Catholicorum writeth how that in â—raunce Germanie Italie Spaine and Engâ—ande also when the saying was Viuat Papa Romanus Bishops liued more after the example of Sodomites Tyrians Sydonists theÌ„ after the example of true vertuous Christians There was a Bishop saith this writer that was born in Germanie dwelt there when this Bishop was a boy hée was so dull of conceining any thing the was taught him by his maister that hée prouoked to himselfe more stripes then all the rest of the schollexs besides This lad being werie of suffering more stripes and beatinges made his prayer to our blessed Ladie Marie the mother of our Lorde Iesu Christe who being as it were ouercome with his often supplication asked him at the last what hee woulde haue then answered the boy the gift of learning For now through defect thereof I am beaten without compassion Our blessed Lady powred so much doctrine into his mouth thaâ— hée was readie to crye It is good Therâ— shée tolde him that after the decease oâ— the Bishop of his Diocesse hée should bâ— created a Bishop and bée his successour This man soone after excelled his maister in perfect knowledge of good Literature and after the discease of the Bishop hée became Bishop in his roome but afterwardes hée liued so sensually and so voluptuously that hée surpassed the beastes of the field in sensualitie and voluptuousnesse For hée tooke the Nunnes out of their Monasterie and made them his bedfellowes hée rauished his neighbours maidens and defiled his neighbors beds insomuche that vpon a time there came a voyce vnto him and saide Thou hast doone enough repent now but hée lightly regarding what the voyce had told him became worse worse Another time the voyce came and tolde him againe Thou hast doone enough nowe repent but the next night he tooke two Nunnes out of a Nunrie and stept with them both Then the spirite of illusion came as they were a bed in the forme of a man and willed â—e bishop tomake roome who asked him owe hée entered into the chamber the ore being lockt The spirite answered â—at hée opened the doore by his cunning Then hée asked him againe how he durst â—ée so bolde but the spirite making no â—nswere too this demaund bad the Biâ—hop make roome without asking any â—nore questions Then the Bishop asked whence he was he answered from Hell â—hen saide the Bishop what is it the thou wouldest haue then saide the Hellishe â—pirite come thy way thou hast liued too â—ong in pleasures and delights These wordes being saide hée tooke the Bishop and lifted him vp in the ayre and letting him fall bruised and mangled so piteousâ—y that it was horrible to be beholded As â—oone as the day light appeared the Bishops seruaÌ„ts being vp saw their master â—ying dead on the ground very deformed dissigured by the furious spirites of Hel. Hée writeth another historie in his booke of a certaine Bishop who had a temporall princely dignitie beside his reuerend spirituall function As this Bishop was on a day riding abrode there beheld him a farre of a poore husbande man whom when the Bishop sawe hée called vntâ— him and asked why hée behelde him 〈◊〉 gréedily Mary quoth the poore man was straunge in my sight to sée you princely attyre and your courtly rouâ— of valiant champions and noble Gentlâ—women Doest thou not know that am both a Secular Prince and a Spirâ—tuall Bishop Then answered the couâ—try man I knowe not so much but surâ—ly I thinke it is harde for a man to seruâ— God and the worlde to bée chaste and 〈◊〉 maintaine waiting gentlewomen Theâ— saide the Bishop thou saiest truth thaâ— beyng a Bishop I must liue as a bishop but whereas thou séest I am a temporaâ— prince beside I may flaunt in my brauery héere in this worlde and doe God gooâ— seruice I may kéepe as many men anâ— women as I liste What followeth iâ— the Historie thou maist reade my sonne at thy leasure Thou mayest see mâ— sonne many such pretie histories in thaâ— Byshop of Cambrays booke full of delectation I wyll tell thée my sonne of onâ— Bishop that gote a childe by his owne â—aughter hée dwelt in Bauaria and had â—is daughter to kéepe his house whom he â—iked so well that hée tryed the maisterie with her
whether hée were able to geate a childe by her or no. But it so fell out as it was reported at Inglestade that his â—aughter was gotten with childe by her father The Cardinall of Trent that â—ately deceased gaue himselfe so much to drinking that hée became a famous Clarke in that science especially in the assemblie of swyll pottes Many suche â—elly Gods horned Prelates and oyled Priestly Bishops coulde I recite but these fewe alreadie recited may contente thy minde vntill thou hast séene with thine eyes what many of them bee in déede Trisander The Papistes blame the liues of our bishops very much but surely compare their liues together you shall sée that they differ muche the one from the other Tiptelichia Thou saiest truth for albeit there bée one or other that liueth not so vprightly as hée ought yet where as one or other liueth otherwise then well yet haue you the most parte liue very well and are good Preachers This to bée true all men knowe To wade any farther in talke with thée at this present time I may not nor will I may not in respect of my businesse nor will for that I knowe the liues of these fewe Cardinals Bishops recited according to veritie may serue thée for a sufficient warning how to take héed of papistrie being the religion of Diuels and not of faithfull Christians Adue my sonne God blesse thée and make thée his seruant to doe his will as hée commaundeth to thy Parents ioy and thine owne comforte and consolation in Christe Iesu Cleaue to the truth bée mindfull of thy calling be warned in time to flie from iniquitieâ— once againe farewell my sonne and forget not my wordes Trisander As you haue councelled mée to doe so will I doe God willing Adue good mother god haue you in his kéeping Tiptelichia Holde héere I giue thée foure score poundes spend not too liberally least that thou want and then findâ— none that will succour thée Bée wise circumspect humble prouident sober patient and carefull Trisander I will once againe adue god preserue you euermore graunt that I may returne happily vnto you againe Tiptelichia Amen God graunt that thy returning home may bée as ioyfull to mée as thy departure from home is troublesome and greeuous THus are these two former Dialogues finished and ended I must make hast to the thirde And courteous Reader if thou be not alreadie tyred in reading the fewe leaues going before proceede a little further and thou shalt see very pretie stuffe and worthie to bee noted The end of the second Dialogue The thirde Dialogue Wherein the liues of certaine Monkes Friers my Ladie Nunnes and sister Nunnes are discouered The speakers are Trisander the Christian Pilgrime and Diawinckianâ— the wandering Papist Trisander NOWE I haue for saken the presence of my father and mother and bidden adue to my louing countrie Nowe wil I frequent and vse the company of straungers and trauell into sundrie forreigne soyles now haue I hazarded my life to a thousande dangers to danger of drowning to hazzarde of robbing to perill of murdering I feare the raging waters I dread the couetous robbers and I mistrust the cruell murderers Good God what shall I doe I am compassed round about and inuironed on euery side howe shall I scape the imminent perils in euery way There lurketh a théefe in most woods through Fraunce there are noterious murtherers I want companie I knowe not the language Good Lorde what shall I doe woulde God I were in Englande againe I would I were with my father and mother who loued mee so dearely that no Parents more entirely coulde loue their children But séeing I am thus farre out of my countrie and am at Rhone not farre from the famous Citie Paris I will goe forwardes in my iourney bée the way neuer so dangerous Si Deus sit mecum quis contra me If God bee with mee who can doe me any wrong I sée a man comming behind mée a farre of I will aske him whether he determineth to trauell But I thinke by his apparrell that hée is no scholler wherefore I will first expect looke for some words from his mouth and if hée begin to speak Frenche I will answere him in Latine and by that meanes I shall prooue if hée be a scholler or no. Diawinckiani Dieu vous gard monfieur ou voulez vous cheuaucher Trisander Amice mi externus sums sermonem tuum non percipio I am a stranger vnderstand not your wordes Sed pace tua diverim ni fallor tua in Auglia familiaritate quondam vsus sum tempore Mariano But with your good leaue I speake it vnlesse I am deceiued in Quéene Maries time wee were well acquainted in England Diawinckiani Ie suis bien ioyâ—ux vostre trouue compaignie si il vous plaist nous irons ensemble d' ou estes vous I am glad to haue your coÌ„panie if it may please you wée will goe together whence are you Trisander I vnderstande you are no Latinist but séeing that you speake French I will answere you in English if you bée hée whom I meane you can speake the English tongue Diawinckiani I vnderstand and can speake your language I am glad you haue not forgotteÌ„ me in déede in Quéene Maries time I haue liued in Englande â—nd fared very wel with powdred béefe â—nd fat mutton good wine and strong â—éere in faring so daintily and liuing so méerily in fléeping so softly carousing so stoutely I serued Thomas Becket and my Ladie Anne of Cleue I loked to their rotten bones and swept the dust from their images I did them good seruice and therefore by their intercession I deserued to redéeme many soules out of the boyling Cauldron of Purgatorie Trisander I reioyce and am glad that it was my good lucke to finde you in this forreigne countrie In déede I remember your state very well your life then surely was pleasant you were cooke in the monasterie of Glastenburie about fiftie yéeres agoe you were then young and lustie coulde haue brought to your Abbots Chamber a pretie young damosell to kéepe him waking and to comfort his wéery members féebled with ouermuch studies Diawinckiani Your words are true I was such a one as you speake of then my diligence was acceptable to many an Abbot and Pryor to many a Monke and Fryer I haue gotten wealth by theÌ„ obteined much pleasure enioyed great estimation by coupeling Male and Female together at the last they sawe mée so fortunate in bringing to passe those thinges which they had wished that they promoted mée to bee the Clarke of the Monasterie Chappell I had the precious reliks of Thomas Becket my Lady Anne of Cleue in my custody I had their images likewise in my kéeping Trisander I knowe my friende what you were in times past therefore superfluous it shal be to make many wordes of that matter but I pray you tell me whither are you bounding what is your state and
to curtezans and ruffians Trisander A faire péece of worke I promise you they boast that they are sent from Christ to instruct publicans sinners and curtezans I woulde they learned first to liue godly themselues being publicans sinners and harlots bedfellowes and play mates I woulde to God they framed their liues according to the will of God They deserue more glory at Christ his handes say these Iesuiticall helhoundes then the Angels do they merits the kingdome of heauen of their owne workes What shall I speake of their erronious doctrine séeing many both learned and veriuous haue written at large thereof And therfore I passe it ouer the rather because their pernicious doctrine is well knowne and published to the world in print But brother Diawinck can you tell whether they say they haue any coÌ„ference wish Christ Diawinckia Tush man what speake you of conference seeing that our blessed Ladie as you knowe bringeth them as they are sléeping both bed and all vnto heauen and in their dreames they talke as familiarly with Christe as Robinhood and William of Clowdesly All their talke with Christ is in dreames visions I think euer will be There talked once with mée a Iesuite trauelling to Madonna di loreto who tolde mée that Christe is a vision appeared vnto him and saide that hée shoulde prooue a notable Philosopher well estéemed of all men and therfore said this Iesuite this Aristoles booke which you sée I carty alwaies with mée Then I asked him why rather hée brought not with him the book of the new Testament Then answered this Iesuite Aristotles booke is more profounde and learned then the booke of the newe Testament Thus wée sée that the booke of an Heathen philosopher is more estéemed amoÌ„gst these Iesuites then the booke of the newe Testament containing nothing els in it but the heauenly veritie Had not the Rector of the German Colledge at Rome séene in a vision our blessed lady come to him telling him he should be a Iesuite he had neuer as he thinketh béen a Iesuite nor rector of that Colledge He that faineth best and excelleth in hypocrisie shal be in great reputation amongst this new order of the Iesuites Héere in this place I surcease to speake of the Iesuites any more Nowe wil I speake a word or two touching the Theatines The Theatines are a kind of religious men who differ nothing in habite froÌ„ the Iesuites their shurt baÌ„ds are scarce to bée séene so are the Iesuites their gownes are somtimes of one colour and sometimes of another These Theatines haue moe reuenewes yea and they fare better theÌ„ many an honest maÌ„ doth they heare coÌ„fessioÌ„ ther by so delude the people insomuch that they giue theÌ„ both money other things necessary this foolish generatioÌ„ goeth neuer a begging but al things necessary for prouisioÌ„ are broght to their houses I haue béen at their monasteries haue had such good chéere the better lightly is not to be gotteÌ„ They haue wine pleÌ„tie al other things in great abundance Now because this generatioÌ„ is obscure vnknoweÌ„ to the world therfore to make theÌ„ famous is not mine inteÌ„t but this I say that these Iesuites these Theatines are in great emulatioÌ„ the one speaketh euil of the other the one enuieth the other There is no difference almost betwéene the Iesuites the Theatines I woulde speak more abundaÌ„tly of this order of the Theatines if our English men were any whit molested by the name sect therof God be thanked England knoweth not what they be by me surely at this time England shall not know what they are The remeÌ„braÌ„ce of the preseÌ„t state of this our miserable time wherin so many sects so many vowed orders of vaine professâ—ds abound doth driue a maruellous sorrow griefe into me who haue séene theÌ„ I bewaile lameÌ„t their cases For coÌ„sidering the pitifull plight of these our wretched daies what true Christian is there but wil powre out a fountaine of teares to bewaile the calamitie therof The ruine of our aduersaries is exceeded so farre that it withdraweth maÌ„s expectation to looke for amendement vnles God of his great mercie doe worke supernaturally the restitution Againe none might nowe double his exclamation in these dayes as Seneca reporteth which is good life lawe good order godlines faith are now decaied Therefore calling to my remembrance this our carefull case I mused with my selfe what might bée the cause thereof and sodenly came to my remembrance the comfortable promises of God the father made to the kéepers of his lawes and commaundementes and likewise I considered his intollerable threatninges to the breakers of the same Then comparing the wretchednesse of our liues to the sinceritie of his holy preceptes I finde a marueilous difference Good life was neuer in such contempt malice at no time bare such rule the godly neuer more dispised and finally God neuer more dishonoured nor the Catholike faith at any time had in so litle regarde especially of such as of arrogancie chalenge to themselues the name of true Christians who in very déede are vtterly voide of all christianitie To these the wordes of Christ may be well applied where he sayth in the 9. Chap. 15. If I had not come vnto them they shoulde haue had no sinne in them but now their sinne doth remaine Which words are verily verified in those false Christians which did erre not onely in faith but also in all other pointes of religion and yet obstinatly séeme to defende their religion They will not yeelde to scripture they wil not consent to reason they will not acknowledge the trueth It is by nature giuen to men in some things to erre but to persist therein is against nature For saith Tullie Lib. 1. Wée bée al drawen and led to aspire vnto knowledge wherein to passe other we thinke it a goodly matter but to slide to erre to bée ignorant to bée deceiued wée count it euill and dishonest Therefore saith hée one thing is to be auoided therein which is that we take not things that we know not as though we knew them and rashly assent to them Wherefore deliberation and aduertisment is to bée required in such causes Nowe then it is the office and duetie of man to apply his will to the grace of God by whom truth is reueiled in time wherevnto hée ought to consent The serpent Hydra with whom Hercules fought had not so many heades as each of these serpents had deuised opinions nor yet Ixion begate so many Centaurs as these monsters imagined heresies insomuch that vpon one point which is the chiefest coÌ„fort left here vpon earth there are Myriades opinionum innumerable opinions and one so contrary to another that they agrée like germaines lips The monstruossitie of whiche opinions are such that to remember them it yéeldeth a marueylous terrour to the heart of many a good christian These adulterate Iesuites thinke it not sufficient to effeminate the
very much to séeke to haue accesse to Cardinall Modone for their letters of presentation to this Deanerie and that Deanerie to this Archdeaconship that Archdeaconship to this benefice and that benefice About a two yéeres agoe there was such a brute at Rome that Queene Elizabeth was dead that the schollers triumphed and were at variance betwéene themselues who shoulde haue the beast Ecclesiasticall liuinges here in England some said hée would bée deane of Paules another woulde assigne to him selfe the Deanerie of Yorke so euery one would choose to himselfe one peculiar place or other therein to be deane archdeacon or parson one of the schollers made sute to Cardinall Modone to haue his letters of presentatiō to be made M. Parson assoone as hée came to Englande And at another time there was great sturre and controuersie at Rome betwéene Goldwel Quondam bishoppe of saint Asse and Shelley Prior of the order of the crosse which of them shoulde be Archbishoppe of Canterburie for both of them were perswaded through a false surmised report that our louing Quéene was disceased whom God preserue frō day to day to his glory and the publique benefite of this fortunat English Iland Their vaine interrogations may bée fed and pleased by the newes before mentioned Trisander I am content to dee as you haue saide for by the recitall of suche newes I will satisfie their inquisitiue demaundes But tell mée good friend Theophilactus howe long may wée lawfully remaine in the Englishe hospitall without offence vnto the superiours of that house Theopilactus Eyght dayes may we stay there and haue both meate drinke and lodging which dayes being expired wée must depart thence Trisander But shall wée bee examined of our religion of the Popes inquisitours Theophilactus There is no examination of religion vnlesse they haue you in suspition of a contrary religion You may be in Rome twentie yéeres and neuer be examined touching your religion vnlesse some of your acquaintance to bewray you or els that you speake one worde or other inuectiuely against their Romish religion which if yée doe then shall you bee straitly examined of the inquisitours and haue no fauour without recanting the trueth but suffer taunts and rayling words which you shall not want nor any miserie or sorrowe that they can procure you in any respect Trisander But wée will take héede what wée speake that wée fall not into their mercie But let these words passe and nowe tel me I pray you who were the founders of this hospitall and what reuenewes hath it and what is he that is protectour of this hospitall Theophilactus Kings of Englande first founded this hospitall and bought certaine houses within the walles of the Citie of Rome for the maintenance therof as for landes it hath none belonging vnto it Cardinall Morone is protectour thereof and of the English colledge adioyning vnto the same D. Morice a welch man is the prouider and manciple thereof which D. Morice was sometimes Rectour of the English Seminarie but during the time of his Rectourship there was such dissention in the Colledge amongst the English men and the welchmen that I thinke the spirits of darkenesse did better agrée together in hell This D. Morice fauoured his own countreymē more then hée did the other wherfore the Englishe men coulde not abide him nor allow him to bée Rectour D. Parkar if hee vsed no parcialitie but spake vprightly surely he was worthy to be commended D. Morice saide he to mée beeing then at Millan in his house is appoynted Rectour of the English Seminarie but he is so proude and stately that hée rideth in a Wagon as though hee were a prince and causeth the English schollers to follow him all a long aloofe a farre of While he thus rangeth and wandereth abrode the Englishe schollers are sure to fare hard but the Welshmen will not be so vsed Maister Morice say they is our countruman and therefore we will fare of the best and surely so they did as I vnderstoode by their owne confession For they had the best chambers the best apparrell and the best commons for the cooke was a welshman the kéeper of the wine seller was a welshman al were welshmē that had any office so that they could controul the other schollers at their pleasure And when any english scholer made sute to be of the Colledge he would aske him with a grim countenance from whēce he came and what was the cause of his comming then he woulde tell him that there came more wandering fugitiues out of england then out of Wales But if he vnderstoode there came a welsh man he woulde receiue him very courteously and entertaine him ioyfully and so woulde his countreimen take him by the fiste with many congratulations O proud vncharitable wretches what distinction make you of Wales and England that there shoulde breede in your poysoned breastes such canckred malice towardes them that bee of your owne crewe and superstitious secte of poperie This Morice the welshman neuer loued thē that were borne in England for proofe whereof I will bring his owne slaunderous reportes which I haue heard with mine eares vttered frō his owne mouth euen to his countreimen The englishmen sayd he are proud and ambitious braggers and they are slaunderers of our nation If he had sayd both we welshmē and you englishmen are high minded ful of enuie bragging and standering one of another I would haue holden with him but seeing he sought to cleare himselfe and his owne countreymen in shifting their faults from themselues to the englishmen I commend not his charitie He would say often that the english papists were plaine hypocrites and had no more religion to vse his owne termes then a dogge that they sought for vaineglorie and a name of holines And so they did doubtles and so did his owne countreimen too albeit he spake nothing against them as hereafter in the sequel of this chapter most manifestly shall appeare to the viewe of England I will speake the truth for both I will not spare to discouer the malice and hypocrisie of the one and the other I will not be partiall neither shall affection drawe mée to display the offences of the one and kéepe in silence the enormities of the other but with an vpright conscience and an equal minde I will write of them both as well of welshmen as of Englishmē as the truth shall giue place They neuer came to dinner or supper without iarring brauling one with the other they vsed such ignominious names the one to the other as I am loth to rehearse for Ciuilitie sake I am a Gentleman quoth the one thou art a rascall quoth the other The welshman beginneth to fret and fume and saith albeit I came to Rome with broken rent apparrell yet I am borne of as good blood as thou art stop there quoth the other nay I tell thée plainely I am as good a Gentleman as thou art where sir quoth
shall reape the commoditie If the benifice bee woorth threescore poundes a yéere sir Iohn shall haue twenty or scarce that if it be woorth more the patrone of the benefice hath the greater profite and sir Iohn lacke latine not a whit the better And when these popish priests are apprehended some had rather wilfully weare Stories Tippet then yéelde to the trueth They knowe their names shall bée celebrated as the names of Saints amongst the viperous Progenie of wicked papists They know moreouer that their apparell shall bee adored and woorshipped if it may bee bought or gotten of the Papistes their bodyes also should be holy reliques in the Pharisaicall sinagogue of Papistes if they coulde come by them by some secret meanes Thus haue I briefly and without prolixitie of woordes declared the dissention and discorde of the Studentes amongst themselues I haue written also of the orders of the English Seminary at Rome I haue shewed howe vnnaturall the Studentes be to their natural mercifull princesse to rayle vpon her maiestie in their sermons reuile her which reprochfull words I haue shewed likewise howe much hurt they wish to their countrey I meane Englande For they had rather it were destroyed with fire sword and famine then if shoulde continue in the trueth of Christian religion Nowe the Christian reader may easily vnderstande what crueltie they would practise vpon their own Countrey men if power and strength were correspondent to their satanicall desires God hath weakened the might of our aduersaries and I hope will holde it enfebled continually Let the Popes schollers and all other papists wishe what tyranny they list to bée vsed vpon Englande it will not bée as they desire but it wil be as it pleaseth the Lord. If persecution and miserie fall vpon Englande it is for the sinnes of England and not for that they reiect the Popes authoritie and his forged religion This English Seminarie hath foure thousand Crownes a yéere for the maintenaunce thereof There was great suite made vnto the Pope before hee woulde graunt anye exhibition for the maintenaunce of any number of schollers at Rome There was an Englishe Lady that wrote vnto him about it and many Doctours besides other Englishmen of some worshippe and credite Doctor Allen the chiefest scholler of an Englishe man that is beyonde the Seas and president of the Englishe Seminarie at Rhemes came a foote to Rome and was glad within these seuen yeeres to haue beene Thomas Beckettes Chapilan and to receiue foure crownes a moneth to buie him meate drinke and cloth His fauour then with the Pope was very small but yet hée coulde not gette this poore liuing for that Doctor Morice being a malicious and enuious man who vnder Cardinall Morone had the preferring of him there vnto denied it him partely for that he was an Englishe man and partly fearing least that by such meanes by little and little hée shoulde come in fauour with the Pope as well as hée At the first the Pope was intreated to giue exhibition for sixe schollers secondly hée was persuaded to maintaine fourtéene and by little and little the number is growne to thréescore So that in Rhemes hée maintaineth fourescore and eight But our English Gentlemen as I haue hearde D. Alen report to the Rector of the Englishe Seminarie at Rome supplieth the want of that Colledge with seuenscore poundes at a time I Haue now Gentle Reader put in writing the dissention and orders of the English Seminarie and haue written so truely whatsoeuer I haue hearde and seene that my aduersaries except they haue an impudent face can say nothing to the contrarie And yet I haue not written all the disorders of that Colledge but leaue that for another time when occasion shall better serue In all this booke I haue fained nothing neither emptied my gal neither spoke I any thing of hatred or fauour to any man God the iudge of all men is my witnesse But I haue written thus much to this ende that our cake holy Priestes may not delude the people with the false praises of their fained holynesse If proud malicious enuious slaunderous luxurious and ambitious men deserue to bee counted vertuous why then the Popes schollers are vertuous For they are proude malicious enuious c. For when they come on the Saturdayes to receiue their shyrts the one saith to him that deliuereth the shyrts come giue me a good shyrt for a naughtie shyrt doth not become the beautie of my face very well Ther will bee sometime such contention amongest them who shall haue the fairest shirt that it is a worlds wonder to see it One saith I am of better complexion then hee another doth contrary him in his saying oftentimes I haue looked two or three houres for a shyrt and was loth to contende with any for my beautie was burnt with the heat of the Sunne or to say as it is I neuer had any and passe not it I neuer shal There was one honoredin that colledge as a saint for his beauties sake but lo now he is a carkase I saw him dead but so deformed that I scarse knewe him albeit I vsed his company for a long tyme. Quid superbis terra cinis Why art thou proud thou earth and ashes The Lorde gaue thee that beauty wherein thou so much gloriest and within one houre wil take it away at his pleasure and leaue thee an ougly sight to the beholders Repent you that are the Popes schollers repent you of your pride repent you of your Romish religion repent you of your cankred malice both to Queene and Countrie be humble imbrace the truth bee loyall to your Soueraigne and loue your Countrie God graunt you may doe so for your owne soules health Amen The seuenth Dialogue Wherein is shewed that the Turks Iewes by the Popes licence are permitted to haue their sinagogue in his vsurped kingdome iurisdiction how he suffereth Curtezans in their filthinesse for a yeerely tribute paid to his Treasure house which tribute of theirs amounteth in the yeere to twentie thousande poundes The speakers are Trisander the Christian Pilgrime and Merādulabasca the Turkish Merchant and Rabbi Diacothelah the craftie Iewe. Trisander SEing my friend Theophilactus is gone away from mée to looke vnto his businesse I thinke it necessary for my comfort and greater ease to mée in mine expences to ioyne my selfe to the company of some trustie traueller and pilgrime which intendeth to goe to Madonna di Loreto As hée bethought him selfe in this wise how to finde a faithfull friende in his iourney loe héere hée méeteth with a wealthie rich merchant Turke that determineth to goe to Ancona a Citie not farre from Madonna di Loreto this man vnderstanding that Trisander wanted a companion saith after this maner as followeth Merandulabasca Your faire and cleare cōplexiō doth make manifest that you are an Englishman your stature behauiour gesture and apparell doth testifie the same are you not What say you