cōmitted to him It followeth Casting down from their throne those that are mightier he throweth them downe euen to the ground as ministers of proud Lucifer How madlie the drunken frier inuadeth the place of Isaias * which doth properlie Ch. 14. concerne the popes of Rome and the vniuersall priests of the church For Gregorie the great doth plainly testifie that vnder the person of Nabuchadnosor the vniuersal pope is described For in hel there are brought in the damned kings princes comming out as it were to méete the pope and to welcome him comming vnto them after his death and mocking him thus Hell was afraide bicause of thee against the meeting of thy comming al the princes of the earth that are dead arise to thee All the kings of the nations rise out of their throns and they speak vnto thee on this wise Art thou also become weake as one of vs and art thou become like to vs Thy pride is drawne vnto the hell O Lucifer when didst thou fall from heauen thou sonne of the morning and art cut downe to the earth that didst terrifie the nations But thou saidst in thine hart I will clime vp into heauen I will exalt my throne aboue the stars of heauen I will clime vp aboue the height of the cloud and will become like to the most highest Those that see thee shall saie Is this he that troubled the earth and did shake kingdoms Now let vs heare Gregorie out of his fourth booke of Epistles ch 82. where he applieth that place of Isaias vnto him that did professe himselfe to be pope and vniuersall bishop I will clime vp saith he aboue the height of the clowdes I will be like to the most highest For what are all thy brethren the bishops of the vniuersall church but stars of heauen Before whom whiles thou couetest to set thy selfe by a worde of pride and to tread their name vnder foote in comparison of thee what else dost thou say but I will clime vp into heauen I will exalt my seat aboue the stars of heauen Whom whiles your brotherhood despising them doth go about to tread vnder foote what other thing saith it but this which the old enimie saith I will clime vp aboue the height of the clowds Al which things when I behold weeping c. By which words it is vnderstood that the place of Isaias concerning Lucifer cast downe into the neather most part of the earth and of his crueltie thrust downe into hell doth not belong to the most noble king of Nauarre than whom the sunne beholdeth nothing more méeke more gentle but vnto our Polyphemus Sixtus the fift and vnto his pride in treading vnder-foote the maiestie of kings But if we must cut the throat of this gyant with his owne sword lo we haue a plaine text in his owne decrée * where it is thus written Lucifer de poeniten dist 2. §. qui vero reprobi whiles that he presumed of himselfe in pride he was cast downe from paradyse into hell Also * Whiles Nabuchadnosor waxing proud in 23. q. 5. §. hinc notandum his hart said Is not this Babylon which I haue built c. God did foorthwith change his reasonable mind and he changed him into the forme of beastlines so that flieng from men he liued with beasts Which words he reciteth referring them vnto the pope which we wil haue especially noted and he commendeth Ludouike of Rome * But now let vs procéed in cons vlt. num 2. to the rest after we haue added that one thing out of the 38. leafe of the booke of the Conformities bicause mention is made of the seat of Lucifer The peace making Frier being caught vp into heauen whether in the bodie or without the bodie God knoweth let the readers consider how wickedly the vile munk doth mock the words of Paul and he saw in heauen manie seates amongst which he saw one higher than his fellowes bedeckt with pretious stone And he heard a voice saieng to him This was Lucifers seate and in his place shall humble Francis sit And this surely is that which we said before that Francis Bernardo togither with the rest of his stage plaiers and comicall mates shall haue a place in Lucifers kingdome so that we néed not greatly dispute whether Francis or pope Sixtus the fift a bishop of the order of Francis is worthie the seate It followeth in the bull According to the care for all chruches people and nations that lieth vpon vs. Good Lord What a burden hath our great cowled Frier taken vpon him séeing he hath taken vp vpon his shoulders the care both for all churches and people nations We will héerafter cease to woonder what is the cause that painters haue in his image painted the form of one that stoupeth Scarce Atlas who they say held vp heauen did beare a heauier burden What shall then become of vs if the pope begin to faint and faile vnder that so great a burden which he complaineth to lie vpon his shoulders alone They say that the cause of a certain melancholy persons gréefe was bicause he was afraid least Atlas who had so long borne so great a burden should at length sinke vnder it But we thinke it good to set downe in this place a certaine pleasant narration of William Budeus a man as I said before that loued his countrie and was very learned touching these Atlasses out of his fift booke De Asse A certain pleasant and merie preacher saith he was woont not long ago to cauill at them and to say that they seemed to him to be such as are those corbat images in churches which are set vpon posts or pillers For as we see some of these images as it were yeelding vnder their burden which are either in stead of corbats or else they reach without the mortesses of the corbats and they seeme to one that beholdeth them as if they tooke great paines and swet with bearing the worke whereas indeed they are without feeling and they help the strength of the stones nothing howsoeuer they seeme to take great paines so we see these Atlasses set and placed vpon the very tops of the pillers in the temple of the Lord hauing indeed that false honor and maiestie of titles like reuerend old men and their custome is to pretend holines and to beare a faire shew of reuerend old men that vnderprop the Lords sanctuarie but when we behold their blockish ignorance or dissolute carelesnes it is euident that they do no more good than images of stone But it séemeth that we ought not to omit that which Antoninus archbishop of Florence whom we haue sundry times before mentioned hath taught vs that when as long ago the pope began to faint vnder so great a burden there were some found that did vnderprop him with their shoulders namely Dominican Friers For he writeth thus * Dominic Histor. part 3. tit 23. §. 3. fol. 191. went
THE BRVTISH THVNDERBOLT or rather FEEBLE FIER-FLASH of Pope SIXTVS the fift against HENRIE the most excellent King of Nauarre and the most noble HENRIE BORBON Prince of CONDIE Togither with a declaration of the manifold insufficiencie of the same Translated out of Latin into English by CHRISTOPHER FETHERSTONE Minister of Gods word Nahum 3. I wil reueale thy filthines vpon thy face and wil shew thy nakednes amongst the nations and thy shame in the kingdoms Imprinted at London by Arnold Hatfield for G. B. and R. Newbery 1586 TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE LORD ROBERT DVDLEY Earle of Leicester Baron of Denbigh Knight of the most noble orders of the Garter and of S. Michael Maister of the Queenes horse one of hir Highnesse most honourable priuie Councel and Lord Lieutenant and Captaine general of hir Maiesties forces in the Low countries THE EXPERIence of your honorable acceptation of my last simple trauell in translating Maister Caluins Commentaries vpon Saint Iohns Gospell hath imboldened me further to present your Honor with another slender fruit of the same Which though it be not of like qualitie with the former yet I doubt not but it shal prooue profitable to as manie as with diligence and indifferencie shall vouchsafe it the pervsing The Author albeit not specified heerin by name seemeth to be a man of great reading singular iudgement and excellent dexteritie in handling the matter which he vndertooke The worke a notable discouery of that Abaddon or destroieng enimie the sonne of perdition that sitteth in the temple of God as God wherein both his defacing of the glorie of the sonne of God in heauen whose vicegerent he would be counted and his trampling vnder feete whatsoeuer is called God amongst men besides his manifold violences committed against the Church and Saints of God are most liuelie depainted and set before our eies Many woorthie wits of rare gifts haue trauelled in laieng open his vsurpations villanies and outrages with the originall and processe causes and effects precedents and consequents of the same acording as they were occasioned But this man hath drawen into one entire bodie a great manie memorable points which are dispersedly found in others so that he that listeth may at once take a view as it were of such an vglie monster as would trouble the strongest fantasie in the world to imagine and the most curious hand to pourtray the like Howbeit it is not much to be hoped for that the Italianate atheists and discontented Papists of which there are such swarmes amongst vs will any thing at all be mooued with the cleere light of these most euident demonstrations to reforme their iudgements and preiudicate opinions alreadie conceiued and rooted within them touching his pretended supremacie ouer Gods Church For it is greatly to be feared least by a iust iudgement of the almightie they are become past feeling so that they grope as the blind at noone day giuen ouer to all deceiueablenes of vnrighteousnes through a strong spirit of delusion bicause they would not receiue the loue of the truth that they might be saued But howsoeuer their harts be as hard as the adamant and their eies couered with the mist of palpable darknes euen to this day yet wisedom shal be iustified of hir children Whom God hath foreappointed to be beholders of his glorie they shall in their due time be inlightened with the knowledge of his sauing truth and come out of Babylon with as great speede as euer the Israelites posted out of Egypt Yea they shall clap their hands at the ruine of that Antichristian synagog which being now tottering and readie to fall to the ground laboreth with might and maine by force and fraud by treacherous attempts by cruell practises and open inuasions as it were by mingling heauen and earth togither to vphold it selfe as may be seene in most places of Europe at this day But he that sitteth in heauen laugheth them to scorne the Lord shall haue them in derision Whose words touching the ouerthrow of Babylon cannot fall to the ground but must be fulfilled in their time For doubtles Babylon must fal be rewarded according to hir works the kings of the earth shall loath and persecute this vniuersall strumpet to make hir desolate naked to eate hir flesh consume hir with fire Thrise blessed are they that band themselues togither bend their whole forces to execute these iudgements of the Lord which he hath decreed vpon hir In which respect your H. hath great cause to magnifie the Lord for his gratious mercies toward you in that he hath vouchsafed you this honor to stand in armes against one of hir principall louers in so iust and holie a quarell as is the maintenance of his sacred religion and the deliuering of the helplesse out of the hands of the oppressor so aduisedly and necessarily vndertaken by hir excellent maiestie A thing iustifiable by the lawes of God and man of nature and nations yea warranted by the like practise of most Christian Emperors in former ages and sundrie other good presidents of antiquitie Now seeing God hath dealt so mercifully with you it is your H. part to behaue your selfe valiantly and to fight the Lords battels with courage He is on your side therefore you are on the mountaines and your enimies in the vallies he shall be a brasen wall to defend you on euerie side if you set his feare before you and repose your trust in him The garde of his holie Angels shall be a surer protection vnto you than any trench bulwarke or fortresse you can deuise The praiers of all the godlie in the land being deeply touched with an inward sympathie and fellow-feeling of their neighbors calamities are powred out continually for your safetie and happie successe in this noble enterpise and your H. may be well assured that they shall procure more fauour to you at the hands of the Lord than any either aduersarie forces or associations of the holy Tridentine league shal be able to preuaile to the contrarie Wherfore my Lord arme your selfe with Christian courage policie and warines against these vncircumcised Philistins remember that they with whom you fight are deuowed vassals to that beast which is described in this booke whose power God be thanked hath been found too weake to shake the throne of our gratious Souereigne notwithstanding his often assaults His thunderbolts of excommunications and bannings haue beene esteemed as paper-shot by those noble Princes of the house of Borbon and Vendosme in France He sitteth in his Vaticane as one at his wits end destitute of counsel knowing that the assurance of his kingdom standeth but vpon one or two such Egyptian reedes as are mentioned by the prophet of no great safetie or suretie to be leaned vpon Should not the consideration of these things increase your fortitude and magnanimitie that you neuer faint nor giue ouer before you see a blessed end of your labors Which the Lord of heauen in a
night in Gods seruice giuing himselfe to meditation and praier he did execute a threefold discipline as it were daily with his owne hand not with a cord but with an iron chaine till the blood came one for his owne offences which were the least another for those that were in purgatorie the third for those that are conuersant in the world 19. When the Lord iournied toward Hierusalem when he saw the citie he wept ouer it and he foretold many secrets of harts and euents of things to come for which it was said in his commendation A great prophet is risen vp amongst vs. When Dominic drew neere to cities beholding in mind he wept bitterly for their sinnes and he reuealed manie hid and secret things as a true prophet as the death of the king of the Aragons in battell the conuersion of the heretike Adiu that was to come whom he therfore commanded to be saued from burning Thus far goeth Antoninus whereby the Councellers of the most mightie king of France may iudge whether the most part of Christendome haue iustly or vniustly reiected these inuentions of religion brought in by the popes séeing they durst so wickedly and heinously set Dominic the munke to be worshipped in the church of God for an idoll and to match him with Christ being God our sauior For we must not giue eare to him that shall saie that these are onelie munkish toies which graue and learned men do loath For that which we said before touching the Franciscane bables of the same sort do we saie in this place of the Dominicans séeing they are receiued for diuine oracles in the church of Rome that all Christians must either worship them or else they must looke for such punishments as are appointed for heretiks by this gallowes cowled and cord bearing frier But now let vs heare somwhat else It séemeth that nothing can be added to this impietie But yet let vs trie what can be done For the same Antoninus in the chapter following where he compareth the miracles of Christ and Dominic togither saith thus Dominic raised Pag. 187. three from death in the citie of Rome the sonne of the widow which being knowne to the pope he would haue published it but Dominic for humilitie did vtterly refuse it The carpenter that was hired by his brethren and crushed in peeces by a wall that fell vpon him and Neapoleon the cardinall of the new ditch his nephew which fell from an horse and was all rent in peeces I am fully perswaded that the Lord did also raise others bicause he saith in the plurall number The dead shall rise againe namely Mat. 11. by me whereas yet he had onely raised the ruler of the synagogues daughter according to the Gospels So likewise we find that S. Dominic did raise other that were dead though not so notorious For what shall we thinke of those fortie strāgers which were in a ship in the great riuer beside Tholosa who after they had stood long time vnder the water after that the ship was drowned by the holie praier of S. Dominic they came out of the water safe and sound what shall we thinke but that either they were restored to life or else they were preserued in the water like fishes 2. God did twise fil the hungrie with bread that he multiplied and he turned water into wine Dominic did twise procure bread for his brethren frō God at Rome and at Bononia which the Angels brought from the heauenly bread wherfore it was most sweet He made an emptie caske full of wine and another time he turned water into sweete wine 3. Christ did perfectly heale Simons mother in law that was sicke of a feuer and also he healed many sicke folks Dominic did thoroughly cure a woman of a quartan ague 4. Diuels came out of manie crieng and saieng Bicause thou art the sone of God Dominic freed many that were vexed of diuels in soule and bodie 5. Christ being made immortall entred in twise to the disciples when the gates were shut but Dominic being as yet mortall which is more miraculous entred into the church by night the doores being shut least he should awake his brethren 6. The Lord after he departed out of this world drew infinite men to the way of truth though Dominic had reclamed thousands of heretiks from errors yet many mo after his departure O woonderfull hope which thou hast giuen singeth the church of S. Dominic to those that weepe to thee in the hower of death whiles that thou hast promised that thou wilt profit the brethren after death 7. And to come to an end The Lord saith Power is giuen me in heauen and earth This power was not a little imparted to Dominic of things in heauen in earth and in hel For he had the holie Angels to wait vpon him Moreouer the very Angels comming to the brethren in mans shape gaue them bread to eate If we speake of the elements the fire forgat his force when as the booke of his doctrine being cast thrise into the fire came out thrise vnhurt when the bookes of the heretiks his aduersaries were suddenly consumed The raine comming downe out of the aire in great abundance doth obey the signe of the crosse when as not so much as one drop did touch him as he iournied though all that countrie were ouerflowen with that shower The water of the riuer into which his bookes fell as he passed ouer it could not wet them but being drawen out in stead of fish by fishers vnhurt and dry as if they had been in a cofer after a few daies they were restored to him againe The earth also which containeth metals did not denie him necessarie monie For when as hauing passed ouer a certaine riuer in a boat the ferrie man did earnestly aske his boat hire of S. Dominic and he forasmuch as he was poore did auouch that he had no monie and the ferrie man held him fast by the cloke asking his monie S. Dominic hauing praied and looking toward the ground saw the monie wherof he stood in need lieng there which he gaue him and so set himselfe at libertie but also which is more when a certaine clerke could not liue chaste hauing kissed the hand of S. Dominic as he returned from masse with a sweete sauor so great a habit of virginitie was diffused through his mind that afterward he could easily containe himselfe What shall I speake of the infernall spirits Surely the diuels did tremble at his becke neither were they able to refuse his power Which appeereth when he led him with him as he appeered in the shape of a frier through the assemblies of the conuent namely of the Dormitall quire fratry locutorie and afterward of the chapter-house and he asked him of euery place what he gained there with the friers All which he was enforced to declare Thus writeth Antoninus By which we leaue it to the kings Counsellers to be iudged whether this be
Constantine * dist 66. c. Constant. wherin it is said that Constantine gaue him the principalitie ouer all the churches of the whole world But let vs sée whether the pope be not fallen into that error which is not woont to be tollerated in law and iudgements neither can it by any meanes be suffered that a pleader should alledge contrarie causes of his intention But these l. si quis 7. D. de petit hered l. 1. c. de fur l. Titius 99. D. de cond demonst things are contrarie one to another that Christ gaue the pope principalitie ouer all Churches which he doth most plainly affirm in the places aboue written and that The same principalitie was giuen him by Constantine bicause that which is euerie mans owne cannot be his by more and especially by contrarie causes For their inuention l. an eadem 14. § penult D de except rei iud l. non vt ex plurib 159. de reg iur is intollerable which dispute that that principalitie was first giuen to the pope of Rome by Christ and that Constantine confirmed that donation and that so soon as the first emperor became a Christian he gaue Syluester the pope the voide possession therof First bicause a false Constantine writeth in plaine words that he giueth the gifts of two most great things of the ecclesiasticall iurisdiction ouer all priests that are in Christendome which the popes call the spirituall principalitie and the lordship of the whole west empire which the same call the Temporall lordship Of the former the false Constantine writeth thus Constantine gaue this priuilege to the bishop of the church of Rome that in all the Romane circuit the priests haue him to be their head as iudges haue the king for their head And streightway We decree that he beare rule as well ouer the fower seas of Alexandria Antioch Hierusalem and Constantinople as also ouer all Churches of God thoroughout the whole world What could he write more plainly to shew that he did attribute to the pope a certaine new kind of authoritie Who is he that knoweth not that a priuilege is opposite to common authoritie And that if Constantine gaue a priuiledge to the pope the pope had before like and the same authoritie which all bishops did vse But if Constantine could giue an vniuersall principalitie ecclesiasticall surely he must néeds haue béen lord of that principalitie by full right Which euen all the Canonists do grant to be most absurd that a secular prince should possesse a spiritual principalitie that is an vniuersall bishoprike ouer all churches séeing he hath not the priesthood or bishoprike of so much as of one little church But if Constantine had no bishoprike at al how could he giue the vniuersall bishoprike of all the whole world to Syluester séeing no man can giue more right or authoritie to another than he himself hath And we sée that this argument was obiected two hundred yéeres ago to the pope by Marsilius of Patauium who writeth thus In the decrees Indefens pacis cap. 11. there is found a certaine priuilege of the emperor Constantine approoued by the popes wherin he gaue to S. Syluester bishop of Rome the coactiue iurisdiction ouer all churches of the world and ouer all the rest of the priests or bishops And seeing the pope of Rome and with him the rest of the priests or bishops doth grant that the said grant was firme they must consequently grant that the same Constantine had altogither the same iurisdiction or power ouer them But let vs returne to the proposed Dilemma For whether the pope hold that he had that principalitie from God as he professeth in the places of late cited or he hath it by Constantine his gift we will prooue both to be false First by that repugnance or contrarietie whereof we spake euen now Secondly bicause he cutteth his owne throte with his owne sword For in the decrée he citeth this place out of Chrysostome Whosoeuer he be that will desire principalitie vpon earth shall find confusion in heauen neither shall he be reckoned among the seruants of Christ which wil intreat of the primacie * l. 7. l. 8. de iureiur in l. priuil 27. c. de decur l. 10. Also Let not the bishop of the chiefe Dist 4. c. multi §. quicunque sea be called the prince of priests or the highest priest or any such thing but onelie the bishop of the chiefe sea But let not euen the bishop of Rome be called the vniuersall bishop Which selfe same thing is repeated againe and againe c. primae sedis dist 99. in a maner in as manie words in the two chapters following But if we must dispute out of the ciuil law it is most euident that there be thrée sorts of successors For some be successors of right and such be heires which are called vniuersall successors others be successors of the thing as those to whom legacies be giuen buiers those to whom gifts be giuen which are called particular successors * l. qui ius 177. D. de reg iu. cum simil lib. Last of all l. vlt. D. de excep rei vend l. 1. §. in locum D. quod legat some be successors of a personall office which are called Functionis succedanei Successors in an office * The successors of the former sort haue their right and cause from those whom they succéed whether they be vniuersall or particular * But the third haue not their right and claime from their predecessors but frō those by whom they are chosen and are put in their place such as the successors of magistrates tutors curates be For it is a personall office l. 1. §. 1. l. 6. §. vlt. l. vlt. D. de muner hon l. 1. §. Sciendum l. 4. l. 6. D de magist con l. 6. §. vlt. D. de his qui not in fam that is vpholden by carefulnes and watchfulnes of mind Therefore when a magistrate or tutor is dead one succéedeth him in inheritance another in office These things being thus set downe séeing the pope holdeth that he is Christs successor we may aske him of what kind of successor he professeth himselfe to be For he cannot be called an heire and a successor of all the right séeing that the inheritance of one that is aliue cannot so much as be l. 1. D. de her vend imagined * But Christ is not dead but he liueth both a blessed and euerlasting life No more can he be called the successor of a particular thing séeing the kingdome of Christ hath neither communion nor diuision Heb. 1. 5. no not among the Angels bicause God hath placed him as Paul saith farre aboue all gouernement and power and principalitie and hath put al things vnder his féete and hath made him head ouer all Eph. 1. 21. 22. things to the church But how can he haue a successor or vicar in his vniuersall office séeing
signification by which signification is vnderstood Christ the rocke Peter the Church Thus saith Augustine which thing he repeateth in his book against Iud. paga And also in the tenth tract vpon Iohn and of the word of the Lord ser 20. Concerning which opinion Cyrillus saith He called the rocke nothing In dial de trinitate lib. 4. else but by agnomination the vnshaken and most firme faith of the disciple wherein the Church of Christ is grounded And this verie In epist. ad Eph. ca. 2. same thing doth Ambrose * In hom in Mat. 55. Chrysostom * in c. quodcunque 24. q. 1 and also the Canonists * confirm They alledge this same saieng of Augustine Bicause in the person of Peter the Church hirselfe receiued the keies Which thing is inculcate out of Hierom * in c. omnibus ead q. But Bernard inueighing bitterly against that arrogancie of the popes breaketh out at length into these words And in times past truly In epist. 230. you did rule as Lords ouer the Clergie contrarie to the Apostle Peter yea and ye ruled as lords ouer the faith of the whole world contrarie to his fellow Apostle Paule But now you haue added some new thing vsurping also ouer religion it selfe what remaineth but that you proceed to rule as lords euen ouer the holie Angels themselues And Gregorie surnamed the Great writeth thus to Mauritius Epist 30. li. 16. the emperour I say boldlie that whosoeuer he be that calleth himself the vniuersal priest or desireth to be so called doth in his pride go before Antichrist bicause in waxing proud he setteth himselfe before the rest The like wherof we may sée in many places in the Lib. 6. epi. 188. epi. 194. also lib. 7. epist 3. 74. 79. 80. same writer and vnto the said Mauritius And thus much concerning the former part of the Dilemma Now let vs sée touching the other that is the donation of Constantine Though séeing it may séem that we shall haue a fitter place to handle the same when we come to intreat of the crime of forgerie it be fitter for vs at this time in this one word to passe ouer al that disputation namely that all that instrument of the donation which the pope bringeth forth is false feigned and forged and that it came out of the same shop out of which we shewed before the volume of the Conformities of Francis came wherof bicause we shall in their place bring to light 25. most sure arguments we will now make an ende to this second crime Onelie in stéede of a conclusion we will propounde a question of this Franciscane frier of ours which will not easily be answered as I thinke Our Sixtus is pope and also a Franciscane inasmuch as he is pope he hath as we haue shewed before not onely chiefe dignitie vpon earth but also great in heauen purgatorie and hell inasmuch as he is a Franciscane no doubt according to his dutie towarde his patron he granteth that S. Francis deserueth dignitie aboue the Cherubins We say not amongst the Cherubins saith Antoninus of Florence but aboue the Cherubins and it is certaine according to the doctors that the Seraphins are aboue the Cherubins Thus writeth Antoninus Therfore the question is when this pope departing Lib. hist. 3. tit 23. ca. 1. this life shall be receiued by S. Francis whether he shall be placed aboue the Cherubins or the Seraphins For we haue shewed that the Dominicane friers onlie are placed vnder the mantle of the blessed virgin It causeth great doubtfulnes bicause as Augustine Steuchus writeth the pope is God as the Canonists dispute halfe a God But Francis as we saide before out of the testimonie of the deuill is nothing but a stout frier On the other side this our frier calleth Francis the Typical Iesus as if one should saie Another Iesus or one that is made like to the former Iesus If we should place Francis aboue the pope we should place him aboue his God or demie God which were most absurd If we should giue him a place below the pope neuerthelesse we should absurdlie make another Iesus subiect to the pope and peraduenture the Iesuites could not abide that for the high dignitie of their name What shall we saie then Bartolus was woont in hard questions to admonish his hearers to bethinke themselues We in the meane season without any preiudice of the truth will leaue to this pope that same place which Gregorie the Great giueth him which what maner one it is we shall set downe shortly after where we shall make mention of Lucifers comming to hell Of the crime of corrupt Religion HItherto haue we spoken briefely of the second crime of the papacie according to our method and order set downe It followeth that we intreat of the crime of corrupt religion For when as the pope tooke vpon him that chiefe lordship ouer Christian religion he then determined as it were by his own right to innouate new trim and transforme it at his pleasure Whereof this is the first testimonie The holie Scripture teacheth vs that there is one onely forme of religion and worshipping of God the same which is set downe in writing in the writings of the Prophets Apostles so that it is not lawfull to adde any thing thereto or to take any thing there fro no not for an Angell in heauen Therefore Christ saith In vaine do they worship me teaching doctrines which Iohn 14. 2. Tim. 3. Matth. 15. are the commandements of men And Ier. 7. Which I neuer commanded neither ascended they into mine hart Therefore Irenaeus bishop of Lyons an authour most ancient for he wrot about the yéere of Christ 198. After that saith he our Lord rose from the dead and the Apostles had the holie Ghost giuen them after that power came vpon them from aboue they were filled with all things and they had perfect knowledge of saluation Also Cha. 4. We must not seeke the truth at others seeing the Apostles haue most fully bestowed all things in the church which belong to the truth that euery one that will may take of the same drinke of life Also Athanasius in the beginning of his second booke against the Gentils The holie scripture saith he and inspired by God is alone abundantly sufficient to all instruction of the truth Thus saith he But the pope setteth downe on the contrarie that The discipline of the Church besides holie scripture so saith he in the Councell of Trent is contained in the traditions of the elders Triden concil session 4. cap. 1. which being deliuered as it were by hands came vnto vs also as being deliuered either by word of mouth by Christ or else by the holie Ghost Now let vs sée what maner traditions being deliuered to vs by our ancetors as it were from hand to hand are to be obserued And first of all let vs cite that The pope vseth vpon
a band-dog or Cerberus than this But as I haue alreadie said this boldnes of the pope against the king of Nauarr is not greatly to be woondered at séeing such was his vnbridled furie against the most mightie king of France Wherefore let vs heare rather other testimonies of like and the same pride for it is not for man to contend with satan in railing spéeches and it shall be sufficient to vse that curse of Michael the archangell The Lord Jude 1. 9. rebuke thee Therefore to returne to our purpose we must not passe ouer that testimonie of the same popish seruice which is reported touching the same Boniface who in the yéere 1300. when there was great concourse of people at Rome by reason of the Iubilie in the first solemne day the pope shewed himselfe to the people in his Pontificalibus the day following hauing on the attire of the emperor he commanded a naked sword to be borne before him crieng with a lowd voice I am the pope and emperor and I beare rule in earth and heauen And a few daies after hée proudly reiected Albertus created emperor by the electors of Germanie when he came to craue his confirmation denieng that the election had without his authoritie ought to be counted firme séeing he alone had the authoritie of both swords After some good space he confirmed him vpon condition that with al expedition he shuld make war against the French king whose kingdome he gaue him for a pray and reward of his victorie Which things are witnessed by Cuspianus in the life of Albertus in the chronicle of Vsperge and by the writers of the French chronicles But to what end do we prosecute these light and trifling things We haue before declared that the pope of Rome doth claime by the donation of Constantine the empire of al the west parts These be but bare words Wherefore let vs looke into the thing it selfe For we denie that there is any king in the west I meane of France Spaine Aragon Portugal Hungarie Bohemia England Scotland Denmarke Sueueland Ruscia Croatia Dalmatia whom the papacie of Rome will not haue to be vassall and feudatarie to it as if he had receiued his kingdome from him as a fée and benefit and ought for that cause to ow allegeance and to do homage to him It is much that we say and almost incredible to be spoken but the truth shall appéere by instruments that we wil bring to light and by testimonies that we will vse For we wil touch euery realme according to the order of the letters Of that of England AVgustine Steuchus the maister of the popes librarie doth witnes in his book of the donation of Constantine that in 2. pag. 138. that librarie of the popes there is extant a register of pope Alexander the 3. wherein is found an epistle to William king of England For as we vnderstand by that booke of Steuchus the maister of the librarie all the actes of euerie pope are written in seuerall registers to the which what credit we ought to giue the verie rule of the law doth show wherein it is said that a priuate writing must be beléeued but onely against the writer himselfe Therfore this was Alexander his epistle Your wisedome knoweth that the kingdome of Englande sithence the time that the name of Christ was there glorified hath bin vnder the hand and tuition of the chiefe of the Apostles For as you know full well the Englishmen were faithfull and in respect of godly deuotion and knowledge of religion they gaue a yeerely pension to the apostolike sea wherof some part was giuen to the bishop of Rome some part to the church of S. Marie which is called the schoole of the Englishmen to the vse of the brethren These things are cited out of Steuchus But I finde these testimonies in other places besides Steuchus Flauius Blondus in his 6. booke Decad. 2. Then saith he Iohn king of England fearing that he was not of sufficient force to deale with the French king fled to the mercy of Innocentius the third pope of Rome for making England and Ireland feudataries to the church of Rome by league he promised to pay for either Iland an hundred markes in gold yeerely Antonie of Florence saith * Iohn king of England of his own accord Hist. part 3. tit 19. §. quinto anno 1223. by the counsell of his princes offered and did freely grant to God and his most holie Apostles Peter Paul and to the holie church of Rome and to the lord Innocentius the third being pope all the kingdome of England and also of Ireland with all their rights and appurtenances and he hath done and sworne homage for the same kingdomes to the saide Innocentius the pope that he should hold them hereafter as a feudatarie of the said pope and his successours Whereof also Polidore Virgill maketh mention in his 15. booke By this instrument of the pope if as I said we may giue credence to a priuate writing the realme of England is feudatarie to the pope Go to let vs sée the rest Of the kingdome of Arragonia STeuchus in the selfe same booke * saith Pag. 193. Peter king of Arragonia in the third yeer of the L. Innocentius the third being pope came to Rome to the same Innocentius and he receiued from him solemnely an honorable knighthood and he offered willinglie to S. Peter and to the holie church of Rome his whole kingdome and there he had for his fee the same kingdome Also he appointed to pay a certaine summe of money for the kingdome of Sardinia Of the kingdome of Croatia and Dalmatia STeuchus in the same booke * in the register of Gregorie the seauenth we reade thus In the name of the lord of the holie Pag. 191. and indiuisible Trinitie in the yeere of the Lords incarnation one thousand seuenty sixe in the 14. indiction of the moneth of October I Demetrius which am also called Suinumir by the grace of God duke of Croatia and Dalmatia being made and constituted by thee L. Gebizus hauing the power of Pope Gregorie by the ambassage of the apostolike sea by the synodall and generall election of the whole cleargie and people in the Solantine church of S. Peter and being inuested and appointed king in the gouernment of the kingdome of the Croatians and Dalmatians by the banner sword scepter and crowne to thee I vowe and promise that I will vnchangeably fulfill all things which thy reuerend holines shall inioine me that I may keepe mine oth to the Apostolike sea in all things and that I may keepe irreuocably whatsoeuer as well the sea apostlike as the legates thereof haue or shall establish in this realme that I may execute iustice and defend the church also I appoint to pay to S. Peter yeerely in the resurrection of the Lord the tribute of two hundred Bizanties of al my consulships and primacies for the kingdome granted to me Furthermore seeing to
like sort if the sentence containe an intollerable error as the same canonists affirme * in d. c. solet in d. c. per tuas as in this matter of ours where the bull of pope Sixtus is conuict of most manifest errors as is shewed in the last cause of Nullitie especially where the sentence doth manifestly contain the error of the fact as Augustine * in Sum. contra gloss in d. c. per tuas noteth For a sentence pronounced according to false allegations is in law none as we prooued before at large The fourth Nullitie by reason of the forme of the sentence THere remaineth the fourth cause of Nullitie by reason of the foolish forme of the conceiued sentence For as it is commonly said the foolishnes of spéech declareth the foolishnes of the mind * l. pend D. de cond demon l. 1. §. pen. vlt. D. de aedil edict Therfore a iudge which giueth sentence foolishly fondly and absurdly is called a foole * l. vlt. c. de fideic libert such a one as we shall prooue this Frier a scholler of Francis Bernardo to be by this his sentence and Frierlike bull For he beginneth thus The authoritie granted by the infinite power of the eternall king to S. Peter and his successors doth surmount all the powers of earthly kings and princes Sée how the hangman speaketh sentences But it is an old rule of the Logicians that comparisons are vsed in those things onely that are of the same sort But what agréement is there betwéene the authoritie that was giuen to the apostles which appertaineth to religion and conscience and the power granted to kings which consisteth in ciuil and politike matters Therfore our cowled Frier hath spoken as if he had said The foolishnes of Bernardo his scholler doth surmount the eares of all the asses that are in Arcadia But that we may answer somwhat in earnest let this conclusion come to light A successor of right hath no more than his author had Peter had not authoritie surpassing the powers of kings but he was commanded to obey them as superiors Therefore though the pope were Peters successor which we prooued before to be false yet being inferior to kings he ought to obey them The assumption is plaine out of these words Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers Whosoeuer he be that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God Rom. 13. Tell them that they submit themselues to principalities and powers that they obey Tit. 3. Be subiect to euery ordinance of mā for the Lords sake whether it be to the king as to the chief ruler or to presidents as to those that are sent by him 1. Pet. 2 But what shall the authoritie of the holie scripture auaile with the pope For it shall euen now be refuted with this one word Constantine granted to the pope all the kingdoms of the West and he commanded that emperors and kings should hold his stirrop when he gat vp vpon horsebacke that they should wait vpon him as pages and finally that prostrating themselues vpon the ground they should kisse his féete This is that preeminence of the popes whereof he speaketh in this place such as either was in times past vpon earth that of his god Francis when being taken vp into the middle region of the aire he talked familiarly with Christ for which cause to auoid that cold he put on a hooded garment or else is at this day in heauen where he is said to sit stradling aboue the Cherubins But now let vs sée what followeth Standing firme vpon the rocke it doth not turne aside from the right course by any contrarie or prosperous blasts Who euer heard before this that either authoritie being set vpon a rocke did saile or that any ship was euer turned aside from the right course by prosperous blasts But notwithstanding howsoeuer this ship doth saile we haue shewed before that he that did boast that he sitteth in the sterne therof and doth hold the helme hath not a place left him so much as in the pumpe or sinke Like to this is that that followeth If he find any that resist the ordinance of God those doth he more sharply punish As if euen in the citie of Rome which is a mansion of al wickednes the ordinances of God were not resisted or the pope did sharpely punish any such as resist But Petrarcha Mantuan Sannazarius and many mo Italians call Rome the shop of all wickednes Babylon Sodom the schoole of errors the temple of heresies a shamelesse strumpet Go shame into the villages If villages be not become Receits of filth For that is now A brothelhouse that erst was Rome saith Mantuan Also in another place At Rome are sold The temples priests and altars braue The sacrifice and diademe The fire incense and praiers eke To sell both heauen and God they seeme Also Albericus Rosat in the word Rome The court of Rome will not be serued With sheepe that 's robbed of hir fleeze Against all those that nothing giue The doors are shut but those which greeze Hir hand with bribes she heares with speed Also S. Bernard in his fourth booke of consideration to pope Eugenius cap. 1. Whom wilt thou shew me of a whole great citie that receiued thee to be pope without reward or hope of reward These being hated of earth and heauen haue laid hands vpon both being wicked against God rash against holie things seditious one against another Also Petrarcha in his epistles Whatsoeuer is read concerning Assyria or Egypt or Babylon whatsoeuer is read concerning the labyrinths finally whatsoeuer is read of the entrie of hell and of the brimstone woods of hell being applied to this hell it is a fable Heere is the turretting and terrifieng Nimrod Heere is Semiramis with hir quiuer heere is Minos that cannot be intreated Heer is Radamantus Heer is Cerberus that deuoureth al things Heer is Pasiphae lieng with the bull and the mixed kinde as saith Maro and the childe hauing two shapes Heer is Minotaurus moniments of lust not to be named Last of all you may see heer whatsoeuer is confused whatsoeuer is blacke whatsoeuer is any where horrible or is feigned so to be and to be briefe a sinke of all wickednes and shamefull things What saith our pope to these things Let vs heare the praise of the citie of Rome out of the chapter fundamenta 17. de elect in vj. Rome saith he is an holie nation an elect people a priestly citie and a princely by the holie sea of S. Peter made the head of the whole world Was there euer any so shamelesse a baud or beast out of whose mouth came a more shamelesse saieng Or what shall we saie of our Franciscan frier who careth for those things that are done beyond the Alpes who regardeth not what things be done at home Séeing Paul hath ordained that he that cannot gouerne his owne family haue not the gouernment of the church